See Camp Peaceprints page for story and photos of Camp Peaceprints 2022!

“Herstory: The Cost of Nonviolence”
SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence Annual Event
April 24, 2022

The unseasonably hot temperature outside during our annual event was matched by the fiery dancing and rapping of YO! New York youth with the blazing stained-glass window as a backdrop in the sanctuary at SS. Columba-Brigid Church. After an opening prayer by Father Roy Herberger, the teenagers took the floor in a lively routine that started “Herstory: The Cost of Nonviolence” with a burst of enthusiasm and energy!

Sister Karen Center Director Vivian Ruth Waltz then spoke to those gathered about the activities of the Center since our opening in 2007, commemorating 15 years of fulfilling our mission to eliminate violence in ourselves, in our society, and in our world. Referencing a Quinceañera, a Latina girl’s 15th birthday celebration, Vivian mused that perhaps this anniversary is a time to mark the Sister Karen Center’s development from infancy to maturity.

Although interrupted by the pandemic, our Alternatives to Violence Project program in the community has been successful with such diverse groups as homeless youth, Catholic seminarians, trauma therapists and gang interventionists. The AVP program at Wende Correctional Facility is well-established, awaiting the return of volunteers to the prison. This July will mark our 15th year of Camp Peaceprints, our alternative day camp designed to introduce youth to social justice, while providing them with peaceful conflict resolution skills and exposure to a broader community.

Following the celebration of the work of the Sister Karen Center, Audrey Mang (who, along with her husband Jim, was an interim director of the Center when we opened) came forward to present the “Nonviolence Begins with Me” Award to Margaret Honora McAloon, M.D. A close friend of Sister Karen in her work and ministry, Maggie felt called to continue Sister Karen’s mission when she was so tragically taken from us. Maggie gave a large inaugural gift that helped establish the SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence in 2007 on sound financial footing. Tears were flowing as she accepted the award with gratitude and expressed how proud she is to be associated with the Center.

It was time for Sister Karen Center board member Tracy Craig to introduce our featured speaker Cariol Horne. Tracy recounted that Cariol’s motivation for becoming a police officer was to influence children to become good citizens. She welcomed Cariol to the podium by affirming that it is a privilege for the Sister Karen Center to be part of sharing Cariol’s story today.

To begin her talk, Cariol told us that as a young person she attended church daily and that her parents strived to “instill Christ within us” to be forgiving, loving, and caring. She said that in her life she has sacrificed a lot for other people and especially for her children.

After asking for a show of hands of those who are aware of police brutality in our country and in our community, Cariol stressed that we have to acknowledge that it is happening. As a Buffalo police officer in 2006, Cariol acted to protect an a handcuffed arrestee from a fellow police officer who had him in a chokehold. Cariol grabbed the officer’s arm that was around his neck. “I did what people want officers to do – to intervene when they are being abusive.”

Cariol’s intervention resulted in termination from the Buffalo Police Department and a loss of benefits just months before she was eligible for retirement. She asked us rhetorically, “Who am I going to go to? Who am I going to tell? Some of the officers who were abusive were supervisors.” Cariol believes she had PTSD long before she was fired from watching what was going on and not being able to do anything about it. “Just because someone has been arrested, it doesn’t mean they deserve to be abused,” she declared.

Cariol started thinking of a way she could help other officers who wanted to protect citizens from police using excessive force. In 2016 with the help of legal advisors, she drafted a Duty-to-Intervene Law which became known as Cariol’s Law. In addition to legislating the duty to intervene if an officer poses an imminent threat to a citizen, the law includes accountability for officers neglecting to intervene, protection of officers who do intervene and accountability for falsifying reports (which happened in her case). Also included is a policy regarding termination, and a mandate to use restorative justice practices for retaliation against a “whistle blower.”

Cariol told us that after the death of George Floyd in May of 2020, her story went national. She made us chuckle by saying, “At that point, I raised holy…water!” She and other activists hit the streets of Buffalo to protest George Floyd’s murder as well as her treatment by the BPD. A team of local supporters - activists, advocates, lawyers, teachers, and artists from all different walks of life -pressed the City of Buffalo to pass Cariol’s Law. The law was passed by the Buffalo Common Council in September 2020.

Working with a social justice organization in Chicago which partnered with Harvard Law School, Cariol filed a lawsuit and her termination was overturned. Her pension was reinstated, though she shared that she hasn’t seen one penny of it yet. In rendering his opinion, the presiding judge quoted Martin Luther King, Jr., “The time is always ripe to do what is right.”

Cariol then talked about her call to influence children and youth. She shared about her son and how his interest in music helped to keep him and his friends out of trouble. Although she did her best to teach them about peer pressure and to stand firm if someone was trying to pull them in a dangerous direction, Cariol’s son tragically ended up as a witness to a murder. At the time of our event he was in the East Ferry Youth Detention Center. The SNUG anti-violence program he had participated in was paused during the pandemic and Cariol said that without this program he was vulnerable. Cariol hopes to resume her pre-pandemic work with youth soon. She feels this is her mission in life. She urged us, “We have to come together to help our kids because they are our future.”

There was a Question and Answer time next where Cariol asked those in the audience to advocate for her Duty-to-Intervene Law to become a federal statute. Then, as is our custom at the end of every annual event, we joined in singing, “Peaceprints.” This year we were thrilled to have the composer, David Granville, on the piano to joyfully lead us. We committed once again to follow Sister Karen’s call to Leave Peaceprints in our community and in our world.

Delicious mini-sandwiches prepared by the Sisters of St. Joseph food service were enjoyed at the reception following the program, along with lively conversation and much laughter. We are grateful to all our sponsors and to everyone who joined us for this special day to make our annual event a success!

SEE PHOTOS ON ANNUAL EVENT PHOTO PAGE

“Herstory: The Cost of Nonviolence”
SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence Annual Event

The SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence is excited to announce our annual fundraising event which will once again be live and in person at SS. Columba-Brigid Church, 75 Hickory Street in Buffalo on Sunday, April 24th at 3 pm. A reception will follow.

This year our speaker will be Cariol Horne and the event is titled “Herstory: The Cost of Nonviolence.” Cariol is a former Buffalo police officer who was the inspiration for the Duty-to-Intervene law passed by the City of Buffalo in 2020. Known as “Cariol’s Law” it requires officers to step in if another officer is thought to be using excessive force on a suspect.

In her presentation, Cariol will tell her story of the incident where she acted to protect an arrestee from a fellow police officer Her intervention resulted in termination from the Buffalo Police Department and a loss of benefits just months before she was eligible for retirement. She will share the long journey of seeking justice for herself and for those she has vowed to serve and protect.

Like Sister Karen’s life, Cariol’s personal story is a testament to the power of one person to create a more just and peaceful community. We hope you will join us for what promises to be a compelling and captivating presentation!

Tickets are $25 each and are available by calling 716.893.0808, on the website at www.sisterkarencenter.org or at the door.

Vivian Ruth Waltz, Director

CAMP PEACEPRINTS 2021 “Explore the World”

July 12-23, 2021

Camp Peaceprints 2021 Site
In spite of (perhaps even as a result of!) the pandemic, we believe this was our best Camp Peaceprints in our 14-year history! Thanks to the Network of Religious Communities, Camp Peaceprints found its 2021 home at the stately edifice at 1272 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo. Having access to the carriage house, basement and lawn spaces made camp a fun and safe experience. We used the carriage house for morning arrivals, afternoon departures and small group workshops; the basement of the main building for opening and closing circles, workshops and lunch; and the front lawn for art, recreation, drumming and dancing!

The Camp Community
Although our total number of campers was reduced due to Covid-19 restrictions, this enabled the campers to receive individual attention and focused care. We had a total of 25 culturally diverse campers (ages 8-13) in attendance throughout the two weeks, and 8 youth/young adult assistants (over 14). Families came from a variety of Buffalo communities on the eastside and westside, refugees from Vive Shelter (a program of Jericho Road Community Health Center) and first-ring suburbs. Some were repeat campers from previous years, some came from WNY Peace Center’s PeaceJam program, some came by referrals from church groups and from programs for at-risk youth.

The success of Camp Peaceprints 2021 was in large part due to the collaboration of staff and volunteers from the SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence, the Interfaith Peace Network of WNY, the WNY Peace Center, The Prevention Council of Erie County, and the Foster Grandparent Program of Catholic Charities. Planning before and evaluation after camp each day provided a unity of purpose, cooperation, discussion of special needs, problem-solving, and efficient division of labor.

“Explore The World” Theme Activities and Stations
With the help of our volunteers, the campers were divided into small groups called flocks, evoking doves of peace, for more focused attention. Each flock chose a special name and a shirt color for outings. These small groups allowed for the children to rotate through stations of different activities, while also being able to have their voices better heard.

The campers explored the human family, the physical earth, and the continents and their cultures, including their own inner world, their relationships, and how we are all interconnected. Four mornings of art projects related to our theme were directed by Jan Burns of The Prevention Council of Erie County. Other activities included mindfulness practices, conversations on de-escalation and resolution of conflict, discussions of other cultures and respecting differences.

With the help of a giant world map beach ball, the various continents and cultures explored included:

the Deaf community through ASL/signing lessons as well as discussion with a teacher from St. Mary’s School for the Deaf
Antarctica with WNY Youth Climate Council
South America with the Peruvian Outreach Project
Diversity and Inclusion with Unite by Night and Daemen College students
Central America and the Garinagu people with Cynthia Ellis from Belize
Europe with American Field Service (AFS) student exchange program
Asia and Middle Eastern cultures with world-traveler Victoria Ross
Australia’s unique animal kingdom and Aboriginal people with camp co-director Vivian Waltz
African dancing and drumming with The Slyboots School of Music, Art & Dance

Campers also learned from each other’s cultures through daily interaction with participants from various communities, including African – Somalian and Congolese, Native American/Indigenous, African-American, Mexican, Bolivian, Columbian, Burmese, Congregation of Israel; Indian (from India); and White: various Eastern and Western European. Campers also represented religious diversity: Christian, Muslim and Hindu.

Field Trips: Extending “Explore the World”
Our field trips were planned to be a learning extension of our theme: exploring the natural world, from rock and soil to plant and animal life, along with looking at time and space: how our world changes and the evidence of worlds that existed before us.

At Reinstein Woods, Lor Seneca from the Haudenosaunee community started and ended our time with a Gnonyoh, a traditional opening and closing Thanksgiving Address. Lor and her daughter also shared about the terrible life at Residential Schools and the ongoing work to save Indigenous languages and medicinal plants, honoring and protecting Mother Earth and the creation for the 7th Generation.

After educating the campers about biodiversity, naturalist Leah Tyrell released dozens of endangered nine-spotted ladybugs into the forest at Reinstein Woods for repopulation and growth. She talked about newly discovered flora sentience, and the natural interconnectedness of all life.

At Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Preserve, the campers explored our local area and discovered that the imprints of brachiopods, crinoids, and trilobites were evidence of an ancient undersea environment that existed 380 million years ago! They learned about climate change and how as the environment changed, species of the region changed, too.

Swimming is always a highlight of Camp Peaceprints for our campers and this year was no different! What was different was the variety of places we enjoyed the water: twice in the pool at the Koessler Athletic Center at Canisius College, once at the splash pad at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park and once at Woodlawn Beach State Park. Many campers had never been to the beach before and playing in the sand rivaled swimming in Lake Erie for a new adventure!

For all the learning and fun, we are exceedingly grateful to the Riefler Ministry Enablement Fund of the Network of Religious Communities and the Children’s Foundation of Erie County. In short, we could not have held the camp, and not for these worthy campers, without the support of these grantors as well as the donors to the Jim and Audrey Mang Camp Peaceprints Scholarship Fund.

At Camp Peaceprints 2021, young people were privileged to “Explore the World” -- to honor their differences while experiencing their connections with each other and with nature. In discovering their inner and outer world, Camp Peaceprints instilled self-confidence and equipped children to be activists for social and environmental justice throughout their lives. We continue to affirm Gandhi’s conviction, "If we are to teach real peace in this world…we shall have to begin with the children."

*SEE CAMP PEACEPRINTS PAGE FOR PHOTOS*

“Media Madness” Virtual Annual Event

April 18, 2021

In spite of the pandemic precluding an in-person gathering, the annual event of the SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence on April 18th via Zoom was a great success. “Media Madness: Providing Youth Alternatives to Violence” featured Rev. Frederick A. Gelsey, Sr., who shared his belief that homicide is a learned behavior influenced by violent music, television, movies, and video games. The event also commemorated the 15th anniversary of Sister Karen’s journey to God.

A new initiative of the Center whose aim is to counteract negative media influences was introduced during the event. The Youth Homicide Education and Prevention Media Arts Project will include education about the brainwashing effects of violence in the media, an Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) workshop focused on preventing violence, and the studio production of audio/video media with a positive, uplifting message. Our media arts instructor Larry Kennedy King shared his ideas for the project during the event.

There were some technology glitches with the prerecorded part of the program, but we have made a smooth recording of the entire event available on our Facebook page: go to SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence. Thanks to our many faithful sponsors, and a few new ones, the Center netted over $11,000!

*FOR FULL STORY SEE SUMMER 2021 NEWSLETTER*

“Justice is JUST US”
with Sr. Anita Price Baird, DHM
SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence Annual Event
April 7, 2019

It was a gorgeous spring day on Sunday, April 7th when we welcomed Sister Anita Baird, DHM from Chicago to Buffalo as the speaker for the annual event of the SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence. Hosted by SS. Columba-Brigid Church, Sister Anita’s presentation was an inspirational call to seek God’s Spirit each new day that “will allow us to put down our fears and to take up LOVE, to be consumed by love…Sister Karen was that hope, that joy, filled with love. She knew God’s faithfulness would guide her.”

After an opening prayer by the Reverend Antwan Diggs (whom Sister Karen helped years ago through her ministry with formerly incarcerated men at Bissonette House) and singing “This Little Light of Mine,” Center director Vivian Waltz celebrated the work of the SSJ Sister Karen Center by sharing highlights of this past year. Alternatives to Violence Project workshops continue at Wende Correctional Facility, in the community with seminarians, and with youth at Compass House Resource Center and Teaching and Restoring Youth (TRY). Camp Peaceprints 2018 touched the lives of 59 children and youth, exploring together “The Language of Peace.” Inmates at Attica Correctional Facility recently contributed a large donation for Camp Peaceprints scholarships. Tracy Craig, wife of SSJ Sister Karen Center board member Kali Williams, presented a check $1,000 for camp scholarships during the event program.

Middle school students from Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts then performed an excerpt from their play “Ruby” about the life of Ruby Bridges, the first African-American student to attend an all-white school in New Orleans in 1960. The cast of four girls included a young Ruby, an older Ruby who reflected on her childhood experience, Ruby’s mother Lucille, and Mrs. Henry, Ruby’s first grade teacher. When Ruby asked Mrs. Henry about being a teacher, Mrs. Henry told her she had taught overseas in integrated schools. Ruby responded “Then you ain’t know nothin’ bout segregation?” Mrs. Henry replied, “I know that it’s wrong.” The close relationship between Mrs. Henry and young Ruby was evident even in the short presentation by the BAVPA students.

Sister Elizabeth Savage, SSJ introduced Sister Anita, citing her numerous awards and honors, but more importantly sharing Sister Anita’s motto of faith in God: “Do whatever he tells you!” Sister Anita then took the podium and began by thanking the SSJ Sister Karen Center’s Advisory Board for our invitation. She also recognized members of the audience from Nardin Academy. Sister Anita’s congregation, the Daughters of the Heart of Mary founded Nardin in Buffalo in 1857.

Noting that we are in the fifth week of Lent, Sister Anita began by talking about the price of love. She believes that practicing love and mercy are the only ways to please God: “Love of neighbor is the pathway to justice and justice is the pathway to peace.” Quoting scripture that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends, Sister Anita testified to Sister Karen’s passion for equality and justice which was the impetus for her willingness to lay down her life for the least of her brothers and sisters.

Sister Karen worked closely with the African-American community and Sister Anita talked about the evils of modern day segregation, both in Buffalo and Chicago as well as across the nation. Recognizing that we have made significant progress in housing, education, and income disparities, she described how the majority of people of color in this country continue to live in forgotten neighborhoods with failing schools, lack of healthcare, food deserts, and joblessness. Crime is high in these communities because people are desperate and there seems to be no way out. “We can scream to the top of our lungs that ‘Black Lives Matter’ but the reality is that angry, hopeless black youth and racially-biased law enforcement paint a very different picture…Peace and justice for poor communities is ever elusive.”

According to Sister Anita, Sister Karen’s martyrdom continuously calls us to put on the mantle of peace. Her lasting legacy is that we are all our brother’s and sister’s keeper. “Sister Karen’s voice was more than the communication of intellectual ideals and spiritual vision. Hers was a call to action…by her example she taught people that there is a way out of violence and despair and that it begins with each one of us.” Justice is JUST US!

The sin of racism was the focus of the next part of Sister Anita’s presentation. Harkening back to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1967 speech, “Where Do We Go from Here?” she concurs that the effects of hundreds of years of slavery and segregation cannot be wiped away in a generation or two. She talked about how the Christian Church was and is complicit in racism because of the silence of the Church’s leadership in the face of continuing injustice.

There has never been a social problem more enduring in the life of our nation than racism according to Sister Anita. “Let us truly believe that we are in the struggle of our lives. We must determine who we will be as Americans. We must stand up to speak the truth, for future generations, like the young actresses in the play, are depending on us. We cannot remain indifferent. We cannot remain silent… Anything less means that we are dishonoring this woman that we honor today.”

Sister Anita continued to call us to be stalwartly committed to the struggle for justice and equality for which Sister Karen gave her life. “We cannot rest until the children in the neighborhoods where Sister Karen lived and walked are no longer imprisoned behind bars of poor education and victimized by an often unjust criminal justice system that incarcerates black and brown bodies providing free labor for modern-day slave plantation that we call prisons.”

It was then that Sister Anita spoke a prophetic message: “Yet in the spirit of lament, we hold firmly to the belief that God is in our midst, that there is no pain, no hurt, no injustice so deep that God is not deeper.”

Drawing from the depths of God’s mercy, Sister Karen was a prophet, according to Sister Anita. “She spoke with the passion and poetry of those anointed by God to preach the good news that justice can and will prevail…We must continue to be challenged by the contagious hope, love, and optimism in the midst of life’s daily struggles that Sister Karen exuded in all that she said and did…We’ve all been given a light that will overcome darkness.”

Sister Karen let her light shine! She was the light in the midst of darkness for those who had long given up on life. “She was a mother to the motherless, a friend to the friendless, and a ray of hope to the hopeless.” We are to emulate the unwavering faith of Sister Karen, of whom Sister Anita testified: “She listened. God spoke, She acted.” Justice is JUST US!

Sister Anita testified to the eternal legacy of Sister Karen’s life and ministry. “This woman is now among the saints of glory, this woman is praising God day and night and is interceding for us and for this world, watching over us, loving us, praying for us, challenging us, encouraging us to continue to move forward, to fight the good fight, to keep our hands on the plow and not look back. We have been called; we have been chosen to leave peaceprints wherever we go!”

It was time to sing the “Peaceprints”song as we do every year. “Follow the way of love…It’s time to light the way to peace, our spirits full ablaze!”

DVDs of the program are available by calling 716.893.0808 or emailing vivian@sisterkarencenter.org.

See April Annual Event Photos page for photos.

CLICK ON NEWSLETTER TO VIEW SUMMER 2018 NEWSLETTER

“A Journey of Justice and Mercy”
with William J. Hochul, Jr.
SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence Annual Event

The SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence welcomed William J. Hochul, Jr. as its speaker for its Annual Event. Attendees joined him on “A Journey of Justice and Mercy.”

SS. Columba-Brigid Church, 75 Hickory St., Buffalo hosted the event April 15, at 3:00pm. A reception followed.

A U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York 2010 – 2016, Mr. Hochul talked about the ideals that led him to his long career in the legal field. He shared highlights of his extensive experience with why people resort to violence, what can help them turn from violence and what a community can do to assist people to live nonviolent lives.

A Cheektowaga native, Mr. Hochul received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1981 and his J.D. from SUNY Buffalo Law School in 1984. He currently serves as general counsel for Delaware North.

The event also honored William Marx and the Buffalo Peacemakers Gang Intervention and Outreach Program. Mr. Marx, a member of the Center’s board, is a long-time advocate of social justice, particularly through Pax Christi and as a facilitator of the Alternatives to Violence Project. Celebrating its fifth anniversary, the Peacemakers brings together existing peace-making groups to mentor youth, strengthen communities, enhance safety and reduce crime in Buffalo neighborhoods.

CLICK ON NEWSLETTER TO VIEW WINTER 2017-18 NEWSLETTER

SEE CAMP PEACEPRINTS PAGE FOR NEWS OF CAMP PP 2017

SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence Marks 10 Years of Service

April 2, 2017 "On the Edge of Violence and Nonviolence: The Challenging Words of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam"

Dr. Christopher Stanley, professor of theology at St. Bonaventure University, will speak at the SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence’s annual fundraiser on April 2nd. SS. Columba & Brigid Parish (75 Hickory St.) will host the event at 3:00pm.

Dr. Stanley’s presentation, “On the Edge of Violence and Nonviolence,” will examine some key texts in all three Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam—that give divine sanction to both violence and nonviolence. Followers of the religions have long struggled to make sense of these directives and to understand how they can be applied today. Some benefits and dangers of guiding our lives by these texts will be discussed.

A lifelong activist and pacifist, Dr. Stanley has traveled the world to help people explore the role of religion in contemporary social conflicts. He will call us to respond nonviolently to the challenges facing our society today.

A celebration of the 10th anniversary of the SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence and a reception will follow the presentation.

Tickets are $25 and are available by calling 362.9688, online at www.sisterkarencenter.org, or at the door.

PEACE-JUSTICE-NONVIOLENCE FESTIVAL AND WALK Sept. 11, 2016 at Canalside

Joining Together for All Our Brothers, Sisters, Children & Mother Earth

A warm and sunny day at Canalside on September 11th was the setting for the third annual Peace-Justice-Nonviolence Festival and Walk. The Sister Karen Center was one of over 125 sponsoring organizations which comprise the WNY Coalition ofPeace, Justice and Nonviolence Advocates. The lively festival was just one of the multitude of ways these groups are hard at work to reduce violence in our community and world.

The festival was intentionally planned on September 11th to reframe and rededicate the day in accordance with the vision of the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. The nonviolent examples of Martin Luther King Jr. and Sister Karen Klimczak, Buffalo’s Apostle of Peace, were an inspiration for the festival.

Members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy opened the proceedings with a traditional Indigenous Nation’s Welcome and Thanksgiving to All Creation. The greeting was followed by an interfaith prayer and moment of silence for all victims of violence locally and throughout the world. Various speakers emphasized the interconnectedness of the violenceof racism, Islamophobia, misogyny, poverty, war, gun violence and the destruction ofMother Earth.

Participants were given a ribbon of fabric and asked to write on it a word or phrase that expresses peace, justice, and nonviolence. The ribbons were tied together and carried on a Walk of Peace with drumming and singing along the river to the marina gardens.

Throughout the festival over 400 attendees mingled at informational tables staffed by community organizations. (Sister Jean Klimczak gave out “I Leave Peaceprints” dove signs at the Sister Karen table!) Vendors offered tasty ethnic food. Facepainting by Charlotte Waltz-Rieber and craft-making were enjoyed by children of all ages.

In reflecting on the day, Sister Karen Center Director Vivian Waltz was quoted in the Buffalo News. “There are so many groups working for peace and justice in Buffalo, it’s important to get together and celebrate the work we do, especially now when people are so divided and there’s so much violence. Each year it’s a day of healing and peace.” (See home page for photos.)

CAMP PEACEPRINTS 2016 - See Camp Peaceprints page

"Alternatives" Summer 2016

August 04, 2014

"Peace Messaging" at Camp Peaceprints 2014

August 04, 2014/ Vivian Waltz

Peace Messaging at St. Mary’s School for the Deaf, 2253 Main Street in Buffalo, was the heart of Camp Peaceprints 2014! In our 7th year, we focused on communication, and got a real lesson in how the impulse to connect is a powerful force.

Sixty-five children and youth communicated the desire for peace to each other and to other groups – both across the world (to the Afghan Peace Volunteers during their Global Day of Listening Skype session) and across the span of being differently abled, that is the children with hearing impairment who attend St. Mary’s.

When we were in the playground and the like-aged (8-13 year old) children’s class came by, both groups of children immediately tried to communicate with each other. Over the course of inviting the children to join us – to teach us some signing, attend to our speakers (with their teacher interpreting), do an art project – the urge to communicate was very apparent. The difficulty in doing so only increased the intensity and importance of the communication.

The first time St. Mary’s students joined us for a session, Karima Amin was storytelling – children without hearing impairment were watching the teacher sign, while the children with hearing impairment couldn’t take their eyes off Karima! All were moved, and all communicated.

We also explored also Peace Messaging through sessions with:

· City Comptroller and signer Mark Schroeder;

· Women-Against-Violence-Everywhere Chair and Veteran for Peace Marilyn Gibson;

· Yoga instructor Uli Carlino-Macdonald;

· Yagwoneest Jill Clause, Tuskarora, through Indigenous Sustainable Peace Ways;

· Spoken Word Artist, Rapper and Poet Quadir Lateef of The Street Council;

· Musician and Rapper My-Rap-Name-is-Alex-and-My-Real-Name-is-Alex (Mead); and

· Drummer and Teacher Carolyn Zimmerman, “The Drum Lady” and Drum For Health.

Our field trips included:

· A visit with our Mayor Brown, where he fielded the campers’ intelligent and serious questions;

· City Hall exploration including a guided tour of Buffalo from the Observation deck by volunteer Paul Kochmanski (psychologist and WNYPC member), and hospitality from the staff;

· Lunch in the courtyard of one of the oldest churches in Buffalo, St. Anthony of Padua;

· Ice cream, games, and lounging at the Marina and Canalside;

· Viewing the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, with a Vietnam Veteran sharing his experiences in the Navy and losing his brother in the war;

· Three trips to go swimming at Canisius College Koessler Athletic Center, where the children learned from each other and conquered their fears;

· All kinds of information and feelings about the various animals we saw at the Buffalo Zoo; and

· Trips to Delaware Park as well as the playgrounds and open fields of St. Mary’s – on the last day we had our own “Fly Kites Not Drones” event with a dozen kites in the air at once!

We couldn’t hold Camp Peaceprints without the generous support of:

· The Network of Religious Communities via the Riefler Foundation Grant;

· The Presbytery of WNY and their Peacemaking Grant (We were also privileged to have a wonderful visit with Dr. Elena Delgado at Camp);

· Joan A. Droit Scholarships through the Peace Education Fund;

· St. Mary’s School for the Deaf, always kind, hospitable, and eager to collaborate;

· St. Columba-Brigid RCC, for their thoughtful provision of their van;

· Our volunteers:

o Heros and Veterans for Peace Russell Brown and Frank Gage, and Cece Huff who transported children;

o Jan Burns, our Art Teacher and ever-peaceful presence;

o Ellen Moomaw, Kate Mang, and Latanya Jacob who kept things running smoothly;

o Young Neighbors in Action teams from the Roman Catholic Church’s Center for Ministry Development, who brought their commitment and caring to share freely;

o Young women from Teach and Restore Youth (TRY) who served as youth assistants; and

· Supportive members of collaborating organizations: the Interfaith Peace Network, the SSJ Sr. Karen Center for Nonviolence, and the WNY Peace Center.

All together, Camp Peaceprints is a vigorous exercise in Peace Messaging. We work to be the change we want to see, and to send the message that we can all leave peaceprints everywhere, as we reach out and create community. Camp Peaceprints provides the inspiration to love and care for each other more, and the tools to communicate that intention. The tears at the end of Camp and the relationships built say we made good progress toward that goal.

SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center For Nonviolence

SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center For Nonviolence

News and Events

SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center For Nonviolence

See Camp Peaceprints page for story and photos of Camp Peaceprints 2022!

“Herstory: The Cost of Nonviolence”
SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence Annual Event
April 24, 2022

SEE PHOTOS ON ANNUAL EVENT PHOTO PAGE

“Herstory: The Cost of Nonviolence”
SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence Annual Event

CAMP PEACEPRINTS 2021 “Explore the World”

“Media Madness” Virtual Annual Event

SEE CAMP PEACEPRINTS PAGE FOR NEWS OF CAMP PP 2017

PEACE-JUSTICE-NONVIOLENCE FESTIVAL AND WALK Sept. 11, 2016 at Canalside

CAMP PEACEPRINTS 2016 - See Camp Peaceprints page

"Alternatives" Summer 2016

"Peace Messaging" at Camp Peaceprints 2014

SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center For Nonviolence

Help keep sister karen’s vision alive!

SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak
Center for Nonviolence
4975 Strickler Road
clarence, NY 14031
716.893.0808

SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center For Nonviolence

SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center For Nonviolence

News and Events

SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center For Nonviolence

See Camp Peaceprints page for story and photos of Camp Peaceprints 2022!

“Herstory: The Cost of Nonviolence”SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence Annual EventApril 24, 2022

**SEE PHOTOS ON ANNUAL EVENT PHOTO PAGE**

“Herstory: The Cost of Nonviolence”SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence Annual Event

CAMP PEACEPRINTS 2021 “Explore the World”

“Media Madness” Virtual Annual Event

SEE CAMP PEACEPRINTS PAGE FOR NEWS OF CAMP PP 2017

PEACE-JUSTICE-NONVIOLENCE FESTIVAL AND WALK Sept. 11, 2016 at Canalside

CAMP PEACEPRINTS 2016 - See Camp Peaceprints page

"Alternatives" Summer 2016

SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center For Nonviolence

Help keep sister karen’s vision alive!

SSJ Sister Karen KlimczakCenter for Nonviolence4975 Strickler Roadclarence, NY 14031716.893.0808

“Herstory: The Cost of Nonviolence”
SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence Annual Event
April 24, 2022

SEE PHOTOS ON ANNUAL EVENT PHOTO PAGE

“Herstory: The Cost of Nonviolence”
SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence Annual Event

SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak
Center for Nonviolence
4975 Strickler Road
clarence, NY 14031
716.893.0808