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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us June 24, 2006 Peace House invites community to ‘Dare to Dream’ Event marks new approach employed by organization By Richard Moeschl Ashland Daily Tidings If your idea of the Peace House is a bunch of protesters swaying in a circle singing “Kum Bay Yah” and bashing Bush, you haven’t been to Peace House lately. And you haven’t met its new director Holly East. “We’re not changing anything about what we believe,” says East. “We’re changing how we approach the community.” East invites the community to join in “Dare to Dream,” an evening of theater, music and fun for the benefit of Peace House, Monday, June 26, at the Historic Ashland Armory, 208 Oak St., Ashland. The event is an initiative from the community in support of Peace House’s renewed commitment to nonpartisan conflict resolution and social change for peace and justice. “We need a Peace House in our community,” said OSF actor Geoffrey Blaisdell on behalf of his fellow actors and festival artists who offered to participate in the “Dare to Dream” gala. The evening will open with a silent auction at 5 p.m. Jeff Golden and Colleen Pyke will emcee Act I which will begin at 7 p.m. and feature Blaisdell, Jonathan Haugen, Kay Hilton, Richard Howard, Kevin Kenerly, Miriam A. Laube, Dee Maaske, John J. O’Hagan, Greta Oglesby and Caroline Shaffer. Beth Baker will perform opening songs and Seraphim will present pre-show music. Jennifer Schloming will provide piano accompaniment. A catered bill of fare by Pilaf, wine and beer service will be available during intermission. Act II will begin at 8:30 and will feature a Community Talent Contest showcasing 12 local performers ranging in age from 9 to 83. Judging the contest will be Livia Genise, artistic director of Camelot Theatre Company; musician, composer and music educator Hawkeye Herman and actor, singer/songwriter Sarah Jane Nelson. The Monday night event is a new venture for Peace House as it enters its 24th year of service to the community. Peace House director East has a Masters degree in social work from the University of South Florida and a mediator certification from Southern Oregon University. Her guiding principle in carrying out her responsibilities at Peace House was written long before she was offered that position. It was drafted in 1982 when Peace House was founded as a center for peace and justice as an affiliate of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. The mission of Peace House continues to be to serve its local and regional communities by exploring and modeling principles of nonviolence and compassion. The emphasis is on building reconciliation between conflicting groups and people as an alternative to violence by encouraging understanding of the root causes of conflicts. “It’s a lot bigger than ‘you’re right’ or ‘you’re wrong’ polarization,” East says. “My job is to be a bridge. What do we agree on? What do we believe in? How are we going to make that happen?” One way is to make sure that Peace House has sufficient community support for its mission. Peace House is now open 35 hours a week. “We are there when the phone rings,” East says. She and her newly reconstituted board of directors have developed a business plan and a new fundraising strategy for Peace House to better address the needs for which it was founded. Rather than letters asking for money, there will be two annual fundraising events, a spring gala, like “Dare to Dream,” and a fall membership drive. In September several Southern Oregon University students will be involved in internships at Peace House for their senior capstone projects. East is excited about the new direction that Peace House is taking and is looking forward to being the hostess of the grand celebration Monday night. She might even sing a few verses of “Kum Bay Yah.” . DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams