Peacekeeper Truth Serum Blog

The PeaceKeeper team wishes everyone a Merry Christmas. My hometown had a white Christmas teaser last week with a snow storm that landed us eight inches of snow–but alas, I awoke to green grass and nary a snowflake in sight. I’m sitting in my living room with my family, all of us engrossed in one thing or another. My father has taken a liking to Sudoku, while my mother has her nose buried in a new mystery novel. It’s very quiet except for the tapping of my fingers on the keyboard to write this very entry. Even our dogs are tip-toeing. All of us are pretty tired, we decided to open presents after Midnight Mass. Even without words, it’s family time. After all the fuss of getting ready for the holidays, from decorations to dealing with incredibly long lines at the mall, this is why we do it every year. To be able to sit and enjoy each other’s company with good food, good conversation and the occasional game of Scrabble. Merry Christmas, indeed.

Peace,

Alice

Through your help, the Say NO! to Violence Against Women campaign and UNIFEM collected a whopping 5,066,549 signatures to present to the United Nations Secretary-General! Way to go!

Heya PeaceKeepers,

I got a lot of responses from my black eye saga, offering sympathy as well as some suggestions. Apparently putting baby powder in concealer is a great way to hide a bruise. Who knew? One of the best responses I got was a link to an organization called Soul Talk. This Hong Kong based organization offers support for women who are victims of emotional and/or physical abuse. Their services range from providing shelter and assistance for women to online counseling ! Feeling generous? Click here for donation information.

Peace,

Alice

Copyright: Freedom From Hunger, Photographer: Karl Grobl, Taken: August 2008

PeaceKeepers, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Grace Annobil, a HealthKeeper. A mother of four at the age of 41, Grace became a HealthKeeper to supplement her earnings from peanut farming. “My goal,” she says, “is to save the money I earn so that I can educate my children. Being a HealthKeeper is going to make that possible.”

Copyright: Freedom From Hunger, Photographer: Karl Grobl, Taken: August 2008

Freedom From Hunger’s two-fold approach not only empowers Grace to support her family without handouts, but with the training Grace received through Freedom From Hunger, she is also able to educate her community about her products. As a HealthKeeper, Grace can tell you exactly how to use the mosquito nets, water-treatment tablets or the oral rehydration salts that she sells. HealthKeepers like Grace travel to rural villages where the general store might not have enough demand to stock these essential products. This system not only fosters the well-being of the body but the well-being of the soul of the community. Grace is connected to more people than she would be if she only stayed in her village.

Copyright: Freedom From Hunger, Photographer: Karl Grobl, Taken: August 2008

HealthKeepers is a relatively new program. Grace was one of the original 70 women trained to be a HealthKeepers. These women celebrated the program’s launching in a town named Bawjiase, one of the first of many towns and villages to benefit from HealthKeepers like Grace. Government officials, tribal leaders and Freedom From Hunger workers joined the party of more than 200 people!

Feeling the joy? Pay it forward by making a donation to Freedom From Hunger here.

Peace,

Alice

Amnesty International has released this great video The Price of Silence in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Columnist Marcia G. Yerman wrote a great piece on the implications of the appointment of the President-Elect Barack Obama and the need to reaffirm the tenets of this historic declaration, so click here to read more!

Hi Everyone!

Every December 31st, I have coordinated a dinner for our chronically ill neighbors who live in a permanent resident that serves as their home. This home is run by the friars of St. Francis For the Poor. This year, while I am away in Asia, both Lauren and Sunitha on my staff have offered to oversee the delivery of food to 80 residents of St. Francis Friends of the Poor and we would like to invite you to be involved too if you have the time.

We are looking for volunteers! Therefore, please let us know if you would also like to volunteer or if you have any friends who could volunteer as well by emailing us at lauren@iamapeacekeeper.com. Mostly, you will help Lauren and Sunitha to buy 80 ice cream sandwiches at 4:00 pm on New Years Eve and meet the KFC delivery guy at our building (50 Lexington Avenue) at 4:50 pm so that we can deliver the food by 5:00 pm next door. Then you can go around saying hello to these lovely people and shake the hands of the folks that aren’t shy. We usually stay and visit for about one hour at the most as their dinner is served and they start eating.

If you can’t make it and want to make a donation, please write a check to St. Francis Friends of the Poor and mail it to my attention as follows: Jody R. Weiss c/o St Francis Friends of the Poor 50 Lexington Avenue 22H New York, NY 10010. Any excess funds that are raised above the cost of the KFC Dinner will be given to St Francis as a donation for their general use fund. And a letter that you can give to the IRS for a tax deductible donation on your gift will be sent to you in the first few weeks of January.

I want to thank you all for your support or any ideas of folks who might want to help out on New Years Eve. It really is a touching way to end/start the year!

May the Holidays bring you deep love and continued abundance!

Your friend in peace always,

Jody

Hiya PeaceKeepers,

‘Tis the season for sweaters and mittens, puppies and kittens. (Did you guys read about the boy who was saved by the warmth of two puppies? Crazy!). With less-than-functional radiators, I’ve been getting creative to find new was to stay warm. Boyfriends are an excellent replacement for radiators, however it is unwise to refer to them as such–”It’s objectifying”…psh! My roommate’s Cairn Terrier is quite warm, however her flatulence issues are hardly heartwarming. More layers (think A Christmas Story) equals more laundry, but cocooning myself has proven to be the most economical at this point. But having a roof over my head is more than a lot of people can say, especially in New York City (35,000 homeless men and women stay in NYC shelters).  Embody the Giving Spirt by donating warm clothing to organizations like One Warm Coat. One Warm Coat is pretty simple, it organizes donation drives and then distributes warm clothing to those in need free of charge. Organize a drive in your area!

Peace,

Alice