December 10, 2008

Dear Supporter,

It's the time of year when more than ever talk of "peace" is in the air. Gratitude, generosity, and good will toward all are consciously considered and expressed all across the world and, of course, within the Campaign for a U.S. Department of Peace.

And yet, as we watch the news, we see a pall hanging over this holiday season. The economic challenge before us is more urgent than ever. Our solution, both nationally and individually, must not be simply to get money flowing again, but to get money flowing into the highest values and visions of humanity. December is the month when philanthropy and giving are at their peak. We can all use our giving to usher in an era of peace by investing in the work of The Peace Alliance or another group working to reduce violence and create a more peaceful world.

If you're looking for great gifts, consider giving and receiving the Gift of Peace this year by donating in the name of those you love to The Peace Alliance/Student Peace Alliance, and by asking them to donate in your name for you.

If you shop online, do so through our affiliate links to Amazon.com and iGive.com and a portion of your purchase will come back to The Peace Alliance. You can always find our links on the left side of our homepage. There are dozens of other ways you can make peace the hottest gift of the season, such as taking donations at your holiday parties, purchasing gifts from our corporate sponsors, buying Department of Peace merchandise, getting great gifts from Utah volunteer's "Shop for Peace" website and more.

Thanks to all of you, our Holiday Cards are now sold out.  We really appreciate your continued support for this annual fundraiser. 

Don't miss your chance to save 25% on registration to our 2009 Department of Peace Campaign National Conference in Washington, D.C., March 20-23.   Join Riane Eisler, Rita Marie Johnson, Azim Khamisa, Ocean Robbins, Rich and Yvonne St. John-Dutra, Lisa Schirch, Bob Koehler, Dot Maver, and more PLUS hundreds of youth and adult grassroots volunteers from across the nation and the world for this historic four-day event. Early Bird Registration ends December 31.

There are four great ways to encourage President-elect Obama to support a Department of Peace:

1. Visit www.change.org and add your voice to the more than 1,500 already voting up the idea of establishing a Department of Peace. This group will submit the ideas receiving the most votes to the new Administration on Inauguration Day. The idea, "Appoint Secretary of Peace in Department of Peace and Non-Violence" is currently in FIRST PLACE in its category and needs to stay there through December 31, 2008 to move to the second round. Vote now, tell your friends to do the same and be ready to vote again between January 5-15, 2009.  (Note that this is not the same as www.change.gov - the official transition team site).
   
   
2. Email the transition team via our link to www.change.gov
   
   
3. Collect postcards  throughout the holidays and mail them en masse to the White House on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009. You can find the address and message tips on our website.
   
   
4. Vote up the Department of Peace ideas at On Day One. There are only seven more days to support this organization's process of compiling ideas for the new administration. Search under the tab "Peace" for "Department of Peace."

 

TJ Bowen, Student Peace Alliance National Field Organizer, completes graduate school in December, and thus is ready to leave his official position in SPA. He expects to be working on dialogue and restorative justice processes in the coming years. Miranda Fisher, former Colorado SPA State Organizer, has agreed to take on this important role in the SPA Coordinating Committee, and we're thrilled to see her come on to the team at this level.

Also, Patty Kuderer, Director of Communications for The Peace Alliance, has announced she'll be stepping down effective January 2, 2009 to pursue her passion for serving the children of Nepal through the nonprofit Virtue's Children Nepal. We'll be posting applications for this volunteer position soon. Welcome Miranda, and goodbye Patty and TJ. You have provided incredible service and made immeasurable contributions to the Campaign. We will miss you deeply.

Remember the students from West Linn, OR, who inspired their city council to make a resolution in support of a Department of Peace? Share the story of their experience and lessons learned, and get inspired to pass your own city council resolution.

And finally, our joy this season is tempered with the sudden loss of our beloved Rob Atkinson, Student Peace Alliance Legislative Director. Rob was hit by a car and killed as he was crossing a street on campus Thursday night, Dec. 4. We've put up a memorial web page in his honor, and invite you to share your memories of Rob. His parents, California Co-state Coordinators John and Jan Atkinson, have asked that in lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor Rob donate to The Peace Alliance/Student Peace Alliance in his name. Simply put his name in the "In honor of" section on the donation page. We're also looking at other ways in which we might honor Rob for years to come, and will share more information with you as it is available. He left us way too soon and will be deeply missed.

In our joy and in our heartache, the work of Peace continues--now and all year long. Thank you for sharing this journey with us.

In peace and partnership,

All of us at The Peace Alliance

Don't forget our Monthly Conference Calls

Each month we hold at least two conference calls to support the activists working to build this movement for a U.S. Department of Peace and Nonviolence and to create a culture of peace.

1. Nonviolent Communications - Next Call: December 18th
2. All Call to discuss the work of the campaign - Next Call: January 6th

Give While You Websurf with iSearch 

Please consider using iSearchiGive.com every time you search the web. Each search means $0.01 for our cause and while the numbers may seem small at first, we all search the web hundreds of times every month, and our combined efforts can truly add up. And since it's powered by iGive.com (a site that has been helping causes raise money online since 1997), we know it's not just a flash in the pan!