About Us

     After working in computers I was up for a change and in 1990 went to West Africa with the Peace Corps for 3 ½ years.  I lived in a small jungle village and taught Gabonese farmers how to build and maintain fish ponds.
     Heading home via Kenya, Nepal and Thailand, I was impressed by the talent of many artists I came across and decided to try importing their artwork. At first the focus was on handicrafts but in 2004 an Indonesian friend was closing his business and moving to another island.  He had a worker named Kaelani who was interested in trying to start his own tailor business but didn’t really know how to get started. 
     We decided to work together to try our luck.  I learned so much from Kaelani. He was a respected friend as well as business partner.  Both our businesses grew and Kaelani was our biggest supplier for 14 years until his death in 2018.  Today we continue to work with his wife and adult daughter who have taken over his tailor business and continue to thrive.

Note: we'll likely be a year or so behind in reporting below.

2022 Charity Info

Micro-lending:  In 2022 we continued and expanded our program of micro-lending through Kiva.org  (for more information on Kiva, see the "2009 Charity Info" section below.)             

2022 Micro-lending through Kiva:  This year Peaceful People made 994 loans totaling $24,715 to people in Albania, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dem. Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mexico, Moldova, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tongo, Turkey, Uganda, United States, Vanuatu, Vietnam and Zambia.

             This brings our all-time running total to 5,750 loans for $141,115 so far. 

             If you would like to get involved with micro-lending, I hope you'll take a look at www.kiva.org/about to find out more.

Foster Children:   This year Peaceful People sponsored 2 foster children overseas through Plan International.  We've sponsored at least 2 each year since 1997.  plan-international.org

We also supported the following organizations:

Doctors Without Borders:   "Help people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health care."  www.doctorswithoutborders.org

CARE Crisis Fund:  The CARE Crisis Fund will help reach millions of war victims with urgently needed supplies and food and to aid refugees as they flee violence.  www.care.org

Alexandra House: (this is a women's shelter in my area):  "The mission of Alexandra House is to empower victims of domestic and sexual violence, and inspire social change, through education, support, and advocacy."   www.alexandrahouse.org

World Medical Relief:  "Our mission is to facilitate the distribution of surplus medical resources where they are needed. As such, our programs have both a local, national and international focus. Goods are distributed in a non-discriminatory manner without regard to race, color, gender, religion, nationality or political beliefs."  www.worldmedicalrelief.org

People Serving People:  "People Serving People is the largest and most comprehensive emergency shelter for families experiencing homelessness in Minnesota and a dedicated leader in homelessness prevention."  www.peopleservingpeople.org

Community Emergency Assistance Programs:  Food shelf and other programs.  "We know that hunger is a symptom of other issues. Our partnership gives the resources to our families that they need to find sustainable solutions that will move them to independence. Our collaboration meets the needs our families have today and also provides resources for housing, healthcare, and education."  ceap.org

Stepping Stone Emergency Housing:  "...we work with each resident one-on-one to identify the cause of their homelessness — for example, lack of education, unemployment or under employment, need for affordable housing, making positive personal choices — and help them develop a personalized plan to move toward self-sufficiency.."  steppingstoneeh.org

Direct Relief:  Provides medical resources globally in all kinds of natural and man-made disasters including earthquakes, war in Ukraine, covid relief and so much more. "Direct Relief works to equip health professionals in resource-poor communities to meet the challenges of diagnosing and caring for people in need."  directrelief.org

Interfaith Outreach:  "Interfaith Outreach works side-by-side with families in times of need. Job loss, pending eviction, family breakup, a medical crisis or car repair – whatever the need, our team is there to help families stabilize and move past crisis to opportunity, creating a hopeful future." iocp.org

 

2021 Charity Info

Foster Children:   This year Peaceful People sponsored 2 foster children overseas through Plan International.  plan-international.org

We also supported the following organizations:

Doctors Without Borders:   "Help people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health care."  www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Alexandra House: (this is a women's shelter in my area):  "The mission of Alexandra House is to empower victims of domestic and sexual violence, and inspire social change, through education, support, and advocacy."   www.alexandrahouse.org

World Medical Relief:  "Our mission is to facilitate the distribution of surplus medical resources where they are needed. As such, our programs have both a local, national and international focus. Goods are distributed in a non-discriminatory manner without regard to race, color, gender, religion, nationality or political beliefs."  www.worldmedicalrelief.org

People Serving People:  "People Serving People is the largest and most comprehensive emergency shelter for families experiencing homelessness in Minnesota and a dedicated leader in homelessness prevention."  www.peopleservingpeople.org

Community Emergency Assistance Programs:  Food shelf and other programs.  "We know that hunger is a symptom of other issues. Our partnership gives the resources to our families that they need to find sustainable solutions that will move them to independence. Our collaboration meets the needs our families have today and also provides resources for housing, healthcare, and education."  ceap.org

Stepping Stone Emergency Housing:  "...we work with each resident one-on-one to identify the cause of their homelessness — for example, lack of education, unemployment or under employment, need for affordable housing, making positive personal choices — and help them develop a personalized plan to move toward self-sufficiency.."  steppingstoneeh.org

Direct Relief:  Provides medical resources globally in all kinds of natural and man-made disasters including earthquakes, war in Ukraine, covid relief and so much more. "Direct Relief works to equip health professionals in resource-poor communities to meet the challenges of diagnosing and caring for people in need."  directrelief.org

Interfaith Outreach:  "Interfaith Outreach works side-by-side with families in times of need. Job loss, pending eviction, family breakup, a medical crisis or car repair – whatever the need, our team is there to help families stabilize and move past crisis to opportunity, creating a hopeful future." iocp.org

Micro-lending:  In 2021 we continued our program of micro-lending through Kiva.org  (for more information on Kiva, see the "2009 Charity Info" section below.)             

2021 Micro-lending through Kiva:  This year Peaceful People made 46 loans totaling $1,150 to people in Albania, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Fiji, Ghana, Haiti, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mexico, Moldova, Mozambique, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, Dem. Republic of Congo, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda and United States.

             This brings our all-time running total to 4,756 loans for $116,400 so far. 

             If you would like to get involved with micro-lending, I hope you'll take a look at www.kiva.org/about to find out more.

2020 Charity Info

Homelessness Winter Project:  At the beginning of the year, we continued working directly with people experiencing homelessness (see 2018 section below for details).   At the end of the year we had to pause due to covid.  

Foster Children:   This year Peaceful People sponsored 2 foster children overseas through Plan International.  plan-international.org

We also supported the following organizations:

Doctors Without Borders:   "Help people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health care."  www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Alexandra House: (this is a women's shelter in my area):  "The mission of Alexandra House is to empower victims of domestic and sexual violence, and inspire social change, through education, support, and advocacy."   www.alexandrahouse.org

World Medical Relief:  "Our mission is to facilitate the distribution of surplus medical resources where they are needed. As such, our programs have both a local, national and international focus. Goods are distributed in a non-discriminatory manner without regard to race, color, gender, religion, nationality or political beliefs."  www.worldmedicalrelief.org

People Serving People:  "People Serving People is the largest and most comprehensive emergency shelter for families experiencing homelessness in Minnesota and a dedicated leader in homelessness prevention."  www.peopleservingpeople.org

Stepping Stone Emergency Housing:  "...we work with each resident one-on-one to identify the cause of their homelessness — for example, lack of education, unemployment or under employment, need for affordable housing, making positive personal choices — and help them develop a personalized plan to move toward self-sufficiency.."  steppingstoneeh.org

Encore de la Paix:  This is an organization led by returned Gabon Peace Corp volunteers, friends and family to continue helping Gabon.  This current donation went towards emergency relief from the impact of Covid-19 to Gabonese communities.  encoredelapaix.org

Community Emergency Assistance Programs:  Food shelf and  other programs.  "We know that hunger is a symptom of other issues. Our partnership gives the resources to our families that they need to find sustainable solutions that will move them to independence. Our collaboration meets the needs our families have today and also provides resources for housing, healthcare, and education."  ceap.org

Micro-lending:  From 2009 to 2015 we ran our program of micro-lending through Kiva.org (for more information on Kiva, see the "2009 Charity Info" section below.)  In 2015 we began a program to convert all loaned money into a contribution for the KIVA organization itself to help them continue their important work.  As the money we had loaned was repaid by the borrowers, it was contributed directly to KIVA. 

     In 2020 we restarted our program of lending through Kiva.

             2020 Micro-lending through Kiva:  This year Peaceful People made 80 loans totaling $2,000 to people in Burkina Faso, Cambodia,  Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Haiti, Kenya, Moldova, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga and Vietnam.

             This brings our all-time running total to 4,710 loans for $115,250 so far. 

             If you would like to get involved with micro-lending, I hope you'll take a look at www.kiva.org/about to find out more.

2019 Charity Info

Homelessness Winter Project:  We continued working directly with people experiencing homelessness. (see 2018 section below for details)

Foster Children:   This year Peaceful People sponsored 2 foster children overseas through Plan International.  plan-international.org

We also supported the following organizations:

Doctors Without Borders:   "Help people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health care."  www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Twilight Wish Foundation (like Make-A-Wish but for senior citizens):  Twilight Wish honors seniors for all they have given to others through individual wish granting celebrations.  Twilight Wish grants wishes to deserving elderly, age 65 and older, who earn less than 200% of poverty level annually, or who live in a nursing facility.  www.twilightwish.org

Angel Foundation:   "Provides emergency financial assistance, education and support for adults with cancer and their families."  mnangel.org  

Alexandra House: (this is a women's shelter in my area):  "The mission of Alexandra House is to empower victims of domestic and sexual violence, and inspire social change, through education, support, and advocacy."   www.alexandrahouse.org

Hunger Project:  "To end hunger and poverty by pioneering sustainable, grassroots, women-centered strategies and advocating for their widespread adoption in countries throughout the world."  www.thp.org

World Medical Relief:  "Our mission is to facilitate the distribution of surplus medical resources where they are needed. As such, our programs have both a local, national and international focus. Goods are distributed in a non-discriminatory manner without regard to race, color, gender, religion, nationality or political beliefs."  www.worldmedicalrelief.org

2018 Charity Info

Homelessness Winter Project:  This year I decided to try something more direct to help some people experiencing homelessness. Minnesota gets pretty cold in the winter so I stocked up on supplies I thought would be useful and went to a transportation related location at night where I had heard homeless people hang out to stay warm.  At first I mostly had toiletries and warm clothing items.

I hung out and chatted with everyone that I thought might need some help. A great conversation starter was to ask if they needed anything I had and if they could give me advice on what other things I should bring. I got some great advice and unsurprisingly people said they would like some food. So I brought ham and bologna sandwiches. They went well but I was told people really would like some hot food.  

We bought a slow cooker here at work and later another one and once a week my coworker and I made big batches of hearty beef stew and creamy chicken stew.  Dinner rolls and easily peelable types of oranges made popular side dishes. Some of the most popular other items were small containers of toiletries (people need to pack light), toothbrushes, warm socks and knit hats (darker hats always go first).

Kupu-Kupu Foundation:  This is a nonprofit organization in Indonesia that works towards improving the lives of physically and mentally challenged children, adolescents and adults.   Years ago I had a chance to meet the founder, Begonia (a social worker from Spain), her husband Made, and some of their clients and see some of their programs in Indonesia.  I was really bowled over by what they were getting done and am impressed every time I go back.  This is a great grass-roots project where a little money goes a long way.   We support Kupu-Kupu through cash donations and by selling at cost the handicrafts of Kupu-Kupu Foundation members.  www.kupukupufoundation.org

Foster Children:   This year Peaceful People sponsored 2 foster children overseas through Plan International.  plan-international.org

2017 Charity Info

Kupu-Kupu Foundation:  This is a nonprofit organization in Indonesia that works towards improving the lives of physically and mentally challenged children, adolescents and adults.   Years ago I had a chance to meet the founder, Begonia (a social worker from Spain), her husband Made, and some of their clients and see some of their programs in Indonesia.  I was really bowled over by what they were getting done and am impressed every time I go back.  This is a great grass-roots project where a little money goes a long way.   We support Kupu-Kupu through cash donations and by selling at cost the handicrafts of Kupu-Kupu Foundation members.  www.kupukupufoundation.org

Foster Children:  This year Peaceful People sponsored 2 foster children overseas through Plan International.  plan-international.org

Doctors Without Borders:   "Help people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health care."  www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Twilight Wish Foundation (like Make-A-Wish but for senior citizens):  Twilight Wish honors seniors for all they have given to others through individual wish granting celebrations.  Twilight Wish grants wishes to deserving elderly, age 65 and older, who earn less than 200% of poverty level annually, or who live in a nursing facility.  www.twilightwish.org

Angel Foundation:   "Provides emergency financial assistance, education and support for adults with cancer and their families."  mnangel.org  

Alexandra House: (this is a women's shelter in my area):  "The mission of Alexandra House is to empower victims of domestic and sexual violence, and inspire social change, through education, support, and advocacy."   www.alexandrahouse.org

Hunger Project:  "To end hunger and poverty by pioneering sustainable, grassroots, women-centered strategies and advocating for their widespread adoption in countries throughout the world."  www.thp.org

World Medical Relief:  "Our mission is to facilitate the distribution of surplus medical resources where they are needed. As such, our programs have both a local, national and international focus. Goods are distributed in a non-discriminatory manner without regard to race, color, gender, religion, nationality or political beliefs."  www.worldmedicalrelief.org

2016 Charity Info

Kupu-Kupu Foundation:  This is a nonprofit organization in Indonesia that works towards improving the lives of physically and mentally challenged children, adolescents and adults.   Years ago I had a chance to meet the founder, Begonia (a social worker from Spain), her husband Made, and some of their clients and see some of their programs in Indonesia.  I was really bowled over by what they were getting done and am impressed every time I go back.  This is a great grass-roots project where a little money goes a long way.   We support Kupu-Kupu through cash donations and by selling at cost the handicrafts of Kupu-Kupu Foundation members.

Micro-lending:  In 2015 we began a program to convert all loaned money into a contribution for the KIVA organization itself to help them continue their important work.  As the money we have loaned is repaid by the borrowers, the money is contributed directly to KIVA. 

            If you would like to get involved with micro-lending, I hope you'll take a look at www.kiva.org/about to find out more.

FosteChildren:  This year Peaceful People sponsored 2 foster children through Plan International. 

2015 Charity Info

Kupu-Kupu Foundation:  This is a nonprofit organization in Indonesia that works towards improving the lives of physically and mentally challenged children, adolescents and adults.   Years ago I had a chance to meet the founder, Begonia (a social worker from Spain), her husband Made, and some of their clients and see some of their programs in Indonesia.  I was really bowled over by what they were getting done and am impressed every time I go back.  This is a great grass-roots project where a little money goes a long way.   We support Kupu-Kupu through cash donations and by selling at cost the handicrafts of Kupu-Kupu Foundation members.

Micro-lending:  In 2015 we continued our program of micro-lending through Kiva.org  (for more information on Kiva, see the "2009 Charity Info" section below.)

             2015 Micro-lending through Kiva:  This year Peaceful People made 758 loans totaling $18,950 to people in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Suriname, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  

             This brings our running total to 4,443 loans for $113,250 so far. 

             If you would like to get involved with micro-lending, I hope you'll take a look at www.kiva.org/about to find out more.

FosteChildren:  This year Peaceful People sponsored 2 foster children through Plan International. 

2014 Charity Info

Kupu-Kupu Foundation:  This is a nonprofit organization in Indonesia that works towards improving the lives of physically and mentally challenged children, adolescents and adults.   Years ago I had a chance to meet the founder, Begonia (a social worker from Spain), her husband Made, and some of their clients and see some of their programs in Indonesia.  I was really bowled over by what they were getting done and am impressed every time I go back.  This is a great grass-roots project where a little money goes a long way.   We support Kupu-Kupu through cash donations and by selling at cost the handicrafts of Kupu-Kupu Foundation members.

Micro-lending:  In 2014 we continued our program of micro-lending through Kiva.org  (for more information on Kiva, see the "2009 Charity Info" section below.)

             2014 Micro-lending through Kiva:  This year Peaceful People made 867 loans totaling $21,675 to people in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Benin, Bolivia, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroun, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Suriname, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  

             This brings our running total to 3,685 loans for $94,300 so far. 

             If you would like to get involved with micro-lending, I hope you'll take a look at www.kiva.org/about to find out more.

FosteChildren:  This year Peaceful People sponsored 2 foster children through Plan International.

2013 Charity Info

Kupu-Kupu Foundation:  This is a nonprofit organization in Indonesia that works towards improving the lives of physically and mentally challenged children, adolescents and adults.   Years ago I had a chance to meet the founder, Begonia (a social worker from Spain), her husband Made, and some of their clients and see some of their programs in Indonesia.  I was really bowled over by what they were getting done and am impressed every time I go back.  This is a great grass-roots project where a little money goes a long way.  We support Kupu-Kupu through cash donations and by selling at cost the handicrafts of Kupu-Kupu Foundation members.

FosteChildren:  This year Peaceful People sponsored foster children in Paraguay, India, Honduras & South Sudan

Micro-lending:  In 2013 we continued and expanded our program of micro-lending through Kiva.org  (for more information on Kiva, see the "2009 Charity Info" section below.)

             2013 Micro-lending through Kiva:  This year Peaceful People made 868 loans totaling $21,700 to people in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Benin, Bolivia, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroun, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Suriname, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  

             This brings our running total to 2,818 loans for $72,625 so far. 

             If you would like to get involved with micro-lending, I hope you'll take a look at www.kiva.org/about to find out more.

2012 Charity Info

FosteChildren:  This year Peaceful People sponsored foster children in Paraguay, India, Honduras & South Sudan

Micro-lending:  In 2012 we continued and expanded our program of micro-lending through Kiva.org  (for more information on Kiva, see the "2009 Charity Info" section below.)

             2012 Micro-lending through Kiva:  This year Peaceful People made 974 loans totaling $25,625 to people in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroun, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  

             This brings our running total to 1,950 loans for $50,925 so far. 

             If you would like to get involved with micro-lending, I hope you'll take a look at www.kiva.org/about to find out more.

2011 Charity Info

FosteChildren:  This year Peaceful People sponsored foster children in Paraguay, India, Honduras & South Sudan

Micro-lending:  In 2011 we continued and expanded our program of micro-lending through Kiva.org  (for more information on Kiva, see the "2009 Charity Info" section below.)

             2011 Micro-lending through Kiva:  This year Peaceful People made 662 loans totaling $17,400 to people in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Benin, Bolivia, Burundi, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.     

             This brings our running total to 976 loans for $25,300 so far. 

             If you would like to get involved with micro-lending, I hope you'll take a look at www.kiva.org/about to find out more.

2010 Charity Info

FosteChildren:  This year Peaceful People sponsored foster children in Paraguay, India, Honduras & South Sudan

Micro-lending:  In 2010 we continued and expanded our program of micro-lending through Kiva.org  (for more information on Kiva, see the "2009 Charity Info" section below.)

             2010 Micro-lending through Kiva:  This year Peaceful People made 240 loans totaling $6,000 to people in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Benin, Bolivia, Cambodia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, and the United States.    

             This brings our running total to 314 loans for $7,900 so far.

2009 Charity Info

FosteChildren:  This year Peaceful People sponsored foster children in Paraguay, India, Honduras & South Sudan

Micro-lending:  This year I decided on a change of direction towards micro-lending through Kiva.org.   Kiva connects lenders to people all over the world requesting small loans.   This is an amazing program where we as individuals, families, businesses, churches, etc. can help our international (or domestic) brothers and sisters help themselves.     In short, you can loan as little as $25, see a photo and description of the person receiving the loan, and when it is paid back (currently about 98% of loans are paid back) you can either take your money out of Kiva or relend it to someone else.  It's tempting to go on and on about how this amazing project works but I hope you'll take a look at www.kiva.org/about to find out more. 

             2009 Micro-lending through Kiva:  This year Peaceful People made 74 loans totaling $1,900 to people in Armenia, Benin, Bolivia, Cambodia,  Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Honduras, Lebanon, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, and Vietnam.

2008 Charity Info

Foster Children:  This year Peaceful People sponsored foster children in Paraguay, India, Honduras & South Sudan

2008 Neighborhood Charity Sale:   We again had a charity sale in conjunction with a giant 300-or-so family neighborhood garage sale. 

Where the Money Went:  We got rained out and raised a meager $289.65 which was donated as follows:

      1) Kupu-Kupu Foundation:  This is a nonprofit organization in Indonesia that works towards improving the lives of physically and mentally challenged children, adolescents and adults. 

2007 Charity Info

Foster Children:  This year Peaceful People sponsored foster children in Paraguay, India, Cameroon, Honduras & South Sudan

2007 Neighborhood Charity Sale:   We again had a charity sale in conjunction with a giant 300-or-so family neighborhood garage sale. 

Where the Money Went:  We raised a total of $1,164 which was donated as follows:

      1) Kupu-Kupu Foundation:  This is a nonprofit organization in Indonesia that works towards improving the lives of physically and mentally challenged children, adolescents and adults.   I had a chance to meet the founder, Begonia (a social worker from Spain), her husband Made, and some of their clients and see some of their programs in Indonesia.  I was really bowled over by what they were getting done.  This is a great grass-roots project where a little money goes a long way.  

      2) Half the money this year was donated to a local family to help with expenses relating to their child with cancer.  This family is not related to me and are not close friends, but rather one member is an acquaintance from a past job.   I would like to try to protect the privacy of this family a little by not putting their name on this web page, but in the name of being open about where charity money goes, feel free to ask and I will tell you.

2006 Charity Info

Foster Children:  This year Peaceful People sponsored foster children in Paraguay, India, Cameroon & Honduras

2006 Neighborhood Charity Sale:   We again had a charity sale in conjunction with a giant 300-or-so family neighborhood garage sale. 

Where the Money Went: We were partially rained out and raised a total of $511 which was donated as follows:

      1) Kupu-Kupu Foundation:  This is a nonprofit organization in Indonesia that works towards improving the lives of physically and mentally challenged children, adolescents and adults.   I had a chance to meet the founder, Begonia (a social worker from Spain), her husband Made, and some of their clients and see some of their programs.  I was really bowled over by what they were getting done.  This is a great grass-roots project where a little money goes a long way.  

2005 Charity Info

Foster Children:  This year Peaceful People sponsored foster children in Paraguay, India, Cameroon & Honduras

2005 Neighborhood Charity Sale:   We again had a charity sale in conjunction with a giant 300-or-so family neighborhood garage sale. 

Where the Money Went: We raised a total of $1,248 which was donated as follows:

      1) Kupu-Kupu Foundation:  This is a nonprofit organization in Indonesia that works towards improving the lives of physically and mentally challenged children, adolescents and adults.   I had a chance to meet the founder, Begonia (a social worker from Spain), her husband Made, and some of their clients and see some of their programs.  I was really bowled over by what they were getting done.  This is a great grass-roots project where a little money goes a long way.  

      2) Peace Corps Partnership Program:  We are contributing towards construction of a "Center for Women and Girls" in the village of Ouassa, Benin.  This center will be a place in which girl's education, technical skills and future opportunities will be promoted.  The local community will be providing labor and raw materials. 

      3) Heifer Project International:  With this contribution we were able to donate: 1 goat, 3 hives of bees and 5 flocks of ducks.

2005 Eau Claire International Festival:  Went on another road trip to have a charity sale booth at the Eau Claire, Wisconsin International Festival.

Where the Money Went: We raised a total of $681 which was donated as follows:

     1) Kupu-Kupu Foundation:  This is a nonprofit organization in Indonesia that works towards improving the lives of physically and mentally challenged children, adolescents and adults.  This is a great grass-roots project where a little money goes a long way.  

     2) Heifer Project International:  With this contribution we were able to donate: a sheep, half a goat, 2 flocks of ducks, a hive of bees, a flock of chicks, a flock of geese, and a 10% down-payment on a heifer.

2004 Charity Info

Foster Children:  This year Peaceful People sponsored foster children in Paraguay, India, Cameroon & Honduras

2004 Neighborhood Charity Sale:   We again had a charity sale in conjunction with a giant 300-or-so family neighborhood garage sale. 

     1) Peace Corps Partnership Program.  We are contributing towards building a community library in the village of Ban Na-Ngiew in Thailand. The library will be built at the village’s local primary school. A second part of the plan is to take advantage of the Thai government’s yearly grant to buy books for schools with libraries.

     2) Project Power which is a program that offers classes, social activities and outings to adults with developmental disabilities. We have arranged to get an early look at the schedule for next session (~in July) so we can decide specifically which programs we will contribute towards. These activities offer a great chance for people with developmental disabilities to get out of the house, socialize and have some fun.

      3) Heifer Project International, which donates animals to impoverished families worldwide.  Each family that receives an animal will pass on it’s first offspring to another family, and so on. With our contribution we were able to donate: the remainder of the water buffalo from last year, a goat, a flock of chicks, a hive of bees and about 37% of a llama (hopefully we’ll finish off the llama next year).

2004 Eau Claire International Festival:   Went on a road trip to have a charity sale booth at the Eau Claire, Wisconsin International Festival.

Where the Money Went: We raised a total of $1,534 which was donated as follows:

     1) Heifer Project International.  With our contribution this time we were able to donate:  5 flocks of ducks/geese, 1 llama, 2 hives of bees, 1 pig, 3 flocks of chickens, 2 trios of rabbits, and about 10% of a "Joy to the World Collection" which consists of 2 sheep, 4 goats, a heifer and 2 llamas.

     2) Project Power which is a program that offers classes, social activities and outings to adults with developmental disabilities. These activities offer a great chance for people with developmental disabilities to get out of the house, socialize and have some fun.

     3) Peace Corps Partnership Program.  We are contributing towards the Young Women's Scholarship Project, which will provide education scholarships to 30 Paraguayan women between the ages of 15 and 30.

2003 Charity Info

Foster Children:  This year Peaceful People sponsored foster children in Bangladesh, Paraguay, India, Burkina Faso, Cameroon & Honduras

2003 Neighborhood Charity Sale:     In May 2003 we had a charity sale in conjunction with a giant 300-or-so family neighborhood garage sale.  Peaceful People Imports and another company donated all the items for sale and we selected 4 charitable causes.  As people bought items at our sale we let them decide which cause they wanted their money to go towards.  

Where the Money Went:  We raised a total of $1,583.76 which was donated as follows:

    1) Alexandra House, to be used towards their Shelter Program and Emergency Relief Fund which help women and children trying to get out of abusive situations.

     2) Heifer Project International, which donates animals to impoverished families worldwide. Each family that receives an animal will pass on its first offspring to another family, and so on. With our contribution we were able to donate a goat, a flock of ducks, a hive of bees and about 90% of a water buffalo (hopefully we’ll get the back legs next year).

     3) Project Power which is a program that offers classes, social activities and outings to adults with developmental disabilities. Our donation will go towards a dance, a bowling league, tickets and transportation to outings, etc. These activities offer a great chance for people with developmental disabilities to get out of the house, socialize and have some fun.

     4) Peace Corps Partnership Program.  Peace Corps volunteers overseas who see a specific need in their communities can request funds from this program.  We contributed towards two of these projects:

           A) A two-part cooperative project in the Philippines. One part involves raising mud crabs in pens and the other raising goats.

           B) Cafeteria project for a school lunch program in Thailand. People in the village of Khogwan were trying to address the problem of poor nutrition among the children. Teachers and locals had raised some money and volunteered their labor towards adding a cafeteria to the school so they could make use of a free school lunch program available.

2002 Charity Info

Foster Children:  This year Peaceful People sponsored foster children in Bangladesh, Paraguay, India & Burkina Faso


2001 Charity Info

Foster Children:  This year Peaceful People sponsored foster children in Bangladesh, Paraguay, India & Burkina Faso

2000 Charity Info

Foster Children:  This year Peaceful People sponsored foster children in Bangladesh, Paraguay, India & Burkina Faso

1999 Charity Info

Foster Children:  This year Peaceful People sponsored foster children in Bangladesh, Paraguay and India


1998 Charity Info

Foster Children:  This year Peaceful People sponsored foster children in Nepal, Bangladesh, Paraguay and India

1997 Charity Info

Foster Children:  This year Peaceful People sponsored foster children in Nepal, Bangladesh and Paraguay.