Feb 09

Teach Peace Foundation Newsletter

To reach peace, teach peace.

February 2009

Welcome,

We are constantly benefiting from feedback and a key project this month is market research.

We want to hear from you so that we can improve our current services and validate proposed programs for 2009.

Click here to access our brief but important market research survey. A member is donating $5 for every survey that we receive so feel free to forward this newsletter to your email list.

Endorsements

We have a long list of endorsements for our work.

Click here or the above picture to enlarge the image.

If you would like to add an endorsement, please include one in the market research survey or send a brief email to contact@teachpeace.com.

Peace Education

Many people highly value member-submitted articles and our global clipping service. Click here for this daily news resource offering in-depth coverage of the financial crisis, developments in the Middle East, and other important issues to help you stay informed.

Economic justice in Africa

We all can make a difference. High school students Joey and Renee Chiang demonstrated this fact by participating in the Teach Peace Africa Peacemaker program.

Joey piloted an innovative system to purify water with locally made chlorine. Renee brought a lot of smiles with her work on the livestock project and innovative photo story. Click here to view the pictures.

We also wish to thank the students at Mercer Island and Davis high schools that helped raise funds for this program.

Consider encouraging a high school student to contact us and learn how they can participate in a Teach Peace project.

Your input is needed for us to reach the next level of success.

Monthly Meetings

Monthly meetings start on February 23rd and are at 7 pm on the last Monday of every month. Additional information on all meetings and events can be found in the "Meetings & Events" section of our website.

Annual Meeting

Please join us on March 30, 2009 from 7 - 9:30 pm for
our annual meeting. Please reserve a seat by calling 530-554-7061 or participate from anywhere in the country by dialing 1-218-486-1600 up to five minutes before the meeting. The bridge code is 308952.

A story about liberty worth viewing and discussing with friends and family

A member submitted this educational clip that teaches peace. To view it, click on the image.

Success in 2008 and the 2009 deliverables

Your support enabled us to have our best year ever. Accomplishments include:

a student-led leadership program. Our high school team shown in the above picture visited 35 congressional offices in Washington, DC to teach peace.
innovative programs in Africa to help war orphans and the severely disabled.
micro-businesses to help entire African villages feed their children.
education to strengthen our democracy with over 100 presentations via our speakers bureau.
solutions for the financial crisis that have enabled many people to understand the direct connection between monetary policies, foreign policies, and wars.
the third annual Evening of Peace student-led awards dinner promoting collaboration, recognizing excellence, and inspiring all of us to do more.
an award winning teachpeace.com with articles educating millions of people.

The full list of accomplishments is exciting and available at www.teachpeace.com/success08.pdf.

To view our 2009 Success Plan, click here.

Thanks to your support we continue to grow.

A Department of Peace

On February 3, 2009 the latest Department of Peace bill was introduced by Congressman Dennis Kucinich. George Washington made this same proposal in 1793.

Washington was inspired to introduce the bill by the African-American freeman Benjamin Banneker, a brilliant astronomer and mathematician. Banneker wrote in his 1792 Almanac that a Department of Peace was needed to "balance" the Department of War. Banneker's friends, like Dr. Benjamin Rush and Thomas Jefferson, supported the idea.

The Department of War was renamed the Department of Defense in 1949. How many wars like Vietnam or Iraq would have been prevented if this balancing force existed? The cost of preventing just one war makes a Department of Peace extremely attractive.

A Department of Peace has great potential to save lives and reduce suffering. All Teach Peace members automatically help continue Banneker's vision and support the current legislation, because we teach about the bill and call upon legislators to co-sponsor it. We also recommend members participate in the Peace Alliance Department of Peace lobbying effort March 20-23, 2009 in Washington, DC.

Make new friends and meet Teach Peace President Mary Wind

You are invited to attend a 5 pm Peace Pyramid meeting with Mary Wind on February 21st (a Saturday).

Pizza and other dinner foods are provided by participants so feel free to contribute with your cooking skills or bring a dessert.

The location is 6009 Kifisia Way in Fair Oaks, CA.

This event will be a wonderful opportunity to catch-up with friends and meet some of the nicest people anywhere.

To reserve a seat please call Tom or Dar King at 916-241-9194 or send an email to tjking07@comcast.net.

Volunteers and recurring donations are two keys to our ongoing success!

We welcome to the team volunteers Katie Kaffka, Kevin Rockensies, and Timna Medovoy. Both Katie and Kevin are working on the Africa Peacemaker program. Timna is developing guides to help parents and teachers teach peace with select Dr. Seuss books.

If you are interested in enriching your life by volunteering, please contact us at 530-554-7061. Democracy is a participatory process and your help is needed.

A key theme in 2009 is to build financial stability for our work via monthly recurring donations. Our state-of-the-art technology enables you to make a monthly donation using all credit cards and direct bank account drafts.

To get started, just click on the above "Please Give Now!" image or call us at 530-554-7061.

Peace be with you,

The Teach Peace Foundation Team

PS. Please send this newsletter to a friend and help us teach peace.

Newsletter: February 2009