Peace Talk — Autumn 2005
The Quarterly Newsletter of Peace Action MaineBrunswick had its first annual Peace Fair thanks to considerable efforts from members of Greater Brunswick PeaceWorks and others in the community. Christine DeTroy needs to be recognized for her tremendous efforts to make this event happen in a few short months.
Christine came to a PeaceWorks meeting last spring with an idea. Her grandson, Max, had suggested that maybe we needed to come together to have some fun instead of this serious business grandmother does with her friends all the time. Christine listened carefully to Max, and proposed to create an opportunity for the people in our community who work for peace in many different ways to come together with music, dance, poetry, crafts, children’s activities, and space to network.
Although some doubted a significant event could be created in a few short months, Christine is a woman of faith. She didn’t doubt it for a moment. When we needed “angels” to come through with funds, tents, tables and chairs, poster designs, children’s activities, and the like, the angels appeared. While those of us on the planning committee marveled at how much this woman accomplishes in a single day, we kept reminding ourselves that a woman who raised seven children knows a little about organization, multi-tasking, and hard work. And we learned that this woman who lived through World War II as a school girl in Germany lives with a passionate, tenacious commitment to engage citizens in an active effort to stand up and speak out for justice and peace.
Brunswick’s Peace Fair was a huge success. Discussions about the second annual have already begun. We thank Christine for her vision, her chutzpah, and for listening to her grandson.