Community Service
RPCV/W is committed to supporting local organizations engaged in community development in the DC area. We are all volunteers at heart, and our members enjoy coming out on a weekend to help out a worthy cause. Keep an eye on our events for our next volunteer day.
If you would like to suggest a project or help out at an event, please contact our Community Service Director. Local organizations are also free to post calls for volunteers in our weekly newsletter. Fundraising advertisements must be approved by a director.
Partnership for Peace
Every two years, we officially sponsor a grassroots nonprofit that shares our goals and values. In addition to awarding them a cash grant based on the proceeds of our yearly fundraiser, we advertise their events through our social network and help them organize volunteers for their activities.
We call this program our Partnership for Peace. Local organizations are invited to apply every other spring and our members vote for their favorite during our annual elections.
Professional Development
We recognize that many of our members are newly-returned volunteers eager to set down roots in Washington and launch their careers. We believe that all RPCVs should be able to network freely, and encourage our members to make time for their peers who are looking to climb the ladder. To this end, we launched our Professional Development Initiative in 2011. In a joint partnership with the Peace Corps Career Center, RPCV/W organizes regular panels composed of RPCVs who have excelled in their industries and are happy to sit down and share their stories in an intimate, collegial setting. We also host speed-networking events and happy hours intended to promote cohesion between RPCVs working in particular areas, industries, and agencies.
Our Professional Development page is designed as a resource base for DC job-seekers, featuring our Linkedin portal, a live RSS stream of constantly-updating local jobs, and a daily calendar of free networking events going on across the city. Sign up and take advantage of the Peace Corps Network.
A little advice goes a long way. We work closely with the NPCA to recruit mentors and match them to those looking for guidance.
Country Groups
RPCV/W doesn't fundraise for projects overseas, but Country of Service Groups do. We've assembled a directory of these groups and their DC-area contacts. The page is updated regularly by representatives of those groups, so the information is always current.
Special Events
For years, our Holiday Party and Summer BBQ have been staples in the Washington RPCV social scene, and RPCVs have gathered at the tomb of JFK for decades to pay their respects.
As our numbers grow, so does our role in the community. RPCV/W is often called upon to plan and participate in major public events. From parades to public-speaking, our services are always in demand.
As our numbers grow, so does our role in the community. RPCV/W is often called upon to plan and participate in major public events. From parades to public-speaking, our services are always in demand.