The Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation is pleased to announce that Jacqueline Mars has pledged a $500,000 lead gift for Peace Corps Park. Mrs. Mars is a member of the Mars family, the founders and owners of Mars Inc. and is widely recognized for her philanthropic work, having donated millions of dollars to various charitable causes over the years. Mrs. Mars is also an accomplished equestrian and has won several awards and accolades for her skills as a rider.

Mrs. Mars made this generous gift to the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation provided that we match it with gifts from other donors. In response, Foundation Board Chair Roger Lewis has stepped up to make his own generous pledge of $100,000 – in addition to his prior contributions. Maureen Orth and Dr. Donna Shalala are among others who have pledged matching gifts, which will enable us to significantly advance our capital campaign for Peace Corps Park. 

Help us rise to Mrs. Mars’s challenge and double the impact of her philanthropy with a donation or pledge today! 

Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation Board Chair Roger Lewis and Chief Advancement Officer Glenn Blumhorst were recent guests at the headquarters office of Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn. Together they explored how Peace Corps Park could potentially be highlighted in future significant milestones such as the Peace Corps’ 65th anniversary and the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations, both coinciding in 2026. They also discussed other opportunities for synergy and collaboration through the interactive visitor experience planned as a companion to the physical space.

Director Spahn reported that more than 2,500 Peace Corps Volunteers have now returned to service in 58 countries – including the introduction of Vietnam as a new country of service. At the same time though, applications to serve in the Peace Corps are not sufficient to meet the requests from communities and countries around the world. With more than 20 million annual visitors to Washington, D.C. and a digital audience of millions more, we envision the vital role that Peace Corps Park can play in informing Americans about the Peace Corps and inspiring them to serve their country as Peace Corps Volunteers.

Our advisory board serves the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation as a champion for Peace Corps Park and a valuable source of strategic insight. Members share their gifts in service to the Foundation's mission by providing their professional expertise, diverse knowledge of constituent perspectives, connections to local, national, and international resources, colleagues or peers, philanthropic support and many other forms of assistance. This month, we are excited to welcome Maria Shriver to the PCCF Advisory Board. 

See the full list of Advisory Board members on our website.

Maria Shriver is a mother of four, an Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning journalist, a seven-time New York Times best-selling author, an NBC News Special Anchor, the founder of the nonprofit "The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement," and a co-founder of MOSH, a “mission-focused, family-run company to get you thinking more about your brain health.” 

As the 35th First Lady of California from 2003-2011, Maria spearheaded what became the nation’s premier forum for women, The Women’s Conference. Under her direction and vision, it grew into the world’s premier forum for women’s affairs and directly funded more than $5.5 million in charitable programs that have served women on the frontlines of humanity. 

In 2004, Maria also created The Minerva Awards and Minerva Prize to recognize and reward remarkable women who stepped forward and changed the world with their courage, wisdom, and strength. Since 2009, she has also produced the groundbreaking Shriver Report Project, a series chronicling and exploring seismic shifts in American culture and society affecting modern women and their families.

“I grew up in a family that was driven to serve. My uncle John F. Kennedy was president. My uncles Bobby and Teddy Kennedy served in the U.S. Senate and also ran for president. My father Sargent Shriver served as founding director of the Peace Corps and led the nation’s war on poverty, and ran for president as well. My mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, started the Special Olympics and was an amazing mother to my four brothers and myself. So, I have always been surrounded by extraordinary people doing extraordinary things. At times, it’s been challenging. But more often than not, it’s been motivating.” (MariaShriver.com)