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December 2011
DETROIT.
The press and pundits will tell you it is over for Detroit. Color it
with fear, and let us forget. But I have been learning about Detroit
from the People who live there. Through emails and newsletters I have
been encouraged by the resurgence of consciousness and kindness. I
wanted to be with People who are reclaiming their humanity in this way.
So, a few of us went to the Boggs Center's Reimagining
Organizing Movements Leadership gathering on December 10,
and for a few short
hours and days I was at home in Detroit. This is what I have come to
know: out of the ashes, humanity shines. Out of the lies, compassion is
victor. I saw Children thriving, because of the love. I saw the Earth
healing, because of the need.
There has been an exodus of more than 50%
of her population as big
money left Detroit. With the dream
shattered, those who remained have
the choice to give up or wake up. I am happy to tell you the People of
Detroit are alive and well. About 1,300 gardens have come to life. Food
justice is not a theory. It is a practice. Leadership is shared. The
vision is strictly a human one, summed up by the late Jimmy Boggs,
"change yourself to change the world." It was an honor to sit with the
iconic, 97 year old Grace Lee Boggs and to witness
the absolute
strength that is her calling card: she is a human being. First and
foremost, she is alive, and from what I can tell she is constantly
learning.
I have been blessed with a need to be with
People who recognize we are
one planet, one people - those who know, beyond doubt, that
our
relationship to the Earth and to one another is
one of symbiotic need -
and to whom this discovery is joyous. I have been fortunate to find
these wonderful souls who dare to challenge the shackles of our
institutions and belief systems. Grace Boggs is one such individual and
in the wake of her wisdom, many are Remembering. Shine on Detroit.
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| Grace
Lee Boggs with Group from Echo
Valley |
DRONES, HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION LINES
&
MINING THE PENOKEE MOUNTAINS
Are you
ready to add your voice to the human request for a sustainable world?
Try these on:
- WNPJ’s pro peace-anti militarism
group will be holding monthly pro-peace vigils against the illegal use
of drones in warfare at Volk Field, Camp Williams at Camp Douglas. For
information, contact Joy First at 608.239.4327.
- SOUL of the Kickapoo is leading a
campaign to stop High Voltage Transmission Lines in Wisconsin.
Email type@mwt.net
to
see if your township has declined the line or to get a custom
resolution for your local government.
- Mining the northwest
Wisconsin Penokee
Hills will displace
People and harm the waterways and pristine lands.
Visit this website for more.
THE LAST
MOUNTAIN
Sunday,
December 18 at 2:00 p.m.
You are most
welcome to
the screening of The
Last Mountain, a
compelling environmental documentary on the people of Coal River
Valley, West
Virginia and their efforts to save their homeland. For more
information, visit I Love Mountains.
Did you know?
- Almost
one-half of the
electricity in the United States
comes from burning coal
- 16
pounds of coal are burned daily for
every man, woman and child in the
United States
- One
third of the coal comes from the
mountains of Appalachia
To learn how you
are connected to mountaintop removal, click here.
ECHO
VALLEY HOPE
Dear
Friends,
In January 2004, Wisconsin Trails Magazine acclaimed
Echo Valley Hope, Inc. as one of “20+ organizations making
a difference.”
Our
fledgling educational and charitable nonprofit was already being
recognized as innovative, hard working and on target. We continue to
live up to that honor as we work within our mission to advance
sustainable living and all initiatives of peace.
In 2011, we forged relationships with numerous organizations
and networks, bringing awareness and charitable donations to the
efforts which are aligned with ours. These included The Prem
Rawat Foundation, The
Cornucopia Institute,
Valley Stewardship Network, Iraqi
and American Reconciliation Project, Wisconsin
Network for Peace and Justice, Motherland
Rhythm Community’s
Benkadi Project,
Veterans for Peace, Boggs
Center to Nurture Community Leadership, Daughters of Navajo
Weavers, and Family Farm Defenders.
As we approach 2012, we are committed to Peace First: continued
collaborations and exchanges of good will, ideas and financial support
with those helping to bring peace and addressing the well-being of all
people.
We recognize the essential human needs for local
healthy food, water, and shelter. We strive towards educating people
about food production, green homes and community supported living.
Through our free events and classes in sustainability, we empower
individuals to be innovative, free thinking, and community active.
Roxanne, a young woman who came to learn about green building and
gardening last year, is now working on a raised bed garden to grow
local produce for a low-income area in Philadelphia. She said, “My
experience with Echo Valley Hope made me want to work on a project with
people, not solo--a project with my community and for my community.”
This year, we will be adding educational activities on peace
and nonviolence for people of all ages. Throughout the month of July,
we will host youth camps inviting children to work together, to
support one another, to find their individual strengths and to learn
practical and sustainable skills – while having fun.
With your financial support, we can continue to make a
difference. Echo Valley Hope, Inc. is a 501(c)3. With low overhead and
all-volunteer efforts, you can be sure your tax-deductible donations
will be applied to programs advancing sustainable living and to
promote all initiatives of peace. Last year, our charitable donations
helped people affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, drought
and hunger victims in East Africa, brought clean water to students in
Iraq, and fed people via local food pantries in Wisconsin.
We
know that your dollars are stretched. We know that the needs are great
everywhere. That is why we work so hard to address the needs at a
fundamental level, planting seeds of hope and of food, teaching people
how to work together again, reminding people of the joy of living and
the sweetness of peace.
Please allow us to continue to help in this way. Your dollars and your
input are welcomed and appreciated.
May the New Year bring us closer to the reality that we know is
possible: may each human heart rise up to discover peace within, and
may Peace on Earth prevail.
The Board of Directors of Echo Valley Hope,
Dena
Eakles,
Joyce Firestone,
Joan Ross,
Melissa
Gordon Rhine, Nancy
Douglas Putnam,
Aedward Del Signore and
Lauren West
To
make a tax-deductible donation
- Send a
check or money order to:
Echo Valley Hope, Inc., E 14604 County Rd.
F, Ontario, WI 54651,
- Donate online securely through PayPal
here or
- Donate on Facebook here.
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