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VOLUME ONE ISSUE ONE |
APRIL 2002
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| "IF PEACE IS OUR VISION ... LET US BEGIN!" - John Denver |
CONTENTS –
- Thoughts from the President
- Windstar Embraces Peace Cloth
- Words of Support
- JDMPC is Online!
- Recent Donations Appreciated
- Just a Thread of Hope
- Zapp Honors John and Supports Peace Cloth
- Peace Cloth on the Move
- Display in Washington, D.C., Makes Impression
- The John Denver Nature Exhibit and Memorial
- Poetry
THOUGHTS FROM THE PRESIDENT – DEBRA CHILTON
March is a special month for the John Denver Memorial Peace Cloth. That month, two years ago, a seed was planted and through the tending, caring and sharing of all of us – WE created this amazing tribute.
As I look back on these last two years, I am awed at what has been and continues to be accomplished. The Peace Cloth stretches well over 1,000 feet and is still growing. It has traveled throughout the United States and Europe and has even gone to the North Pole thanks to Elsa from the Pacific Northwest who took a portion of it with her during a tour of duty with the Coast Guard. This year, a portion will also go to Australia through the Higher Ground group there.
The original John Denver Memorial Peace Cloth gave birth to a Children’s Peace Cloth, which was initiated at a school in Pennsylvania and has continued to grow and travel as well. It was part of Windstar’s Kids Week last year and will be again this year, plus it has been displayed at multiple schools throughout the U.S. Interest in the cloth by young people prompted the creation of a web page called Kids4Peace, a safe place where children can go to talk to each other about peace and what they are doing to make a difference in their own lives and communities. A curriculum is in the works, written with much dedication and hard work by Linda Wolverton. We hope to soon have this finalized and posted on the Peace Cloth website for use by schools around the world.
Youthful participation in the growth of the Peace Cloth has also come from Ruth Oddie’s 20th Harpenden Brownie Troop and the 14th Harpenden Brownie Troop in England. These enthusiastic girls have created a colorful and beautiful panel for the Peace Cloth, which will be presented in Aspen this year. They have done a FAR OUT job!
About six weeks ago, I was sent some beautiful poetry by Wendy Nelson of Oregon. These poems, one of which is published at the conclusion of this newsletter, had come to her in the aftermath of September 11th. One thing led to another and the idea of creating a panel in memory of those whose lives were lost – as well as to honor the firefighters, police and all the emergency workers – came into being. Eve, one of our Board members who lives in New York City, has gone to fire and police stations throughout the city and they have graciously donated tee-shirts and patches to be part of this panel. Wendy has also approached police officers and firefighters in Oregon and Utah, some of whom went to work at Ground Zero. The response has been overwhelmingly supportive. Ann, Kelly and I are working to add all the names of those who were lost on that day, a monumental task in itself. When the panel is completed, it will be sent to Eve to be taken to the police and fire stations in NYC. They had requested photos, but we decided to go one step further and let them see the actual panel. So far, we have donations from California, Oregon, Utah and New York fire and police departments, and we are still receiving donations. I invite anyone who would like to contribute to the September 11th panel to do so. You can send your donations of cloth to JDMPC, Debra Chilton, 2817 NE 48th Street, Vancouver, WA 98663.
As you can see, the John Denver Memorial Peace Cloth is making a difference. I look back in awe at each and every step we have taken, and my heart is filled with gratitude for the great support shown by so many. So now, as we move into our third year, I invite everyone to continue to participate as we move ever forward. Your input is of great value to us, as this is OUR Cloth and without each one of us it would not exist. Tell us what you like to see on our website. Share your thoughts and feelings about how we can work more interactively. Send us your photos, articles, poetry and stories for our website or for future editions of this newsletter. The Cloth belongs to us all. We not only welcome your participation, we warmly invite it. Together, we have and are making a difference.
Love,
Deb
Members of the Board of Directors of the John Denver Memorial Peace Cloth are delighted and honored that Windstar has taken the project under its experienced wing. The environmental foundation, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, recently granted the Peace Cloth status as a “Connection” group. Among other benefits, the partnership means that all donations to the Peace Cloth are tax-deductible under Windstar’s non-profit umbrella. The Board of Directors will continue to operate as before – with Debra Chilton, President; Ann Schnitz, Vice president; Eve Kleinfeld, Treasurer; Bonnie Beach, Secretary; and Directors Sarah Foglesong, Cheryl Fritz, JoLynn Long, Laurie Olson, Kelly Robison, and Lana Zinkon.
Here are some letters the Cloth recently received -- AS
"I am very glad to be able to send you our Police Department patch. I thank you for doing this very worthy project." – Dinuba Police Department, California
"I wish you the best of success for this very worthy cause." – Tom Crum
"As I may have mentioned to you, when I did a final, inspired draft of ‘Way of the Peaceful Warrior,’ I played John Denver songs almost exclusively. They opened my heart and let the message flow. I hope I expressed how much inspiration John's music brought me. His voice and the spirit of the music (as well as words and melodies) opened a place in me where creativity flowed through. I believe that he was one of those ‘different’ (devic) souls, finding his own way even as he showed the way to others. Beyond the fact that he entertained people as a musical performer – even beyond the fact that he founded Windstar and spoke for our environment – his impact goes deeper than many might image." – Dan Millman
Everyone is invited to check out the Peace Cloth website, www.johndenverpeacecloth.com. We’ve been working on renovating it recently and have added some new features. These include a poetry page, a letter page, an education page and the Peace Cloth Song page.
We welcome your submissions to the poetry and letter pages. The education page is a work in progress and we hope to add Linda Wolverton’s curriculum and JD biography shortly. The page already offers some great ideas for teaching young people about peace.
Ron Rich has written a song for the Peace Cloth called a “Thread of Hope (the Peace Cloth).” It is really amazing and the website provides an opportunity to listen to a sound bite. Ron has generously given the song to the Peace Cloth, so all proceeds from the sale of the CD will help defray the ongoing costs of keeping the Cloth traveling and in excellent shape. In fact, all funds raised for the Peace Cloth through donations or product sales are used expressly for this purpose. Board members and others who work on the Cloth are all volunteers and pay their own expenses for travel, lodging, etc.
Speaking of volunteers, enormous THANKS go to Sandy Clark and CindyLu Tompkins. Sandy has been our website master since the beginning and has donated many hours to keep the site up to date. CindyLu has recently joined us as our multimedia expert and has done a wonderful job. Thanks to both of these fabulous women for their hard work.
We would like to extend a big THANK YOU to those who have donated to the Peace Cloth over the past few months: Ron Rich, Kenny Loggins, Kathy Mettea, Peter Yarrow, Dan Millman, Debra Sanderson, Ruth Oddie and the 20th and 14th Harpenden Brownies, Wendy Nelson, Lawrence Smith, Cassandra and Jesse Belle Denver, Ellen Bigelow, Anna Zapp, Tom Crum, and the numerous fire, police, port authority and emergency workers from New York City, Utah and California. Thanks to all of you!
“Just a thread of hope, why can’t we see that all we need is peace?” So asks Ron Rich in the poignant song he composed and recorded on behalf of the Peace Cloth. Ron, who is a professional performer, has volunteered his artistry on numerous occasions to support not only the Peace Cloth but other efforts that pay tribute to John Denver. His latest composition is masterfully arranged and presented flawlessly on a CD that is, itself, a beautiful artwork. On the face of the disc, a white dove floats across a colorful image of the globe. Ron’s song is available for purchase on the Peace Cloth website, where visitors may also download a soundbite for preview. All proceeds will support the growth and display of the Peace Cloth.
ZAPP HONORS JOHN AND SUPPORTS PEACE CLOTH
Perhaps John Denver’s most striking stage clothes were designed by the incredible Anna Zapp who worked for the late singer for 10 years. Anna is still producing awesome artwork and some of her most recent creations will benefit the Peace Cloth. Here’s what Anna says about her latest project.
“Last year I was designing a new embroidery disk for the company Cactus Punch (creators of embroidery disks for home embroiders and Sewing Machine dealers across the country) and wanted to do one to honor the memory of my beloved friend, John Denver. Since he loved the Rocky Mountains so much, I decided to design a disk depicting the Rocky Mountain wildflowers.
I then decided that note cards would be another way to display the designs and remember John. I photographed the embroidered designs and used an image of the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop to create the cover of the note cards. The first set will be of 4 designs, the Alpine Blue Columbine, Jacob's Ladder, Peach Buttercups (Yellow Columbine), and the Alpine Monkey Face.
They will come in boxes containing eight cards (four designs in each box). The cost will be $15.98 + shipping. They will be available March 29th. I can be contacted at anna@annazappdesigns.com.
I will donate a portion of the proceeds from these cards to the John Denver Memorial Peace Cloth.”
Following is a list of events where the Peace Cloth will be displayed over the next few months. For more detailed information, please go to the calendar page of the website.
April 13 – Arvada, CO
April 20 – Annapolis, MD
April 27 – Austin, TX
June 21 – Annapolis, MD
June 28-29 – Hibernia County Park, Chester Co, PA
July 8-14 – Snowmass, CO
September 20-21 – Washington DC
October – Higher Ground Event, Australia
October 11 – Aspen, Colorado
We are also planning our annual fundraising event in Aspen for 2002. The date will be Friday, October 11, and the location will be the Mountain Chalet Ballroom. This year we will be working jointly with Carolyn Matthews and the poetry group, which we are very excited about. As details are finalized, additional information will be released.
DISPLAY IN WASHINGTON, D.C., MAKES IMPRESSION
As some of you may remember, the Peace Cloth was a featured part of the Prayer Vigil for the Earth in Washington, D.C., after the terrorist attack last fall. The cloth embraced the perimeter of the village erected for the event. (Photos of this event may be viewed on the JDMPC website.) Members of the organizing committee were so moved by the Cloth and its purpose that they invited us back this year and also published an extensive article about the Cloth in their latest newsletter. Below is the editorial that ran in the same edition.
“Dear Ones,
Never before has there been such a need to co-create cultures of peace on
this planet. Be it our relationship with ourselves, with each other, with
our communities or with our natural world, the time is NOW for us to seek
balance and harmony.
We are, after all, a tapestry of many faiths and cultures. By intentionally
celebrating our diversity, peacemaking miracles will happen.
Featured in this newsletter is the John Denver Memorial Peace Cloth, a
series of inspired "quiltings" created by individuals who seek to represent
aspects of being human in a good way. John wrote a song about it being a
’Healing Time on Mother Earth’. And it surely is. Many are focused on war
right now. We invite you to be focused on peace, and that peace begins
within us. Peacemaking moves from within ourselves out into the world
through our thoughts and actions.
The work that all of you are doing for our Earth is so important right now.
We support you and pray for you. We share with you a vision to create a
better and more peaceful world now, and for generations to come. We praise
and support your way of peacemaking. Now IS a healing time on Mother Earth.
And if not now, when? And if not us, who?
The Organizing Committee”
THE JOHN DENVER NATURE EXHIBIT & MEMORIAL
IN THE BIRDS OF PREY SANCTUARY
OF THE AUSTIN NATURE AND SCIENCE CENTER
About the Memorial:
The John Denver Nature Exhibit and Memorial is located in the Birds of Prey Sanctuary at the Austin Nature and Science Center. The beautiful stone plaque features the raised image of an eagle's head, with cliffs and a hawk soaring before the sun in the background. The inspirational words to John's song, "The Eagle and the Hawk" are cut into the stone. This plaque is set in the front wall of a native Texas stone structure, which also houses two display windows that the Austin Nature and Science Center (ANSC) will use for educational purposes. There is also a donation box from which all proceeds will be used to care for the animals that find shelter at the center. It is our hope that the memorial will serve as a model to inspire other fans of John Denver to erect memorials worldwide as a means of keeping John's music and his message alive in the world.
The Austin Nature & Science Center:
The award winning and very popular Austin Nature and Science Center is part of an urban nature preserve which is the primary habitat for a number of endangered species and for species found only in Central Texas. The ANSC provides educational and recreational opportunities, which increase knowledge, awareness, and appreciation of the Central Texas natural environment and its connection to other world ecosystems. The ANSC is a "living museum," whose efforts are focused on the creative use of specifically planned interpretive exhibits, programs, collections, and nature trails. It is a rescue, rehabilitation, and release facility for wild animals that have been injured, and it also serves as a sanctuary for those animals that are unable to return to the wild. As John did, the Nature Center, too, serves as a model for appropriate human activities regarding the conservation of natural resources and recognizes the need to educate humans about local and worldwide environmental issues. Since the ANSC is very popular with families and school groups, the memorial will serve to carry on John's music and message to new generations.
Birds of Prey Sanctuary:
The animals that find shelter at the ANSC include mammals, reptiles, insects, and birds. The Birds of Prey Sanctuary is a collection of habitats which are incorporated into the woods at the ANSC in an effort to provide the birds homes which closely approximate the habitats that they would have in the wild, while protecting them from humans and other predators. Unfortunately, every bird that lives here has been injured at the hands of human beings. The ANSC helps to raise awareness about the harm that our behavior and/or neglect cause to these animals and their habitats, and teaches us ways to prevent such injury. Because of John Denver's great respect for raptors and his work in raising awareness about them, the memorial is centered in the heart of the sanctuary for the birds that he loved so well. The words to his song remind us of the glory of flight and bring us to realize the sadness of loss of flight for these animals, and they serve to remind us of our responsibility toward the earth and her creatures. Here in this sanctuary, John's work will carry on.
Events Celebrating the Installation of the Memorial:
Throughout the month of April 2002, we will present a display about John Denver and honoring his work involving the environment and humanity and peace. The display will include a multi-media computer show with images and songs sung by John, photos and posters, printed lyrics, biographical info, quotes, and coloring activities for the kids. On Saturday, April 27, we will hold a public dedication of the memorial. Events begin around noon, culminating with a formal dedication at 2 p.m. Activities will include displays, recordings of John's music, an educational program featuring Jonah the Redtail Hawk, a chance to leave thoughts and messages, live performances of John's music including a sing-a-long, a silent auction from which all proceeds benefit the residents at the ANSC, and a butterfly release held to the sound of John singing "Catch Another Butterfly". We are excited that the John Denver Memorial Peace Cloth will be a part of our day of celebration. A portion of the Cloth will be displayed in a pretty little glen at the ANSC. Family, friends, and fans are invited to attend, and we are hoping that you readers will pass on this information to all your friends. The event is free. Visitors are encouraged to come early in order to fully enjoy the day's events. Later in the evening of April 27, we will hold a Tribute Concert at the Acoustic Cafe featuring the beautiful voices of John Adams and Donna Lipman performing John's songs. The theme of the concert is "Life Is So Good!" Tickets are $10 and may be purchased in advance or at the door. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the animals that find sanctuary at the ANSC. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the concert begins at 6. This non-smoking venue also serves a full dinner and beverage menu. Come enjoy dinner while enjoying the show.
More Information:
More information is available by visiting our webpages at www.john.denver.org/austin/ or via email at aspenglo@texas.net. Our webpages will be updated periodically between now and the dedication. Please check back frequently. We are actively soliciting silent auction items. Appropriate items would be JD memorabilia or items, which are themed in a manner consistent with John Denver's philosophy. Tickets may be purchased by sending your check for $10 per person along with your name, phone number, and address to: John Denver Memorial, PO Box 2663, Austin TX 78768. Tickets for orders received after April 10 will be held at the door.
IN THESE NOBLEST OF TIMES
On a bright late Summer's morn'
Plummeting out of the sky
And into our hearts
A galvanizing and unifying spirit was born
In these noblest of times.
Anguished souls and bodies torn apart
Forever seared within our minds and heart
Set our resolve to the task at hand
United and strong, together on this Earth we stand
In these noblest of times.
No matter the length nor breadth of the arduous task ahead
What is right and true
At the end of our time
Will steadfastly shine through
In these, noblest of times.
Unfathomable depths of courage and strength
Walk hand in hand with unspeakable pain and sorrow
Searching and seeking, on and on through the morrow
Praying for once more
Life's loves and joys with family and friends to follow
On 9/11, the world as we knew it was ripped apart
Yet rather than dwelling deep within the 911 Emergency
With God's Grace and love, we will Emerge 'n See a brighter future soon to be
In these, noblest of times.
©September 14, 2001 - Wendy Nelson.......and Michael Miller (whose insightful
"911 Emergency - 9/11 Emerge 'n See" idea inspired this poem)
LET PEACE RAIN
Peace was his vision
So peace is the plan
As the world joins hands
For the brotherhood of man
A universal project to
Encourage love and peace
Along big city sidewalks
To highest mountain peaks
It really isn't hard to do
It just takes you and I
To work on this together
Giving peace another try
So open up your heart and soul
Let joy and kindness rain
Eliminate all hatred
Sorrow and pain
Stop to look around you
Share your smile with a friend
Thoughts of peace and kindness
Is what it will send
Live each day to the fullest
Don't let time pass you by
Reach for a better tomorrow
For both you and I
Then hum his sweet melodies
In your heart and soul
Celebrate the gift of freedom
Let peace play its role
Written by Kelly Robison
May 2000
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