Hello. We at Peaceworks hope this finds you well. As another year races toward its conclusion, we thank the many of you who have contributed before for your ongoing support and are writing to ask all of you for your generous help now, so we may continue.

Sometimes it seems that we collectively are walking a tightrope. We try to keep our balance amid the perils. Indeed, war with Iran could come at any time. The loss of our remaining civil liberties may be just one more 9-11-style attack away. The global climate crisis appears more imminent with each new scientific report. And the twin threats of nuclear weapons and nuclear power refuse to disappear despite the prevailing high levels of denial.

This said, we can’t afford to despair, and actually there are reasons to be hopeful. Public opinion is now largely on the side of peace, and almost everyone wants a greener environment. Grassroots activism has contributed to a substantial repudiation by the American people of much of the Bush program, including, most significantly, the Iraq War.

It is now up to us to keep moving the causes of peace and sustainability forward. We not only need to generate the political momentum to end the war, but we must also help facilitate a paradigm shift whereby the United States moves away from militarism, the pursuit of an imperial agenda, and a wasteful, over-consumptive approach to living.

Our agenda includes doing all we can to promote the rapid transition to safe, sustainable energy choices. Efficiency and renewable energy are essential to address global climate change, to keep us out of resource wars and to prevent a nuclear power relapse. While our concerns are global, we are certainly motivated to take prompt action to avert the all-too-real prospect of AmerenUE moving ahead on their proposed new nuclear reactor in nearby Callaway County.

While nothing comes as easily as we’d like, we are hopeful and feel a sense of urgency. Thus, we have recently brought on board a new full-time staff-person, Lily Tinker Fortel, who is focusing on peace advocacy in general and youth outreach in specific. Lily is busy organizing public events, doing counter-recruitment in area high schools and working with student groups at MU and Stephens. Your support is essential for us to maintain this expanded level of activity.

Peace Advocacy & Education: Peaceworks is in the forefront of the movement, working closely with other groups in the Columbia Peace Coalition (CPC). Peaceworks facilitates many coalition-sponsored efforts. Our peace efforts have concentrated on three main goals: Ending the Iraq War, Preventing a War on Iran, and Keeping an Ongoing Focus on the Need for Nuclear Disarmament.

We are continuously reaching out to educate and inform. We’ve held Town Hall Meetings and public forums on critical peace concerns. We have sponsored or co-sponsored visits from several notable speakers, including, most recently, Iranian American, Washington University professor Fatemeh Keshavarz. When we bring speakers to town, we endeavor to turn folks out for their speeches, but we also line up media appearances, and talks to classes. Thousands of people heard Dr. Keshavarz’s message via KOMU, KOPN, KFRU, The Eagle, or the Columbia Daily Tribune. Through events like this we spark dialogue and promote a rethinking of the issues. (See Columbia Tribune coverage and editorial.)

All three of our major peace goals were given emphasis in our annual CPC Hiroshima Day signature ad, which this year included the names of 1,675 residents, a new record. We have visited Congressional offices to urge no war with Iran, and to encourage them to bring our troops home now.

Making the Call for Peace Visible: We consistently take a stand for peace. On March 18, with our CPC allies, we mobilized the largest peace gathering seen in mid-Missouri in decades. “Peace Is Growing!” drew more than 700 participants, was an energetic, positive event, and received very favorable media coverage. (See articles in the Columbia Missourian at and in the Columbia Tribune.)

We have already begun planning for an event—One Thousand Strong for Peace—to be held March 16, 2008 to mark the fifth anniversary of the invasion, and, as you can see, have set an ambitious goal of 1,000 participants.

We take action throughout the year organizing events on other key dates including Tax Day, Memorial Day weekend, Hiroshima Day and the 9-11 anniversary. And of course, we are visible at Rush Hour time at Broadway & Providence each and every Wednesday, regardless of the weather, to remind the community of the desire for real peace.

Our vigils draw a cross-section of the community from youth to retirees, professors, businesspeople and clergy along with students and working-class folks. We view public protest as a necessary component in a larger strategy of building a broad-based peace movement. Peaceworks embraces a person-to-person approach, actively engaging thousands of our fellow citizens through efforts such as public petitioning and leafleting. We also train many new activists in people-to-people outreach skills critical for those who seek to become effective catalysts for change.

Standing Up to Hate & Intolerance: In early March, we worked with our allies throughout the community to coordinate a highly visible, non-violent response to the neo-Nazi march here in town. We designed and distributed hundreds of “No Hate in Our Town” signs that were posted throughout downtown, and helped organize the Diversity Celebration in Douglass Park that drew thousands of participants. Peaceworks is also a member of the Mid-Mo LGBT Coalition and takes an active role in the annual Pride Celebration, as well as in publicizing Coalition activities.

Focus on Sustainable Living: We persevere in educational efforts promoting a sustainable future. In September we held our fifth Sustainable Living Fair. Hundreds came out for workshops, booths, speakers, children’s activities and more. We hold other events, like our annual Holiday Gift-Making Workshop, and help provide leadership for the Columbia Earth Day Coalition. We recognize that peace, justice and sustainability go hand in hand. It is essential we advocate for the sort of future that can work for all.

Nuclear Power on the Horizon?—Missourians for Safe Energy Responds: The Bush administration is pushing for a whole new generation of nuclear plants. AmerenUE has announced their intention to apply in 2008 for a license to build and operate a new, 1,600-megawatt plant in mid-Missouri’s Callaway County. Our MSE has taken the lead with a public awareness campaign.

Missourians need to know that nuclear power still entails all the problems it did in the 1980s—radioactive waste, safety and excessive cost. It presents inviting terror targets. And the spread of nuclear know-how and materials fuels weapons proliferation. Contrary to proponents’ claims, nukes do not provide a cost-effective route to addressing global warming. Peaceworks Director, Mark Haim recently had an op-ed published in the Columbia Daily Tribune outlining some of our concerns in this regard.

We are doing all we can to spread the message that we need efficiency improvements and renewables—especially wind power—not new nuclear power or coal plants. We invite your active participation in this, as well as all aspects of our work.

Peace Nook: We keep the Peace Nook open seven days a week as a community resource center and activism hub. The Nook provides the community with access to progressive resources otherwise unavailable and offers an institutional presence for the progressive movement. It also presents a model of an economic entity established not for private profit, but rather for community betterment. Dozens of volunteers work with our small paid staff to keep the Nook and our other programming efforts moving forward.

Bringing People Together & Keeping Members Informed: If you were at our Annual Dinner in November, or at the Hiroshima Commemoration in August, you surely understand the strength that comes from a community of concern, such as ours, coming together to reaffirm our shared commitments. Put simply, Peaceworks brings people together. We provide a vehicle for active citizenship, and we also provide a base of mutual support that enables this activism. Our postal mailing list includes nearly 6,000 supporters, and our e-list includes nearly 3,300. Our goal is to inform and to activate as many as we can.

Times such as these require that we unhesitatingly speak truth to power. Peaceworks always responds. These times also demand effective action. We speak to folks where they are and address their very legitimate concerns not just for a peaceful future, but also for a secure one. We continue to address immediate crises, such as the Iraq War, as well as the underlying structural issues, such as globalization or our dependence on finite fossil fuels. Only through offering concrete, positive alternatives to the present, misguided course, can we really rally the majority of the public to our banner.

We need your help. We are a frugal, grassroots group that relies primarily upon volunteers. There are, however, always expenses that need to be met, including printing, postage, phone and internet, supplies, occupancy, as well as a modest payroll. Please make a generous, tax-deductible year-end contribution to support our critical work. If you can’t make this special contribution, please consider pre-paying your 2008 membership. It would be really great if you could help with both, or if you could join our monthly pledge program.

If you have never given to Peaceworks before, please consider joining the ranks of our membership. By becoming a PW member, at whatever level works for you, you help assure that this progressive voice will continue reaching out to more and more people, loud and strong.

If you are already a member, please consider, if possible, increasing your contribution level to help us keep up with increasing expenses. Please, though, help in whatever way you can.

We are most appreciative of all who have supported this work for more than 25 years. We thank you in advance for your generosity.