June 1, 2018 The Refugee Assistance Alliance, founded in 2017, supports underserved refugee populations in need in South Florida by arranging in-home tutoring, cultural programming, and various special events.  RAA primarily works with refugees from Syria.  We are a non-religious, non-political organization that coordinates volunteer tutors and mentors to help our families learn basic English and provide other assistance as needed.  Although we enter our families’ homes as tutors and mentors, this relationship often develops into so much more.  Our refugee families often tell us their tutors become like family to them and vice versa.  The goals of our program are English language acquisition and self-sufficiency, and ultimately we hope this program promotes peace and understanding among the people of South Florida.

For Info, Click >>: https://www.refugeeassistancealliance.org

For the Position Description, Click >>: Director of Operations (Miami)-2.pdf 

Boteco Happy Hour June 9, 2018 - Miami

May 11, 2018 - Landscape Inspectors Association of Florida, Miami-Dade Chapter, gave Joy Klein (Jamaica) the Bob Brennan ROOTS award today for all the work she has done to help the landscape industry. 

April 22, 2018

See More Photos of the Bon Voyage Picnic by Clicking on " Our Photo Album " to the left

If you are a PCV or RPCV and plan to seek employment and/or accommodations in South Florida in the near future, drop us a line at rpcvsf@rpcvsf.org. We are wondering if there is interest, and if so, thinking of posting your search in the Members Only section of our website. So for jobs, we would need something brief with your name and contact information, your educational and work background, and what kind of work you will be seeking. We cannot promise anything more than a bit of publicity to our members on our website.

Travel, a program of RPCVSF,  is organizing a repeat of our great 2016 safari to Namibia for approximately two weeks during April 15, 2019 through May 15, 2019. Travel needs 4 more interested people to ask the travel agency to put it together with exact dates and pricing. For more information, click here: >>> NAMIBIA 2019.doc

By Greg Zell (Nigeria 62-64)

For the Story, Please Click Here: >>> Marge and Greg do Bangkok and Indochina.docx

For the Story, Please Click the following: Travel goes to Central Africa.pdf 

Cinco de Mayo - 2018

( Please See "Our Photo Album" to the left for more Photos )

The Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of the Gulf Coast of Florida hosted World Heritage Festival Saturday, April 28, 2018, at Bayfront Park, Sarasota, from 11 am to 3 pm, in partnership with “Embracing Our Differences.” RPCVs showed displays representing the seven regions Peace Corps Volunteers serve in and shared their stories. We had artifacts, sights and music from all over the world. Hundreds of people attended and  what a wonderful surprise when students from Manatee School of the Performing Arts and Sarasota School for the Arts and Sciences did cultural dances for us! That spontaneity was so uplifting! All the students that were there contributed so much and worked steadfastly to make sure our event was a success! (A note from Leita Kaldi)

More at: http://peacecorpsworldwide.org/rpcvs-of-gulf-coast-of-florida-hosted-world-heritage-festival/

On April 8th, 2018, a group of RPCVs and their friends and families visited the Everglades National Park to tour the Nike Hercules Missile site that was activated during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. For more information about tours, just Google "everglades missile base tour."

RPCVSF Members: If you e-mail us a few project pictures, we will try to post them on our website

1968 - Building Bridges in The Putamayo in Colombia. Pictured on the left, PCV Leader McGrath.

This year 29 RPCVSF members, 11 Kiwanis Club of Biscayne Bay members and six park rangers from the Everglades National Park hosted 78 wonderful kids and 37 accompanying adults from five homeless shelters for a day in the Florida Everglades. The total attendance including guests was 169.

For more photos of the day, please click on "Our Photo Album" on the left side menu.

Everglades National Park is a 1.5-million-acre wetlands preserve on the southern tip of the U.S. state of Florida. Often compared to a grassy, slow-moving river, the Everglades is made up of coastal mangroves, sawgrass marshes and pine flatwoods that are home to hundreds of animal species.

 Among the Everglades' abundant wildlife are the endangered leatherback turtle, Florida panther and West Indian manatee. The Everglades is the only place in the world where the American alligator and the American Crocodile coexist.

The Grove Spot - January 5th, 2017

Left to right: Aldo (Costa Rica); Genevieve (Malawi); Justin (Honduras); Doris (Venezuela); Ted (Philippines); Kathi (South Korea); Willie (Ecuador); Greg (Nigeria); John (Ukraine)

A Happy New Year from HELP   And...   We met our match... and more!   HELP would not be able to send 1 student to school let alone 165 if it wasn't for you. We are grateful for all our supporters.    Thank you!

RPCVSF's 2017 donations to HELP generated by our Fair Trade Market sales typically cover Room and Board for 2 students.  With the matching effect of this year’s donation, it’s 4 !!!!  Keep shopping.

     

   

On Friday, December 8^th, Mary Lamberts and Doris Vincent of RPCVSF traveled to the offices of the Redlands Christian Migrant Association in Immokalee, to deliver a check (donations collected at our AGM and matched by RPCVSF) and lots of toys for RCMA kids (collected at our holiday party).

RCMA helps infants as young as 6 weeks old, and school-aged children in their charter school and after-school programs, where children receive the professional loving care and education that is so important for their future success.  It brings peace of mind to parents who leave their treasures in RCMA’s safe hands while they work to get ahead. 

The RPCVSF Board of Directors selected RCMA to receive the money and toys we collected, since many of the migrants temporarily lost their livelihoods when Mother Nature flooded out crops in the Immokalee area, making it difficult for the workers to buy Christmas gifts for their children.   Our sincere thanks (and those of RCMA) go to all RPCVs who made donations.

Thanking Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of South Florida for our donation through the Peace Corps Partnership program for the Labor and Delivery Building at the Ltimbo Clinic.