ISES Grant Matched: We Did It! PT received over $20,000.00 in matching online and mailed check donations during August, September and October 2011. A huge Thank you to all who helped us reach this goal and to ISES for matching these donations.
THANK YOU for our new Mac: We are so grateful to Peaceful Tomorrows’ longtime friend and supporter Richard A. Clarke, for donating a new Macintosh laptop to our office. Mr. Clarke is an internationally renowned expert on homeland security and national security who recognizes the ultimate importance to U.S. security of protecting the Constitution and avoiding war in favor of fostering productive international relations. He is the Chairman of Good Harbor Consulting LLC and author of five books.
PRESS SUMMARY: Andrea LeBlanc has been working with Riptide Communications, Inc. to get the most up-to-date Press Summary reflecting PT members’ activities before, on and after September 11, 2011 posted to the new website next week. Please make sure you visit our new website.
WE NEED YOUR FEEDBACK: A team of PT members is working hard on getting a Members Survey to you. Look for it to arrive in your e-mail inbox soon.
MEMBERS RETREAT: The retreat dates have been set for Friday, February 17 to Sunday, February 19, 2012. The location has not been determined as yet. We will keep you informed. Do not hesitate to contact the PT office with any further questions you might have.
LOBBYING: We are in the midst of planning a cosponsored trip for PT members to Washington on January 11, 2012 to mark National Day of Action Against Guantanamo. Our partners are in the final week of logistics planning and need information on who is attending. Travel reimbursements will be available through our grant from the Open Society Policy Center. More detailed information will be sent to interested members in a separate e-mail.
NEW PT MEMBER:
Donald Charlebois joined Peaceful Tomorrows in August of 2010. Today he is sharing these thoughts with us:
“My brother David was the First Officer on American Airlines 77 which was diverted into the Pentagon. David shared the cockpit with Captain Burlingame. On that day we all became September 11 Families, a group that no one would have knowledgably joined. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the events of that day, but especially the way that world events have spun and are spinning out of control.
I was drawn to September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows in my reading about protests at the Park51 project, actually surprised at the level of vehemence. I read about and admired your courage in the face of this rage. I embarrasingly was not aware of the activities of PT, focusing on silent remembrance and worrying about my parents as opposed to using remembrance to generate initiative. I am a builder, a carpenter, a sculptor, and a painter. I lean heavily towards things, which heal and are positive and/or constructive. I have been very fortunate to let my mind and hands work through many different and difficult issues. I know that the best way to honor my brother is in peaceful pursuit. I see PT as a peaceful pursuit, providing constant reminders of the standards we must uphold. My wife, Donna, and I were able to work with Susan Retik and her organization ‘Beyond the Eleventh’ this year and experienced the physical channeling of those emotions. We hold hope to be able to see peaceful tomorrows for our time and the next generations.”
We thank you for continuing to support PT’s mission to turn grief into action for peace.
The Steering Committee
