One of NORVA's primary goals is to help support currently serving Northern Ohio Volunteers in the field.  With a donation of $501.00 to this Peace Corps Partnership Project, we were able to complete the funding for this excellent project from volunteer Nehama Rogozen .

Do you know a great location to meetup with RPCV's for an evening of fall fun and lots of delicious soup?  NORVA is searching for the perfect venue for our annual fundraiser.  The place should:

-Accommodate 200 people

-Include Tables and Chairs and small presentation space

-Have parking for those people

-Have a kitchen, or at least an area where soup can be prepared with Microwaves and Hotplates.

The ideal location would also

-Allow beer…

RPCV and NORVA member Madeline Rife has the following opportunity for Cleveland Area families.

BRING THE WORLD TO YOUR HOME

with the Kosovo Youth Exchange Program (KYEP)

a program funded by the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo

What is KYEP?

KYEP is an exchange program for accomplished high school students from Kosovo. The program is

funded by the U.S.…

There has been some great press recently for a project by recent RPCV and current NORVA board member Benjamin Gascoigne.  

See a great short video about the efforts by Ben in Sengal and other Africa RPCV's to stamp out Malaria. …

Peace Corps Volunteer Catherine Campbell-Morrison of Cleveland is working with rural mothers in Peru to improve their kitchen stoves to minimize the amount of indoor smoke they produce. Additionally, the mothers are being taught better nutrition and cooking techniques. A portion of the funds for the project will be raised through the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP), a program that helps support Peace Corps volunteer community projects worldwide.

Check out her story…

On Sunday, May 18th, NORVA members woke up early in the morning to help at the water stop between miles 5 and 6 in the annual Rite-Aid Cleveland Marathon.  Members setup tables on both sides of the street, filled hundreds of cups with water, and handed them out to runners as they passed by, all the while cheering them on!

NORVA Members ready to hand out water…

NORVA members enjoyed an extra special Service Saturday on June 1.  Members met with 13 refugees and worked diligently on improving the participants English skills.  Immediately following class, NORVA members, students, members of the Ethiopian community, and friends enjoyed a feast of Ethiopian food prepared by a local Ethiopian immigrant, Tigist Gebremichael.  Dishes included homemade cheese, teef bread, and lots of sauces, that according to the cook took 50…

The Soups of the World! committee is busy at work planning for the event next fall, which will take place on Saturday, November 16th from 6-9pm.  Soups is a major biennial fundraiser and third goal cultural event hosted by NORVA.  The committee has selected the Slovenian National Home in Slavic Village as the venue.  Please join us on June 22 at 10am for a day of service, which will help NORVA reduce the cost of rental.

Hello NORVA community,

As the go-to people for cultural exchange and international friendship, I'm writing you to let you know about two short-term hosting opportunities for Northern Ohioans this summer:

Jóvenes en Acción (“Youth in Action”) program is a U.S. State Department program run by CCWA in Cleveland. It brings 16 student leaders from Mexico to the Cleveland area July 20-August 1. These high school…

On June 22, a group of NORVA members visited the venue for Soups of the World this fall, the Slovenian National Home ("The Nash") in Slavic Village.  As a service project to help offset the cost of the facility, members helped clear a items from a stage.  Afterward, members had lunch, toured the facility, and learned more about the Slovenian community in Cleveland.…

Thanks to all who attended Service Saturday on June 22!  We had a record turnout of volunteers including several of new faces.  The next Service Saturday will be on July 27th at 10AM at the Cleveland Public Library Walz Branch (7910 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44102)  …

This Summer's World View Magazine, a publication of the National Peace Corps Association, featured our own "Service Saturday" on page 10.  Congratulations to Co-President Miranda Lange who originated Service Saturday, our Service Committee (Charity McDonald and Sara Contineza) and all of the volunteers who have given time an energy to our tutoring program.  NORVA Members Kathryn Baus and Noell Zalar are pictured in the magazine.  If you haven't had a chance to participate, join us in…

One of the most rewarding parts of Service Saturday is finding a way to help someone get access to services they need. I'm so proud of NORVA members who have taken the time to really listen to the folks who come for help and find a way to provide it. This past week, a few of us helped new beneficiaries apply for  library cards and get email addresses. This will give them access to computers in the library that they can then use to apply for jobs online. Demonstrating that they are actively…

Ambassador Thomas Pickering and President of the Carnegie Endowment, Jessica Tuchman Mathews, will speak on Iran-U.S. relations at the Union Club tomorrow at 6 pm. Admission is $25 for Cleveland Council on World Affairs members, and $35 for non-members (email Madeline at mrife@ccwa.org for the member rate!). Visit the website for more information and to register.

It was a beautiful day for our September Service Saturday! Many thanks to the volunteers who came out to help with the tutoring. Groups today continued working on practical English skills such as filling out job applications. Other topics ranged from learning the days of the week to studying participles. Join us next month on October 26th from 10-12 for…

Our sincere appreciation to all of the volunteers, donors and attendees of Saturday's Soups of the World Event.   

More than 170 NORVA supporters dined on 18 Soups.  In all, we served over 30 gallons of soup representing Mali, El Salvador, Slovenia, Paraguay, Nepal, Ukraine, India, China, and several Eastern European and American favorites.   The soups won rave reviews for their taste and authenticity.

The event raised over $8,500 in support of…

NORVA members volunteered on Saturday, October 12 at WCPN in the IdeaCenter to answer phones during the fall pledge drive. We even got to meet Rick Jackson!