Peace Fair Shines!
We are grateful that once again the sun shone down on Sunday, September 25th, making our church grounds the perfect setting for the 3rd Annual Peace Fair. Approximately 50 exhibitors showed the young and not so young how to work together for peace through environmental stewardship, fair trade, and social action. Over 100 inspired attendees wrote letters to Congress for Bread for the World. Money was collected to fund a wide range of peace related programs. Supplies were collected for our flood victims in Schoharie. Fair attendees considered materials and information available and pledged to make changes in their own lives to help build a culture of peace. One person, who had never heard of ShelterBox before the Peace Fair, was so impressed that she organized a fundraiser for them at the National Museum of Dance.
We are also grateful to the many hands that made the Peace Fair happen. Judith Nelson coordinated our volunteers (too numerous to mention but there would be no fair without your efforts!) Peter Nelson and Crispin Catricala coordinated our sound system. Nan and David Travers provided and set up the beautiful banners and backdrops. Leslie Rafaniello designed the signs and program. Janice James and Cindy Boyka worked on hospitality. Harry Meehan ran Facility and Grounds. Christine Kidder helped coordinate food. John Gamble was our emcee and Sue Stasch coordinated activities.
Peace Week in Saratoga Springs (officially declared by our Mayor Scott Johnson) provided an opportunity for the community to become more involved. Peace related events were held at Skidmore, The Saratoga Public Library, The Art Center, Temple Sinai, High Rock Park and the Unitarian Universalist Church. We look forward to even more participation next year.
If you have comments or suggestions regarding the Peace Fair/ Peace Week, or would like to become more involved, please contact the Steering Committee at saratoga.peace.fair@gmail.com .
Peace,
PNECC Peace Fair Steering Committee Members,
Anne Diggory, Kirsten Drabek, Linda LeTendre, Elizabeth Meehan, and Pat Nugent
The purpose of the fair is to empower attendees to build a more peaceful world, and it will showcase the hard work and creative spirit of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting peace and justice in all facets of our lives.
Over sixty organizations, including some state and national groups, will be participating. There will be family activities, food booths, and free trade vendors.
Musical performers include Dan Berggren, Kevin McKrell, and the Solidarity Singers. Each performer will pay tribute to the music of Pete Seeger, culminating in a longer musical tribute. There will also be Dances of Universal Peace, led under the auspices of The International Network for the Dances of Universal Peace. Schedule will be posted soon.
The annual fair is coordinated by representatives from the Presbyterian-New England Congregational Church as well as the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga, The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and the Saratoga Peace Alliance. Attendance topped 400 last year. Admission is free, and it is held regardless of weather conditions.
This year in addition to promoting peace through environmental stewardship, fair trade, social action and the arts, we are paying tribute to the great peace activist, Pete Seeger. “Pete Seeger is an ambassador for Peace and Social Justice and has been over the course of his 92-year lifetime. Using his prowess as a musician he worked to engage other people, from all walks of life and across generations, in causes to build a better and more civilized world.” (http://www.nobelprize4pete.org/) Our musicians will perform Pete’s songs. We will sing them together at our closing and you can make a card or express your thanks to Pete on a video message.
For information or to sign up to volunteer for Peace Fair in Saratoga Springs, 2011
http://www.volunteerspot.com/login/entry/1122345634973898045
Visit our event on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=139966742755226
2011 Peace Fair Booths and Participants
A Center for Hope and Alternatives Beginning 1988, A Center-for-Hope and Alternatives has been focused on prevention and intervention of violence in the home, community and the world. Representatives have been active at local, state and national levels, participating with many, many other peace groups. dmeagher@nycap.rr.com
Adirondack Foothills Peace Center Committee A Glens Falls Unitarian Universalist Committee that exists to promote peace through mediation, non-violent communication and fair trade. Neal Herr 518-798-1371
AOET-Uganda (www.aoetusa.com) Purchase items to provide income to Uganda AIDS widows. Information on sponsoring school children who are AIDS orphans. Paul Phillips paulandjeanp@yahoo.com 518-584-4625
Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace (www.bethlehemforpeace.org) Promoting peace and justice through activism. Trudy Quaif 518-466-1192
Bosnian Handcraft Project (www.newlifeinsaratoga.org/Bosnian_Handcrafts.html) The Bosnian Handcraft Projects helps women in Bosnia put food on their tables by giving them an honorable way to make a living. The women are paid fair trade prices for their good which are sold here in the USA. The project promotes peace among all ethnic groups in Bosnia. Mary Jo Kowalewski mjkow@nycap.rr.com 518-527-4597
Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services of Saratoga County (www.dvrcsaratoga.org) Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services helps transform lives and create safe futures for individuals throughout Saratoga County. Our agency provides an unmatched scope of services to victims of domestic violence and/or sexual assault. We offer free crisis intervention, comprehensive support services and promote community mobilization in the efforts to END domestic and sexual violence in Saratoga County. dvrc@crisny.org 518-583-0280
Green Conscience Home and Garden (www.green-conscience.com) Green Conscience provides non-toxic, eco-friendly products that enhance well-being and peace, while conserving our natural resources. karen@green-conscience.com 518-306-5196
Hippies for Hope (www.hippiesforhope.tumblr.com or "Hippies for Hope" on Facebook) Hippies for Hope aims to create peace and spread smiles through the powerfully positive vibes emitted from a simple tee-shirt. By donating tie-dyed shirts to kids in local hospitals and overseas, we work to promote happiness here at home. Proceeds from shirts also go to support the SEGA School for Girls in Tanzania, providing a bright, more peaceful tomorrow to the women of East Africa. hippiesforhope@gmail.com 518-926-8485
Kanatsiohareke Inc. (www.mohawkcommunity.com) Kanatsiohareke (pronounced Ga na jo ha lay: gay) is a Mohawk community which was reestablished in 1993 by Mohawk elder and spiritual leader Tom Porter (Sakokwenionkwas). Kanatsiohareke is a beautiful 400 acre farm where native and non-native people can learn accurate information about the culture, history, traditions and spirituality of the Haudenosaunee. info@mohawkcommunity.com
Kibera Jewelry (www.kiberajewelry.com) Former Peace Corps volunteer raising money for school in Kibera slum near Nairobi, Kenya. Steve Andersen steve@kiberajewelry.com 518-618-2729
Mango Tree Imports (www.mangotreeimports.com) A locally owned business committed to providing fairly traded handmade artisan goods and farmed products. Fair trade promotes peace through poverty aleviation in the developing world. tradefairly@mangotreeimports.com 518-288-3554
Muslim Solidary Committee/Project SALAM (www.projectsalam.org) In 2006, MSC was formed to organize around the unfair convictions of Yassin Aref and Mohammed Hossain in an unfair FBI sting operation. We believe Aref was targeted due to speaking out against the Iraq War. Project SALAM was formed in 2008 to research similar preemptive prosecutions and to support the defendants and their families. Kathy Manley mkathy1@hotmail.com 518-596-3851
National Peace Academy (www.nationalpeaceacademy.us) The National Peace Academy's understanding of Peace is shaped by the definition contained in the Earth Charter. "Peace is the wholeness created by right relationships with oneself, other persons, other cultures, other life, Earth, and the larger whole of which all are a part."
NYS Coalition Against Sexual Assault (www.nyscasa.org) Working to end sexual violence by addressing elements of oppression, human rights violations and social injustices. info@nyscasa.org 518-482-4222
Palestinian Rights Committee Works for the end of the Israeli government's illegal occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem and blockade of the Gaza Strip. PRC supports a just peace between both peoples. Tom Ellis palestinianrightscommittee@googlegroups.com 518-453-8874
The Peace-atorium (http://directory.ic.org/22285/Peace_atorium) A fellowship for Intentional Community in Ballston Spa, NY. We hold weekly dinners, monthly movie nights and talks, inviting the larger community to join us. Contact us for details and dates. Jim Fulmer jfilmer1@nycap.rr.com 518-309-3777
Saratoga Peace Alliance (http://peaceact.net/branches/saratoga/ or "Saratoga Peace" on Facebook) Weekly Saturday vigil for peace, noon to 1 PM in front of the downtown Saratoga Springs Post Office. Sponsors various programs throughout the year that promote peace. Promotes non-violent civil disobedience actions. . Jim Fulmer 518-859-4649
Soroptomists International of Saratoga County (www.soroptomistsaratoga.org) Soroptomist International is a volunteer organization of women who work to improve the lives of women and girls, locally and globally, by advocating for human rights and global peace and ending violence against women. The Saratoga Soroptomists support projects designed to assist survivors of domestic violence and to raise awareness of human trafficking/sex trafficking. SI is interested in making presentations to other community groups. soroptimistsaratoga@gmail.com 518-281-1185
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga (www.saratoga-uu.org) We aspire to the exploration for truth and to the ideals of compassion and service.
US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Albany Field Office (www.RefugeesAlbany.org) The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants' Albany Field Office (USCRI Albany) opened its doors in 2005 to help refugees build new lives in upstate New York. Most of the refugees resettled by USCRI Albany are from Burma, Iraq, Bhutan, the Congo, and Sudan. USCRI Albany staff and volunteers focus on meeting the immediate basic needs of new arrivals, assisting refugees in obtaining early employment and achieving self-sufficiency, and nurturing community integration for new Americans. info@uscri-albany.org
Veterans for Peace (www.VFP.org) Seeks other means of conflict resolution since wars are easy to start and hard to stop, and that those hurt are often the innocent.. Michael McGraw mlmceltic@msn.com
Volunteers in Mission (VIM) Belfast Peace Project. The United Methodist's Volunteers In Mission, Belfast Peace Project is a long term mission endeavor that provides both inter-community building and physical labor in one of the poorest areas in Northern Ireland. The Belfast Peace Project fosters rebuilding relationships strained by "The Troubles," a 30 year period of intense violence between both Protestant and Catholic communities. The Team's participation is integral to the Forthspring Intercommunity Group and the Springfield Road Methodist Church's successful peace & reconciliation achievements. Mike and Pat Thomas mthomas6@nycap.rr.com 518-885-5889
Women Against War (www.womenagainstwar.org) Capital District women working for peace through: direct action, educational events on the costs of war and the possibilities of peace. Working to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, stop new wars, and redirect our resources into health care, education, green jobs and other life-affirming activities. Maud Easter info@womenagainstwar.org 518-426-0710
click here for a list of 2010 exhibitors