Come Join Friends of Ukraine Reunion 2008
1- 4 August – Washington DC
Come reunite with fellow Ukraine RPCVs and meet others at the Friends of Ukraine annual conference and reunion in Washington, DC on Friday, August 1, to Monday, August 4. We welcome all Friends of Ukraine members: past, current and future. Grab your Ukrainian shirt and call up your old Peace Corps Ukraine buddies and come to this fun event!
The Agenda
On Friday evening, we will start off with a happy hour at the Hirshorn Sculpture Garden (part of the Smithsonian) - enjoy the view of the monuments as well as the pitchers of sangria (sure, that's not a traditional Ukrainian drink, but we’re RPCVs – we are flexible!).
Saturday, the morning will be free for informal sightseeing. On Saturday, we’ll also have an opportunity to visit National Peace Corps Association’s headquarters (meet there at 10:00 - 1900 L Street NW, Suite 404). Jonathan Pearson, NPCA’ s Advocacy Director, has offered to provide a brief overview on advocacy. We’ll also have a chance to learn more about the “MorePeaceCorps” campaign. Their goal is to double the size of the Peace Corps by its 50th anniversary in 2011.
Our Nominations & Grants Committee will have a business lunch at 12:30 Saturday (location: TBD). Individuals wishing to nominate a project for potential funding (grant) or to nominate someone as a Board Member may wish to lunch with the committee.
Later Saturday afternoon, the annual meeting begins at (approximately) 2:30 and will be teleconferenced for those not fortunate enough to be present. The meeting will be held in Room A9 at the MLK District of Columbia Public Library, at 901 G Street, NW. Wi-fi is available for those who bring laptop computers. So bring PowerPoint slides or photos to show during introductions at the beginning of our annual meeting.
If you just cannot be at the annual meeting, then be sure to phone-in, toll-free for a conference-call at 3:00 during when we’ll conduct an official election of officers. We will also select Ukraine projects to receive Friends of Ukraine grants.
After 5 PM, the group will visit the Shevchenko statue, conveniently located near the Brickskeller pub, home of a zillion beers, including your favorite Obolon. The location of our annual dinner on Saturday evening is still in negotiation, but we know wherever it is, we will have a great time! Your suggestions for a dinner location are most welcome!
On Sunday, we will head back to the Mall for a very simple picnic brunch (Time TBD). We are looking for a couple DC people to help (bring blankets, get bagels and such) so please consider volunteering. Participants will be instructed on where to purchase coffee. At the picnic, we’ll have a Ukrainian souvenir "show and tell." So please bring some Ukrainian memorabilia - something you want to share with the group. If you don't want to carry it with you, just bring a photo and a good story about it.
After Sunday’s picnic, we encourage you to join the group going to the Nationals' baseball game at 1:35.
For those who stay over till Monday, we plan a trip to Capitol Hill to visit Congress. We expect to see our representatives in action!
Lodging in DC
We encourage participants to seek out the couches or floors of RPCVs, as there are many in the DC area. If you want to stay in a hotel, we have found a "Bratislava-like" hotel downtown called Hotel Harrington. A room for 2 should cost about $115 and a room for 4 should cost about $135 -- or maybe less if enough of us stay there to get a group rate. You can phone (800) 424-8532 or click on http://www.hotel-harrington.com/
RSVP Now
There is no formal registration, but please RSVP to Lani Horowitz (Chernihiv 2003-2005) at lanihorowitz@yahoo.com or Ross Felling (Chernivtsi 1999-2001) at rsfelling@yahoo.com to give us an idea of who and how many people are coming, as we hone in on restaurant reservations, etc.
More details will be forthcoming, including precise addresses and times of the events.
See you in August! Do vstrechi!
The Trident
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It's a Shoe In
Kids Around the World
M-Bags
Lets All Get Together
September 2011
All Things Ukrainian
Spring into NING
Hail and Farewell
Call for Contacts!
Where Are They Now
Wanna be a Leader?
Sasha's Story
2008 Reunion News
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