Friends of Fiji

Friends of Fiji is no longer maintaining a Yahoo Group.  For pictures and social networking, please use our Facebook pages (links listed under “Blogroll”  on the left of this page) and our Friends of Fiji group page on Peace Corps Connect.

Ten members of the board of Friends of Fiji held a Leadership Retreat in Bethesda, MD.   Following a business meeting, discussions were held on goal setting and strategic planning, membership, communications, branding, fundraising and the Peace Corps 50th anniversary.  Our next newsletter will contain more details.

Fiji Peace Corps Volunteers completing their service this spring were the firstbeneficiaries of the Dan Cantor Memorial Fund. The fund paid for a couple of rounds of Fiji Bitter at their recent completion of service conference. The Dan Cantor Toast was read to the group. Pictures of the event can be found at: http://community.peacecorpsconnect.org/photo/photo/slideshow?albumId=2683076:Album:65327 To view them, you will need to sign up with the Peace Corps Connect (a social networking site for Peace Corps types).

More on Dan and contributing to the Dan Cantor fund can found here. 

The recent catastrophic flooding in Fiji resulted in the loss of 11 lives and $78 million damages to property. The Embassy of Fiji in Washington, DC is organizing a major fund raising event in Newark, California on April 11 to support flood relief efforts in Fiji.  Click on the poster link below for additional information.

embassy_gala_poster

Dan Cantor, Peace Corps/Fiji’s Country Director from 1972 until 1975, died peacefully January 9 while in hospice care, following an extended bout with Parkinson’s disease. Prior to serving in Fiji, Dan had served as Deputy Country Director for Peace Corps/India, following a private sector career as a human resources executive. After his time with Peace Corps, Dan was the Director of Human Resources for Harvard University before retirement in the Washington DC area.

Dan’s obituary can be found in the comments below.  David Downes has composed a toast for occasions supported by the Friends of Fiji Dan Cantor Memorial Fund

The Board of Friends of Fiji has established a Dan Cantor Memorial Fund in Dan’s honor to “provide support to current Peace Corps Volunteers and Staff serving in Fiji that may not be available from the Peace Corps itself, as determined by the Board of Directors.”

Tax deductible donations can be made by going to our Membership Page and clicking on the Donate button, or by including a donation when you renew your membership. You can also donate by check to the Friends of Fiji noting “Dan Cantor Memorial Fund” on the memo line and mailed to:

Friends of Fiji

c/o David Downes, Treasurer

3327 Mantua Drive

Fairfax, VA 22031

Dan Cantor

The Annual General Meeting and Pot Luck Dinner of the Friends of Fiji has been set by the Board of Directors for Saturday, January 31, 2009, beginning at 5:00 p.m. at the home of David and Willa Downes (Fiji I RPCVs), 3327 Mantua Dr, Fairfax, VA 22031. The business meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will include the election of the Board of Directors for the upcoming year and any other appropriate business.

If you are interested in the possibility of serving on the Friends of Fiji Board of Directors, please let us know in advance by emailing a brief biography (including details of your connection to Fiji) and what skills and interests you would bring to the Board to David Downes at downesdd@aol.com. The Board generally meets about once a month in Arlington, VA.

Weather-related changes will be announced on this website (http://www.fofiji.org/). The “snow date, if needed, will be one week later, Saturday, February 7, same time, same place, unless changes are announced on the website.

Google Map

Update: At the Friends of Fiji annual meeting, those who knew Dan Cantor posed with his mat after establishing the Daniel Cantor Memorial Fund to support PCVs and staff in Fiji.

Dan Cantor was presented with this mat when he left Fiji. He later donated it to Friends of Fiji.

Fiji II Peace Corps Volunteers, who began their service in Dec 1968 and Jan 1969, gathered from around the country at the Springhill Marriott Hotel in Orlando FL the weekend of Oct 24-26, 2008. That marked the 40th anniversary of their initial orientation in Escondido CA, followed by 10 weeks of training at Hoolehua on the Hawaiian island of Molokai.

Twenty enthusiastic if somewhat aged RPCVs from the initial 116 made their way to a wonderful gathering filled with pleasant reminiscing, from as far as California, Texas and Massachusetts. Lew Jones even brought his granddaughter from Virginia. All in attendance could not have asked for a more memorable weekend. Thanks go to Mike Haynes and Dave Rhudy for their efforts over several years to organize the event, to Margaret (Peters) Hanke for compiling an updated biog book, which was distributed as a CD, and to Will Lutwick for providing name badges with photos from the original biog book.

A casual Friday evening opened the event with light snacks and some observations from Dave Woodward, who has maintained the closest ties to Fiji within the group. Everyone enjoyed a variety of libations, including some grog, served by Bill Humphries, in a bilo and tanoa owned by Joe Basenberg, and hand-carried from Mobile, Alabama for the occasion. This occurred as all participated in a talanoa recounting the highest and lowest points of group members’ tours. They even remembered their timely maca as each consumed his or her bilo. There was also time to recall those Fiji IIs who have left this world (John O’Brien, Al Banner, John Rusciolelli, Grady Frymire, and David Williams), to enjoy various local attractions, and finally, to gather for a memorable dinner together at a local eatery near the Springhill Marriott site of the reunion.

The group enjoyed “What do you know” style Fiji II trivia, crafted a map showing locations of tours of duty in Fiji, and, during the group photo, sang a couple of spontaneous choruses of “Isa Lei”. Everyone enjoyed reconnecting with others after so many years and hope that the network will grow. As the group began their journeys home, all hoped that the next Fiji II reunion will be as much fun and will include many more Friends of Fiji II. Anyone interested in adding information to the data base may email it to mdhaynes44@msn.com or dcrhudy@bnin.net.

Click on picture to enlarge

First row, l to r, Lolly Tatum Stuart, Dave Woodward, Dave Rhudy, Mike Haynes. Second row, l to r, Bob and Diane Holzheimer, Joan Warner Hamilton, Jan Curry, Kathleen Cylkowski, Lew Jones with granddaughter Heather, Susan Parker. Third row, l to r, Will Lutwick, Dan Upton, Joe Basenberg, Jim Hamilton, Bill Humphries, Anamae Okerstrom Moku, Margaret Peters Hanke. Not pictured: Steve Philben

You can now join or renew your membership and pay with a credit card. It’s all available on our new Membership page.

If you receive Friends of Fiji News by mail, check your membership status on the mailing label on the last page. Please renew your membership when the mailing label shows “Lapsed”.

Join thousands of RPCVs in promoting world peace and friendship during the agency’s 48th anniversary celebration, which kicks off during Peace Corps Week and runs through the end of 2009. Share your personal Peace Corps stories about your country of service with your community-and help Americans increase their understanding of the world and its people.

Visit www.peacecorps.gov/thirdgoal to order your free activity kit with goodies for your audience. The site includes ideas, suggestions, and resources to help you set up your talk.

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