|
US Peace Memorial Foundation, Inc. www.USPeaceMemorial.org ¥ info@USPeaceMemorial.org www.facebook.com/USPeace ¥ @USPeaceMemorial 334 East Lake Road
#136 ¥ Palm Harbor, FL 34685 ¥
(202) 455-8776 |
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
This report is a summary of our activities and progress in
2014. Our Foundation exists to
increase the number of Americans who speak out against a war or wars. Last year, American forces
killed and wounded people in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia, Libya,
Yemen, and Syria. Many were children. If you
are concerned about the current level of militarism, please join us in honoring those who
have the courage to speak out. The
endless wars will stop only when the American people demand it.
Please make a donation
today commensurate with your commitment to peace.
If we are going to stop the killing, we must create a culture of peace
in the U.S. where more of us feel comfortable demanding peaceful alternatives
to war in times of international crisis.
Please help us identify more antiwar and peace role models to share with
the nation. Copy and send this link
to your family and friends <www.uspeacememorial.org/2014.htm> and encourage them to join
us.
NOTES OF APPRECIATION
Volunteers
Thank
you to our Directors: Dr. Lucy Bradley-Springer, Dr. Charles F. Clark, and Jolyon Sasse; our Assistant
Editors: Sondra G. Cadman, Barbara Gerten, Dr.
Lynette J. Menezes, Dr. Martha Friedrich, and Mikell Herrick; and State Coordinator: Dr. Dennis Neyman. Thanks
also to Donald Martin for bookkeeping and to Dr. Floyd W. Rudmin for working to
secure Founding
Members
from new states. Without these incredible
and dedicated volunteers, very little would have been accomplished during the
year.
The
US Peace Memorial Foundation is a nationwide grassroots organization dependent on volunteers.
We are especially in need of editors, researchers, marketing specialists, fund-raisers,
and state coordinators. See www.uspeacememorial.org/Volunteer.htm for more details. If
you have the skills for one of these jobs, and could donate four or more hours
a month, we could certainly use your help.
Founding Members
In
2014 there were several milestones in terms of donor support that demonstrate
that our Foundation is maturing; the first bequest, the first initial donation
at the $5,000 level, and the first time a donorÕs cumulative donations
have exceeded $10,000. Benjamin B. Ferencz, the sole surviving Nuremberg war crimes prosecutor, made the largest single donation
in our history. The logo on his website: "Law, Not War" reflects our shared goals of a more peaceful and humane
world. Joan E. Gildemeister, psychologist and long time
financial supporter, is the first person to announce that they
have remembered us in their will and included a bequest to the Foundation.
Her wish is to counterbalance the war
monuments on the Mall by building the US Peace Memorial in honor of those
devoted to world peace. You may
read about the peace activities of these two outstanding Founding
Members in our publication, the US Peace Registry.
Thank you to all of our new Founding
Members
and our 2014 continuing donors.
They are:
Dr. Marion A. Becker,
FL
Walter Beebe, NY
Thomas A. Block, MD
Dr. Lucy Bradley-Springer, CO
Sondra G. Cadman, FL
Dr. Beata Casa–as, FL
Dr. Robert J. Casa–as,
FL
Dr. David A. Chiriboga,
FL
Dr. Charles F. Clark, CO
Stanley J. Clark, OK
CODEPINK Women for Peace, CA
Frank Dorrel,
CA
Jodie Evans, CA
Benjamin B. Ferencz, NY
Barbara Fite,
FL
Dr. Sondra J. Fogel,
FL
Mary Francis, OK
Marilyn Gallant, MA
Barbara Gerten,
MN
Mikell T. Herrick, NY
Steven Hurley, FL
Linda Musmeci Kimball, OH
Dr. Michael D. Knox, FL
David M. Korman,
PA
Stephen D. Landers, NC
Dr. Nathan L. Linsk,
IL
Dr. Charles S. Mahan, FL
Dr. Anthony J. Marsella,
GA
Dr. Victor A. Molinari, FL
Jean Patterson, MA
Dr. Kathleen M. Rehl,
FL
Barbara Riordan, FL
Donald E. Riordan, FL
Doug Rippey,
CO
Thomas Safran,
CA
Jolyon Sasse, FL
Dr. Paul Van Slambrouck,
MI
Sally J. Van Slambrouck, MI
Walpole Peace and Justice Group, MA
Dr.
Terrence Webster-Doyle, VT
Shuying C. Weeks, FL
Dr. Nilufer
Wilkins, FL
Brenda Woodard
World Beyond War
Stephen G. Yovino
Have your name permanently
associated with the US Peace Memorial. Founding Members are listed
on our website, in our
publication the US Peace
Registry, and eventually at the National Monument we will build in
Washington, DC.
MISSION FOCUSED
Honoring those who stand for peace has always been the purpose of the US Peace Memorial
Foundation. In 2014 we added these 6 words to our logo to help us clearly
and succinctly state our mission.
Those of us who work for peace are pulled in many directions as wars continue,
countries are invaded, and people are killed, wounded, and become
refugees. Already thin antiwar resources are stretched, and peace seems
elusive as militarism maintains a fixed hold on our culture.
Our highly focused work is to recognize and honor Americans who stand for
peace by publishing
the US Peace Registry, awarding an annual Peace Prize, and planning for
the US Peace
Memorial in
Washington, DC. These educational projects help move the United
States toward a culture of peace, as we honor the millions of thoughtful and
courageous Americans and U.S. organizations that have taken a public stand
against one or more U.S. wars or who have devoted their time, energy, and other
resources to finding peaceful solutions to international
conflicts. We celebrate these role models to inspire other Americans
to speak out against war and for peace. For more details, please read the
short commentary ÒWorld Peace: A First StepÓ www.uspeacememorial.org/WorldPeace.htm.
At
its basic core, the US Peace Memorial
Foundation is all about giving people the opportunity to share their
activities for peace and against war. We post examples of what you and
your organizations are doing to instruct and inspire other Americans to demand an end to war.
Antiwar talk among friends is cheap; actually working for peace is something
that we recognize and celebrate. Your work will motivate others and more
Americans will feel comfortable confronting our government, just like they did
to help end the wars in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. We
appreciate all of you who work for peace.
At
this critical moment in history, we must increase the number of Americans
speaking out against U.S. war. By making a contribution,
you will join our work to grow these numbers and show that you value
and support our programs to recognize and honor these courageous
individuals.
CLICK HERE
to donate by credit card, check, or PayPal.
PEACE PRIZE
The US Peace Memorial Foundation
awarded its 2014 Peace Prize to CODEPINK Women for Peace ÒIn
Recognition of Inspirational Antiwar Leadership and Creative Grassroots
Activism.Ó The plaque was accepted
by co-founders Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans, to overwhelming applause from an
audience of about 100 people. I
thanked CODEPINK for the great courage its members have shown and for the sacrifices
they have made for peace noting: ÒCODEPINK is the most innovative, effective, and
visible antiwar presence in the United States. Its approaches to peace
and opposition to war are contemporary and receive more media and government
attention than any other peace group. CODEPINK has shown what volunteers
can do with limited resources. Their service is an inspiration to the
world.Ó See
photos and other details at: http://www.uspeacememorial.org/PEACEPRIZE.htm.
CODEPINK is the first organization to be recognized in this way by the
Foundation. Previous Peace Prize recipients are Chelsea Manning, Medea
Benjamin, Noam Chomsky, Dennis Kucinich, and Cindy Sheehan. Nominees
considered in 2014 include American Friends Service Committee, Garry
Davis, Psychologists for Social Responsibility, the
Jeannette Rankin Peace Center, and David Swanson. You can read about the
antiwar/peace activities of all recipients and nominees in our publication, the
US Peace
Registry.
SOCIAL MEDIA / INTERNET
/ ONLINE STORE
During
the year, many of you have created a link to USPeaceMemorial.org on your website or
blog. We hope that this trend will continue. Please use the logo with a link to our
homepage.
ÒLikeÓ us at facebook.com/USPeace. Follow us on Twitter @USPeaceMemorial.
Visit
our online store at cafepress.com/USPeaceMemorial
to see US
Peace Memorial T-Shirts, jackets, & other gifts for men, women, children,
babies, and even pets.
If you make Amazon purchases,
please support the US Peace Memorial Foundation by shopping at http://smile.amazon.com/ch/20-3915218. The AmazonSmile Foundation
donates ½ of a percent of the purchase price every
time you shop at smile.amazon.com. ItÕs the same Amazon login info, same products, same prices, and
same service. These donations in
2014 totaled $161. If Amazon
customers remember to use our link, this amount could increase significantly in
future years. Please tell your friends
and family about this way of supporting us.
LIMITED
PUBLIC EXPOSURE
Unfortunately, we don't yet have the capacity to deal with public
inquiries. Before
making a nationwide announcement of its mission, the US Peace Memorial
Foundation must build a substantial grassroots organization and infrastructure that can respond to the
expected interest. We hope to
avoid national media attention until the following criteria are met: Founding Members from all 50 states, 1000 Founding Members, 1000 listings in the Peace Registry, and at least one million dollars in donations
(see MEASURED
PROGRESS section below).
So, for now, we maintain a low-profile approach, speaking primarily to the ÒchoirÓ; hoping that the idea will
resonate with many and that they will enlist their friends and family. As part of this process, we have
given talks to several supportive groups, had limited TV and radio exposure including
interviews on
TBCN and GCN,
and some news coverage, 01/29/2014, 03/26/2014, 08/09/2014, and 11/06/14.
Mikell Herrick, Founding Member, and her husband Alan
represented the Foundation at a community fair held in St Petersburg, FL. We talked to many interested people and
added to our growing list of supporters.
Consider
volunteering to represent
us at appropriate ÒcountercultureÓ events. If you belong to an organization that
might be interested, please suggest that they invite
us to speak. Previous
talks have been at churches, veterans groups, associations, universities,
and conferences.
MEASURED PROGRESS
Early on we set four benchmarks to achieve before going public
with a national campaign to build the US
Peace Memorial in Washington, DC. This chart shows how we are doing and where we
need your help before distribution of our initial press release.
40 States Represented - 80% of our goal
We have achieved 80% of our goal to have
Founding Members from every state. With 40 states (plus the District
of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the USVI) we still need our first Founding Members from
Arkansas, Delaware, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island,
South Carolina, South Dakota, and West Virginia.
The
five leading states in terms of membership are Florida (100), Minnesota
(21), California (15), Massachusetts (12) and New York (10). Help us increase the
number of supporters in your state.
267 Founding
Members - 27% of our goal
We are at 27% of our goal to announce 1000 members in our
initial press release. Founding
Members are donors of $100 or more.
Go to USPeaceMemorial.org/Donors.htm to see who these visionary leaders are. Please join them, or make your 2015
contribution today. A donation
in any amount will be greatly appreciated.
Anonymous
donations are accepted.
We must have 733 more Founding
Members from throughout the country. Thousands of peace
activists have joined this listserve, yet only 267 of
you have become Founding
Members. Our membership at the end of the year
includes 245 individuals and 22 organizations or businesses.
If you already are a Founding Member, please make your
annual tax deductible donation today.
Founding Members are listed on our website, in our
publication the US Peace
Registry, and eventually at the National Monument we will build
in Washington, DC.
154
REGISTRANTS - 15% of our goal
I can't think of a better way to end the current U.S. wars than to have
more Americans speak out against them.
There are a lot of ways to make your voice heard. The US Peace Registry
documents
and honors what many of you have done. Our
publication currently documents the work of 111 individuals and 43
organizations that are role models for a broad range of peace and antiwar
activities. That means
we have achieved 15% of our goal.
We are looking for Americans whose antiwar
behavior, example, or success
can be emulated by others. If you have done anything to oppose U.S.
war, please submit your own bio: Individual or Organization. To
see ideas of what is possible read some of the
listings at www.uspeacememorial.org/Registry.htm
DONATIONS - 7% of our goal
We
have received $74,534 towards the $1 million benchmark we must reach before
making a public announcement of our plans to build the US Peace Memorial as a
national monument. Please look carefully at your own situation. If you are in a position to make a
charitable contribution, consider the importance of moving toward a culture of
peace in the U.S.
TO
DONATE BY CHECK: mail your contribution to:
US Peace Memorial Foundation
334 East Lake Road Unit 136
Palm Harbor, FL 34685-2427
TO
DONATE BY CREDIT CARD: www.uspeacememorial.org/Donate.htm or scroll down to the
ÒDonateÓ button on our homepage www.uspeacememorial.org.
Contributions since our capital
campaign began have ranged from $10 to over $10,000. If you become a Founding Member or
make an additional donation, you will be recognized at the level of your total
contributions to date.
JOIN US
We are building the US Peace Memorial one person at a time. Our
Founding Members are the bricks and mortar that will make the monument -- and
the cultural shift in the way our nation views those working for peace.
Join us. We need you! If you havenÕt become a Founding Member, please do so today. If you have, please make your 2015 contribution now. All donations are
tax-deductible and cumulative.
PLEASE DO WHAT YOU CAN to
allow us to continue this important work.
Can you donate $10, $100, or $1,000 today? Click here to donate - http://www.uspeacememorial.org/Donate.htm.
When you reply with a contribution, you will be showing that
you value and support our programs to recognize courageous Americans. The need to honor those who stand for
peace, and to change our culture, is greater than ever. Please join us, and share
what you have done for peace.
Can you volunteer? Will you send us your US Peace Registry bio? Your help is
needed to realize our vision of moving toward a culture of
peace. Let me know if you would like me to call you to discuss any
aspect of the Foundation's work and/or how you might like to participate. I may be reached at Knox@USPeaceMemorial.org or (202) 455-8776. Thank you very much for
your support.
Michael Knox, Ph.D.
Chairman
US Peace Memorial Foundation, Inc. is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public
charity.
Donations to the
Foundation are tax deductible to the extent provided by U.S. law.
Florida
registration #: CH20094. A COPY OF
THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE
FLORIDA DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352)
WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR
RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
Copyright 2014-2015, US Peace Memorial
Foundation, Inc.