Dear Friends,

As many of you know, this is my final correspondence to you as Executive Director of The Peace Alliance as I will now focus on applied peacebuilding and the global call for ministries and departments of peace. A huge social change movement is currently underway, and The Peace Alliance is a player in it. Words cannot express my heartfelt joy and gratitude as together over these past three years we have experienced a shared responsibility and shared leadership process that has grown into a movement and is helping to shape history. This movement is inspiring and mobilizing a new generation of citizen activists who are committed to being the change they wish to see in the world, and you are the very reason it is so. In fact, it makes my heart sing to think of our staff, state coordinators, congressional district team leaders, Student Peace Alliance leaders, and vast network of grassroots volunteers who are the change!

As a consequence of your hard work and loving creativity, we have had our most successful year yet, with much to celebrate:

• More than 65 Congressional co-sponsors and growing
• More than 60 State Coordinators in over 35 states
• Over 1,000 attendees from 45 states at the 2007 National Conference, which culminated in a day of lobbying on the Hill to support the bill's reintroduction
• More than 450 Congressional office visits in the first six months of 2007 – nearly double that in all of 2006
• More than 50 Student Peace Alliance chapters on high school and college campuses nationwide, and growing almost daily
• Nearly 300 high school and college students from all regions of the country attended the first Student Peace Alliance National Conference at Brandeis University, October 19-21, 2007
• Endorsements from more than 25 cities and counties, including Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, and San Francisco
• Second annual State Coordinator's retreat attended by nearly 50 State Coordinators and Staff from 25 states
• Participation in the Third Global Summit for Ministries and Departments of Peace, held in Japan and attended by delegates from over 20 countries on six continents
• A maturing over this past year of the organizational, administrative, and fundraising structure and operations
• Our first video Public Service Announcement (PSA), featuring Azim Khamisa from the Tariq Khamisa Foundation as our spokesperson. The PSA, produced by graduate-level communications students at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, has an anticipated release date January 2008
• More than 100 positive articles to date about the Department of Peace; 84 letters to the editor published; 33 radio interviews, including a 10-minute piece on National Public Radio, a Thom Hartmann interview, and three NPR member-station interviews
• Continued enrollment in our Stewardship donation programs and expanded monthly donor campaign, a focus on Peace Partners, "Gift of Peace" for the holidays, Walks for Peace in September, and many, many events throughout the country
• Our first hugely successful Table Captains event in California where 250 people gathered to celebrate and support the establishment of a US Department of Peace

It gives me great joy to extend to you, on behalf of all of us at The Peace Alliance, our deepest gratitude for your efforts, support and hard work in realizing these achievements.

Change is not always easy, yet it is the only constant in life. When I think of each of you I am aware of a heart connection that endures.  I know we will continue to journey together to a culture of peace and I look forward to that ongoing journey. We are part of the transition team! And we are family – all of us have a unique contribution. Keep on keeping on, and know that you are making a difference. All best wishes for peace and joy during this Season of Light and throughout the New Year, in the Spirit of Peace,

Dot Maver, Executive Director
The Peace Alliance
Empowering Civic Activism for a Culture of Peace