Come Join Friends of Ukraine Reunion on 1- 4 August 2008 in 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 weekend!

The Agenda

On Friday evening, we will start off with a happy hour at the Hirschorn 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!).

On Saturday, the morning will be free for informal sightseeing.   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.  Its 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 at the Matchbox restaurant at 713 H St NW.  Anyone who wishes to nominate a project for potential funding (grant) or to nominate someone as a board member might want to lunch with the committee.   Others are also welcome.  The Matchbox is only a couple of blocks from the next event.

On Saturday afternoon, y/our Friends of Ukraine annual meeting begins at 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 cannot be at the annual meeting, then be sure to phone in, toll-free (888-617-3400, pass code is 408642) for a conference-call at 3 PM EDT, when we’ll conduct an 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 (1523 22nd St NW), 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 that 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.  That night, some of us hope to enjoy a game-night of the sort we had at our COS gatherings in Ukraine.

For those who stay over until Monday, we plan a trip to Capitol Hill to visit Congress.  We expect to see our representatives in action or at least talk with some congressional aides, especially those associated with the Ukrainian Congressional Caucus!

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 the Bratislava-like Hotel Harrington (436 11th Street, NW).  A room for 2 should cost about $119 and a room for 4 should cost about $135.  You can phone (800) 424-8532 or click on http://www.hotel-harrington.com/ -- Any schedule changes for the above events will be posted near that hotel’s registration desk, along with some cell phone numbers.

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.

See you in August!  Do vstrechi!

 

The Trident

Index
From the Presidents desk
Rosa's Summer Camp
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
Come Join Us in August
Call for Contacts!
Where Are They Now
Wanna be a Leader?
Sasha's Story
How Do I Join?