FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the FoundationÕs mission?
The US Peace Memorial Foundation,
Inc. was established to build the US Peace Memorial in Washington DC. The Foundation will also conduct
research, provide education, and publish the US Peace Registry.
The Foundation exists to demonstrate that advocating for peaceful solutions to
international problems is an honorable and socially acceptable activity. It will
focus attention on the contributions of those citizens who have opposed war(s)
and who have attempted to influence US foreign policy towards peaceful
solutions to international problems.
The specific goals of the US Peace
Memorial Foundation are to:
1. Recognize,
honor, and remember the millions of US citizens who have advocated for peace
and written, spoken out, or taken other appropriate action against US wars;
- Design,
build, own, operate, and maintain the US Peace Memorial;
- Publish
the US Peace Registry; and
4. Engage in fund-raising, research,
and education related to the above.
It is hoped that these efforts
will identify US role models for world peace and inspire an end to US reliance
on aggression to solve international problems.
Why havenÕt I heard about
the Memorial from the national
media?
Before making a nationwide public announcement of its
mission, the US Peace Memorial Foundation will build a substantial
grassroots organization. We hope to avoid national media attention until
one of the following criteria is met:
1. Founding Members from all 50 states, or
2. 1000
Founding Members, or
3. 1000
listings in the US Peace Registry,
or
4. $1 million in donations and grants
Where will the Memorial
be located?
Once sufficient resources are
available, the foundation will petition Congress to support setting aside
public land on the Washington Mall for construction of the US Peace
Memorial. If efforts to secure a
location on the Mall fail, other sites and private land will be considered. A highly visible site in the nationÕs
capital is deemed to be most desirable.
When will the Memorial
be completed?
Realization of the physical
memorial will depend on how quickly sufficient donations are received. Until then, the memorial will exist on
the World Wide Web.
What is the target date
for construction to begin?
The target date to begin construction is arbitrarily set
as July 4, 2010. This is a very
ambitious goal since progress is dependent on many factors. The Foundation must raise at least $20
million to develop and build the monument and guarantee perpetual
maintenance. If the Peace Memorial
is to be built on the mall, the Foundation will need to secure approvals from
the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the
National Capital Memorial Commission.
This process will not begin until the funds are in hand. We need donors and volunteers to make
the public aware of the project and to meet our fundraising goals.
What are the phases of the project?
The project has several distinct phases including research, establishing the not for profit organizational structure, website design, initiation of the Peace Registry, initial fund raising ($1 million), marketing, major fund raising ($19 million), planning, approvals, building, and ongoing operations.
The Foundation is in the initial fund raising phase. At least one million dollars in
donations are needed before the Foundation's mission is announced through the
media. Many foundations reach 50%
of their total goal before announcing the fundraising project publicly. Early donations help with developing
momentum and make the goal appear more attainable. Contribute
Now!
What will the Memorial look like?
It is too early in the process to know. Click here for a rough concept drawing of one possibility under consideration. Foundation members will be involved in choosing the final design.
How much money will be needed?
The Foundation is actively seeking
to raise $20 million from the general public.
If I donate, what will it
help to support?
The project has several distinct
phases including fund raising, planning, approvals, building, and ongoing
operations. Individual donations
will help to support on-going activities at each phase of the project. Your donation will fund research,
mailings, education, website maintenance, and other public information
dissemination. Later donations
will help to support site identification, design development, core foundation
staff salaries, expenses and office rental. Planning will require coordination with the National
Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital
Memorial Commission. Building will
include the purchase of land (if necessary), permit
acquisition, construction costs, and landscaping the surrounding area. An endowment for perpetual care and
maintenance will be required after construction is complete. Contribute
Now!
How do I make a contribution?
You can donate by credit card or with a check made payable
to: US Peace Memorial Foundation, Inc.
Without your tax deductible contributions, the
US Peace Memorial may never be built.
Click here to Contribute Now!
How will US peace
efforts be recognized?
Personal and organizational peace and antiwar activities by US citizens/organizations will be recognized in the US Peace Registry. The Registry will be published on the US Peace Memorial website and will eventually be printed as a formal publication and made available as a reference book.
Potential registrants will provide
biographical information, with supporting documentation, which will be reviewed
by Foundation staff. Those vetted and verified will be recommended to the
Board of Directors for approval. The names of registrants, with peace
activism-related biographical information, will be published on the US Peace
Memorial website. Weatherproof or electronic editions of the US Peace
Registry will eventually be on display at
the memorial.
How will financial contributions
be recognized?
Levels of support have been
established and, for a limited time, all persons/organizations who contribute
$100.00 or more will become Founding Members of the Foundation and be recognized
in the donor section of the US Peace Registry and on the FoundationÕs website. Anonymous
donations will be respected. Contribute Now!
Be assured that
the Foundation will not sell or rent your name and personal information to any
other organization.
Braggadocio is a big turn off to most anti-war people. Convince me that the US Peace
Registry isnÕt about self-promotion.
Braggadocio and
self-promotion couldn't be farther from our motivation. The intent of the US Peace Registry is to
write a living history, document human behavior, and identify role models for
US peace activities. The US Peace Registry will help Americans understand some options for action
against war. The specific
behaviors listed in each record are intended to provide ideas and
guidance. Role models are listed
to inspire Americans to speak out for peace and to work to end the hatred,
ignorance, greed, and intolerance that lead to war. We are documenting specific actions that Americans have used
to oppose war. I suspect that in
the final analysis we will have listed several hundred discreet antiwar
behaviors. The people and
organizations included in the US Peace Registry are not braggarts or
self-promoters, but role models for other Americans. Their activities are behaviors that others can use as models
for action, now and in the future.
The US Peace Memorial will
make it clear to Americans that opposing war is honorable and socially
acceptable, and that our nation has a long history of patriotic citizens who
have opposed wars. A national
monument to peacemakers can change our cultural mindset so that it will no
longer be acceptable to label those who speak out against war as un-American,
antimilitary, traitorous, or unpatriotic.
We hope the memorial will decrease the barriers that citizens must
overcome before they speak out against a war.
The military honors its
heroes and reinforces warrior behavior with medals, promotions, ceremonies, and
monuments. This has resulted in a
country that recognizes contributions to war and the sacrifices of the
military. People who make valiant
efforts to maintain global peace should also be honored. The US Peace Memorial Foundation is
attempting to balance the picture so that more Americans will know that peace
is an equally honorable endeavor.
The current wars won't be our
last and future generations need to know how thoughtful individuals have
promoted peace. If those in the
peace movement are concerned that speaking about their actions to promote peace
will be seen as bragging, they may be missing an opportunity to document their
contributions. We at the US Peace
Memorial Foundation think it is important to catalogue these activities in
order to educate people, stimulate conversations, and lead to positive
interventions for peace. Please
help us to get that message across.
Are speakers available?
Dr. Knox regularly speaks to
groups regarding the topic of ÒHonoring the PeacemakersÓ or ÒPeace is
Socially AcceptableÓ. Each presentation includes the importance of the US
PEACE MEMORIAL www.uspeacememorial.org and the US PEACE REGISTRY www.uspeacememorial.org/registry. If a presentation is held outside of central
Florida, the inviting organization usually covers the speakerÕs travel
expenses.
If you belong to a peaceful
group that might be interested in having a speaker, please suggest that
they consider inviting Dr. Knox. He can be reached at Knox@USPeaceMemorial.org.
Are volunteers needed?
The Foundation is
heavily dependent on a community of volunteers. Please sign up today by sending your contact information and
interests to: volunteer@USPeaceMemorial.org
The following are
some potential volunteer duties:
¥ Identify potential
memorial honorees
¥ Tell others about
our mission and website
¥ Identify potential
donors and provide email addresses
¥ Organize a local
fundraising event
¥ Review this website
and suggest improvements
¥ Suggest other volunteer tasks
Volunteers are
not compensated for their time or expenses. Volunteers, however, should speak to their accountants about
how to deduct expenses in support of this not for profit foundation.
Why is the FoundationÕs mission
so limited?
While it is understood that there are many other important and related political issues, the focus of the foundation is on peace, defined as the avoidance of US aggression to solve international disputes. Related issues such as human rights, civil rights, poverty, education, healthcare, overpopulation, environmental concerns, and interference in the affairs of other countries are excluded. All of these important topics are related to peace, but to keep the mission focused and clear, the scope of the foundationÕs work will not broaden to include any other issues.
Every issue or variable that is added to the mix makes the
project more appealing to some and less appealing to others. Supporters of a war are often very
focused on opposition to a certain culture or belief system, gaining resources,
preventing something from happening in the future, etc. Peace advocates often get caught up in
a variety of other issues, many of them very important, but often divisive. That may be one reason that we aren't
often successful.
The US Peace Memorial will recognize and be dedicated to
US citizens who have opposed and/or resisted US military solutions including
invasion, occupation, use of weapons, and threats of war – rather than
diplomacy – to solve international problems. The US Peace Registry
will document the activities of these role models for peace in hopes of
inspiring new generations of Americans.
That is the only focus of this project and, if we do it well, it should
help to unite the peace movement.
Are there other peace memorials?
An exhaustive online search for
peace memorials was conducted with disappointing results. Although several other countries have
memorials that could serve as a model for one here, the US has very few listed. One of the more prominent is the
Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial in Ohio, which is actually a
monument to war, not peace. Others
include the Peace Garden at Fresno State University, CA; the Lyndale Park Peace
Garden in Minneapolis, MN; the Peace Plaza in Salem, OR; Peace Garden in
Harrisburg, PA; Prairie Peace Park in Lincoln, NE, and the Pacifist Memorial at
Peace Abbey, Sherborn, MA. All are
local, not national. Nothing exists
that could be considered a national memorial to peace or those who advocated
for it.
How long will the Foundation
be in existence?
The Foundation is a permanent
institution that, after overseeing the fundraising and building of the
Memorial, will maintain the monument and surrounding lands, continue to publish
the US Peace
Registry, and conduct peace-related research and education to further
the mission of the Foundation.
US Peace Memorial Foundation,
Inc. is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity.
The IRS has determined that
donations are tax deductible.
Copyright 2006 - 2008, US Peace Memorial Foundation, Inc.