Generosity

30 Days of Trains! continues and I have to say I’ve been overwhelmed with gratitude at people’s out pouring of generosity.

Unfortunately, I won’t see the final donor list until I’ve completely closed out the grant (just like I won’t get any of the grant money until I raise all of the money).  So, I can’t give appropriate thanks where thanks is due for a few more weeks.  In the mean time, for everyone who has donated or supported this project in some way, THANK YOU!

In addition to all of the support from readers, my great friend Brittany put me in contact with Gabrielle, someone she met through her blog.

Gabrielle McNichol is a current high school senior with future aspirations to become a Peace Corps volunteer.  Seems to me like she has the perfect self-motivated and optimistic spirit to make a great future PCV!  Gabrielle is currently collecting books and art supplies items to donate to the train station.  I hope to cross paths with her in the future, but until then I’ll let her tell you about herself and her project:

I came up with the idea of wanting to help out PCV’s because I want to join the Peace Corps myself and I thought, ‘Why does anyone I tell this to not know what the Peace Corps is?’ It came to my attention that a lot of people are ignorant towards the Peace Corps– I think that should change. In my opinion PCV’s are heroes and soldiers abroad. Just like the ones you see in the Army except they don’t fight. They use Peace.

So, I was sitting back one day thinking of how I could help get the Peace Corps more known and how to help the volunteers serving. There’s always collections for the Army, whether it be food items, personal items, or even money, they get a lot of support. Now, I’m not saying PCV’s don’t get support by any means, but I’m saying a gross majority of people don’t know about the Peace Corps and I think it’s time for PCV’s to be recognized and gain just as much support as say the Army. Everyone needs help!

So, I started looking at PCV blogs and sent out emails to see if they would like help or for me to send them things off their wish lists. To show that there are Americans out there who care and appreciate what they’re doing and would like to show support for them in some way.

I talked to my advisor of the Students In Action club in my school and asked if we can hold a drive during lunches for people to bring in items for a PCV, spending a week prior to publicize our project. Another girl and I are taking action and spreading the word of the Peace Corps! (Which is my goal) To remind PCVs WE DO CARE AND APPRECIATE THEIR SERVICE!

I would like to keep doing this for PCV’s as I call my project “Operation: PCV Angels”. Aside from just gaining donations of miscellaneous things in school, for my birthday, I asked everyone to bring something from Molly’s wish list as “my gift”. (What a great turn out!) As well as putting it in my towns newspaper and having them drop it off at a location where I can pick them up at and having a collection at my church! I can’t tell you how many people went from thinking the Peace Corps was just something that wasn’t serious or even the people who had never heard of the Peace Corps… I (we) have changed their train of thought and expanded their minds! People in my community are more accepting to support PCV’s now that they know who they are and what they do. I even presented a presentation in my English class about it!

Thank you, Gabrielle (and everyone else working on and donating to the project) for your service!  Thank you for supporting Peace Corps volunteers and the train station of Paraguari!

 

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