Central Ohio Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Association (CORVA)

Central Ohio Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Association

Fundraising and Donations

Watermelon Makes the World Go Round!

As part of our efforts, CORVA donates money to various causes.

The money is earned by selling cups of watermelon at ComFest, Columbus's community arts festival and through the sale of calendars created by the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers in Madison, Wisconsin.

This year, 2022, CORVA raised $4,561.27 in profits. Add this to previous years for a total of $47,539.68 for since 2001!

Message from Janice Hoegrathe Post ComFest 2023 Watermelon Booth Update:

What a great Post-COVID comeback for the 50th Anniversary of ComFest! To get right to the question on lots of minds, the CORVA “watermelon booth” FUNdraised $4,561.27! That was 18% over 2019 and brought our 18 year total to $47,539.68! Everyone gets to put on their thinking caps now and help decide on deserving charities and PC Projects. A brainstorming and donating get together will be announced soon.

Thank you to all our CORVA RPCVs and others who “SERVE” at ComFest! You braved some meltingly hot weather with smiles and enthusiasm! For me it’s a labor of love and every dollar earned is amplified by the economics of the region of the world where CORVA donates our ComFest FUNds. Recognizing this year’s volunteers in order of appearance: Dan Halterman showed up early Friday to help set up and unload watermelons, Peter and Matina Ross are beloved veterans (BV), Laura Joseph provided a PC banner as well as valuable service, Dave Hansen, we missed ‘ye, Carol Kirwin cupped and took credit card payments and Michael Kirwin styled a PC apron… all the way home, Nelson Carson brought his inner calm to a quickening Friday afternoon fest and, Ann Buhr, who helped me on our very first day in 2001, my pickup packed to the gills, asked, ‘Where do we go?’, ‘I don’t know’, I responded, which begged her response, ‘ This is SO like Peace Corps!”

Michael Goldman rustled up three more servers in girlfriend, Lenette Herzog, Craig Shapiro, and new-to-Columbus reporter for the Dispatch, RPCV Peter Gill. Andrea Arandt was hoping to be ‘sellin’ melon’ with her friend, Sara Ernst, who gets points for signing up…for different day! Don’t worry, we’ll allow you a double shift in 2023  Pete Wilm and Shirley Wilhelm are valuable veterans who ran the show in 2011 while I was touring students in Spain, only to be outsold by a frozen banana-dipped-in-chocolate booth right next door! (Which reminds me to reassure everyone, the watermelon booth loses nothing to the banana booth! I pay labor,15% gross sales to ComFest and more product expense, but I think we compliment each other by giving folks choices in one place!)

Bette Anderson,BV(beloved veteran) cut and served, Ben Bloom hurried back from vacation to join us, Stepheney Himes forsook friends to cover an empty shift spot (big points! I hope you got to join them.), Betsey Feuer took Jamie Rhine’s place with the impressive energy of the Eveready bunny and Valerie Fronczak and David Regan, BVs both of them, took us through closing and clean up Saturday night.

Patrick Harsch, BV and always willing and able arrived early Sunday morning to help unload watermelons and open up, all for the nominal fee of - a beer! Stuart Moskowitz, first timer, learned what ComFest was all about and Peter Ross showed him the ropes. Steve Murray, Jamie Rhein’s husband and English teacher extraordinaire (I’d love to have him write his version of this!) entertained us as always and Brian Stettner held down the fort with Jim Roeger swiping LOTSA credit cards from both sides. At 6pmSunday, ‘BV’,because he’s so dependable and always comes to help tear down and pack up, Jack Kangus arrived to take us on out.

I agree with my original ‘cohort in crime’ and dear friend, Ann Buhr, who said, ‘[it was] SO nice to be here at the booth, SO nice to see everyone, SO nice to have ComFest back again!”

Hope to see you all in 2023! Peace, Love and Watermelon!   

Where to buy Calendars?

CORVA members also sell them, or you can support us by buying one at Global Gallery, 682 N High St., Columbus, Ohio.
Global Gallery buys them from us and sells them to you.
We must admit, these calendars are fantastic and make great gifts. Remember your child's teacher, even if your child is a high schooler. They are a wonderful classroom resource.
Information about the calendar from the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Wisconsin, Madison, website: "The International Calendar is more than just another annual time marker with pretty pictures. It is also designed as a teaching aid, introducing varied life styles, terrain, foods, occupations, and crafts from around the world. Each year we provide Calendars to teachers who participate in Peace Corps' Paul D. Coverdell World Wise Schools program."
How we decide who gets money?

CORVA members suggest who CORVA should donate money to based on their own knowledge and experience about an organization. We tend to give money to smaller charities that are not as well known, thus have a more difficult time with fundraising.
We also give, in general, where Peace Corps volunteers serve.
Our donations tend to be between $200 to $300. As people who once lived in developing countries, we know how far such a small amount can go.
Who we have donated money to over the years
- Afghanaid
- Books for Africa
- Columbus AIDS Task Force
- CRIS
- Epilogos
- Global Knit
- Grandma's Attic
- KIVA
- MidOhio Food Bank
- Nothing but Nets
- Orphanages in Malawi and Bolivia
- Peace Corps Partnership
- Pedals for Progress
- Thirst Relief

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Columbus, OH
corvapc@yahoo.com

Fundraising and Donations

Where to buy Calendars?

How we decide who gets money?

Who we have donated money to over the years