Dear Friends,
The salmon are significant to us in the Pacific Northwest, particularly this time of year when they make the journey home to streams where they were born. The rains return to our corner of the country in November, too. This past weekend, we took advantage of a burst of sun to walk at a favorite, nearby nature trail. This is a place we randomly visit most every season, to witness the cycles and changes in our natural world and to consider the parallels in our own lives. It is a place where memories come flooding back – of family holiday walks, field trips with preschoolers, and of rare sightings of beaver and wood ducks.
On this visit, the parking lot was full, because the salmon had returned. At multiple viewing points, hundreds were fighting their way upstream, to lay and fertilize their eggs, to take their last breaths, and to let the cycle begin anew. When we witness this phenomenon, we think of Rachel – of all she learned, thought, and wrote about the salmon and this place where she grew. And we think of the Palestinians to whom she connected us – of the determination, persistence, and pain of their struggle.
This has been a year of hard work and change at the Rachel Corrie Foundation. We’ve educated, advocated, and made connections as we’ve continued to pursue the elusive peace with justice in Palestine/Israel that has been our campaign since 2003. But we’ve also turned our attention to sustaining the Rachel Corrie Foundation and ensuring that it continues to advance the values that Rachel championed, now and long after there is resolution of Palestine/Israel. We’ve hired our first Executive Director, Whitney Faulkner, who is working eagerly with our board, staff, committees, and volunteers to lead the way.
These are challenging times on many fronts, and the challenges are connected. At the Rachel Corrie Foundation, we need you to join us in recommitting to Rachel’s vision of a world where communities are linked globally, where universal human rights are prioritized, where all people are respected regardless of race, gender, nationality or religion, and where peace is possible. Many friends and colleagues are working for this same vision across the globe. As we join them, we will always remember that our own efforts began with Palestine and must remain there. We will work toward our shared vision through the lens of Palestine.
Your participation is critical this coming year and in the future. Your engagement, ideas, time, and financial support will determine what we accomplish. As we move into the giving season and a new year, let’s be inspired by the persistence and commitment of the salmon struggling upstream to create life in the creeks where Rachel learned and played. Let’s keep struggling together – to change the realities on the ground in Palestine, to sustain the Rachel Corrie Foundation for years to come, and to realize our shared vision for our planet’s future.
Sincerely,
Cindy and Craig Corrie
Dear Friends,
I am honored to be able to write to you during this holiday season, as Rachel Corrie Foundation’s first Executive Director. Thanks to a generous bequest by the late Irma Giustino Weiss, RCF was able to create this position which allows the Corries to take a step back from the day to day operations of the office. This is an exciting transition for the Foundation designed to strengthen RCF’s movement toward greater sustainability and growth.
I am thrilled to be part of this vital organization, created by Craig and Cindy Corrie and supported by a diverse community of compassionate donors. You are an integral component of the vibrant community that sustains the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice. It is because of you and your kindness, that 2017 has been a remarkable year for this organization
Your valuable generosity has offered the Foundation’s staff, Board Members, and volunteers the opportunity to further the work that Rachel started. As the holiday season approaches, please consider giving the gift that keeps giving by becoming a monthly donor or providing a gift in a loved one’s honor. Your investment in the Rachel Corrie Foundation will continue to move forward the work that Rachel started.
Strength and Solidarity,
Whitney Faulkner
