PEACE ALLIANCE FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER
AUGUST 2006

You can view this page in HTML here:
http://www.peacealliancefound.org/newsletters/aug_2006_newsletter.htm

In This Newsletter:
1. Message from Dot
2. Memo from the Editor
3. Global Engagement
4. The Peace Registry
5. Imagine a Culture of Peace: Impressions of Youth
6. Pondering Peace
7. You can Help!
8. Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Update

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MESSAGE FROM DOT

Dear Friends,

It is with heartfelt joy that we share our first Peace Alliance Foundation newsletter with you. Our intention is to help make visible a culture of peace. In fact, peace is breaking out all over!

The mission of the Foundation is to empower and inspire civic engagement for a culture of peace. We have three main areas of focus: Global Engagement, Civic Engagement, and the Peace Registry. You will find articles, pictures and stories of interest that are sure to spark hope and the spirit of cooperation.

We are participating in the Global Alliance for Ministries and Departments of Peace providing training for activists involved with the Peace Alliance , campaigning for a U.S. Department of Peace; facilitating and participating in youth retreats for leadership in a culture of peace; partnering with other groups around the International Day of Peace and much more.

Thank you for your support and participation. It will take all of us working together to create a world that works for everyone. We wish you all the best as the journey continues, and look forward to our continuing cooperation for peacebuilding.

In the Spirit of Peace,
Dot

Dot Maver, Executive Director
The Peace Alliance Foundation

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MEMO FROM THE EDITOR

Welcome to the Inaugural Edition of the Peace Alliance Foundation Newsletter!

As your editor, I want to thank you for taking the time to read about our activities and involve yourself in the most important process you will ever undertake ­ the movement for peace on our planet, in our nation, and in our hearts.

Although I have only been involved with the Foundation for about a year, I have been inspired to learn of the positive and creative approaches by so many to make the world a better place. I hope that you will come away from each edition of our newsletter with the same determination to make a difference.

I invite your suggestions, advice, and corrections. Please email me with any input that you wish to contribute, no matter how large or minute. Each of us is an important and valuable part of the evolution to a kinder and gentler future.

Theresa

Theresa McGallicher, Newsletter Editor
The Peace Alliance Foundation
editor@peacealliancefound.org

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GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT

The Peace Alliance Foundation’s Global Engagement initiative helps strengthen and expand the worldwide grassroots movement for a culture of peace through research; education about peacebuilding technologies; demonstrations of nonviolent approaches to local, national, and international conflicts; and building community with counterpart organizations in the U.S. and around the world to grow a global network of people and organizations who together can reveal and foster the existence of an expanding culture of peace. Find out about the Foundation’s Global Engagement activities by clicking here .

This month we shine the newsletter spotlight on one of those activities. The Global Alliance for Ministries and Departments of Peace , which the Peace Alliance Foundation participates in, presented a program on June 25, 2006, to a standing-room-only crowd at the First World Peace Forum in Vancouver, Canada. This program was open to the public and included a panel, moderated by Marianne Williamson, of government leaders from around the world discussing the importance of and what it will take to establish ministries and departments of peace. Click here to see transcripts of the panelists’ remarks and audio interviews with Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Marianne Williamson of the United States and Assistant Secretary Timothy Al Paulus of Liberia.

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THE PEACE REGISTRY

The Peace Registry
is a continually growing database of organizations and individuals all over the world who promote and act in accordance with principles of peace, nonviolence, compassion, and inclusion, thus both demonstrating that a culture of peace already exists and providing awareness and networking opportunities to foster its expansion. As such, it serves as a resource for the media, researchers, government officials, and the general public.

The Registry currently contains over 200 such listings and we invite you send in more. If you know of an organization working towards peace, nominate them at our website here .

Each edition of this newsletter highlights a group that is making a difference in a novel way. In this first edition, we introduce you to:

International World Peace Rose Gardens

VISION: To engage world citizens in activities that promote global peace.

MISSION: To advance peace and understanding amongst all the nations, cultures and religions of the world through the creation of rose gardens that become centers for community activities.

International World Peace Rose Gardens (IWPRG) is a catalyst in diverse communities around the world for peace. The non-profit organization was incorporated in 1988 for the purpose of creating beautiful rose gardens for peace on public, accessible sites. The gardens serve as places of inspiration and magnets for peaceful, community activities, including the IWPRG youth programs. The projects have impacted millions around the world.

Co-Creators TJ David and Sylvia Villalobos began cultivating their dream for peace by planting the first World Peace Rose Garden at the Gandhi Peace Memorial in California in 1984. The visionary team combined Mr. David’s love and expertise of roses and his business background with Ms. Villalobos’ passion for social justice, education, love of children, and organizational skills. Twenty years later, they have raised over $1,400,000 (including in-kind donations) for five major projects, donated over $340,000, and have volunteered over 20,000 hours.

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IMAGINE A CULTURE OF PEACE: IMPRESSIONS OF YOUTH

The Peace Alliance Foundation is partnering with the Dalai Lama Foundation,, Voices in Wartime , and Opening of the Heart to invite young people, ages 5 to 25, from around the world to send us their artistic impressions of what a culture of peace can look like. Their poems, essays, photos, paintings, and drawings will be displayed on the Imagine a Culture of Peace website, and everyone will be encouraged to view them and then to use them to seed local, national, and global community dialogues in schools, churches, homes, and community centers around this very question. So, view and download the flyer , go to Imagine a Culture of Peace , and join us in imagining, as did John Lennon, “all the people living life in peace.” If we can imagine i!
t, we can create it!

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PONDERING PEACE

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something,
build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” Buckminster Fuller

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YOU CAN HELP!

You can help bring about a culture of peace first and foremost by making a personal choice to live peace in your own daily life.

You can also help by making a one-time or monthly donation
to the work of the Peace Alliance Foundation.

In addition, every time you do a web search using the Goodsearch engine powered by Yahoo!), Goodsearch makes a small donation to the Peace Alliance Foundation. You can set this up by going to , typing “Peace Alliance Foundation” into the field that says “I’m supporting: Enter a charity here”, and making Goodsearch your default search engine.

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Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Update

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Updates: Need a name, an email address or phone number changed? Just reply to this newsletter with your changes and we will be happy to update our records. If changing an email address, be sure to tell us both the old and the new.

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The Peace Alliance Foundation
PO Box 70095
Rochester Hills MI
48307-0002 USA
Tel. 586-754-8105
Fax 586-754-8106
Email inquiries: info@peacealliancefound.org

Posted by Evelin at August 31, 2006 08:41 PM