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Welcome to the Plowshare Peace Center website! Plowshare Peace Center is a grassroots organization focused on working for peace and justice for all beings. We serve Southwest Virginia and link with groups in Virginia and across the nation. We began in 1973 as the Ecumenical Peace Fellowship, thus making us the oldest peace group in Virginia. Currently Plowshare has the following projects: a silent peace vigil; programs and speakers; death penalty vigils; Presente! and Richmond Defender distribution; distant demonstrations carpooling; lobbying; the Democracy Now show; and Truth-in-Recruiting. We encourage people interested in working on these issues -and other concerns that you might feel led to bring to us -to join us. Contact information for the committees and coordinators who work on these projects are below. Individual pages about these projects are to the left. We also have an office; email list; newsletter; phone tree; and website. Contact the Director for those projects; information is also below. Latest Website Features: Brent Riley, a Plowshare volunteer, is working on getting the show "Democracy Now" to be broadcast locally. Please check out the new page dedicated to his project. New pages for Peace Writings and the Virginia Peace Studies program have also been added. Please check out our Plowshare Calendar page, too. We are an action-oriented group and feature several events and meetings on the page. Upcoming Events On Thursday, July 9, at 7 PM, the Plowshare Steering Committee, its board, will gather for its monthly meeting at the office, 1719 Grandin Rd. All are welcome. On Sunday, July 12, at 6 PM, Plowshare, along with the Peace Committee for the Roanoke Quakers, will sponsor a program and potluck for the Pastors for Peace at the Oak Grove Church of the Brethern, 2138 McVitty Rd. SW. On Tuesday, July 14, from 8:45 to 9:15 PM, Plowshare will gather for a death penalty vigil in front of the Natural Foods Coop, 1318 Grandin Rd. The state of Virginia plans to kill Paul Powell that night. Please check the Plowshare website or the Virginians Against the Death Penalty website at www.vadp.org on that night to see if the execution was cancelled or postponed. More information about the execution can be also be found at www.vadp.org. On Saturday, July 18, from noon to 1 PM, Plowshare will hold its monthly silent peace vigil in front of the City Market building, Market St. and Campbell Av. it's held in remembrance of the dead and wounded of the Iraq, Gaza and Afghanistan wars.
Also: First Fridays of every month, 5-6 PM: Blacksburg Peace Vigil in front of the Post Office on Main St. Also: Second Saturdays of every month, 2-3 PM: Vigil Against Torture at Johnson County Airport, near Smithfield, North Carolina. Plowshare is willing to coordinate carpools. Contact Herb Beskar at 989-6875 or
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This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it For more information generally go to www.stoptorturenow.net. Contributions & Pledges to Plowshare: Plowshare is funded by contributions and pledges by the people of Southwest Virginia. Occasional contributions are deeply appreciated and may be sent to our office; address is Plowshare, PO Box 4367, Roanoke VA 24015. If you would like to join our pledge list, please contact Herb Beskar; he can be reached at 540-989-6875 or
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. We are a 501(c)03 organization, and contributions and pledges are tax-deductible.
As well, Plowshare has two special projects to which you may want to contribute. One is place signs on the backs of city buses advertising Plowshare (with our name, "Work for Peace" and our website on it). $325 will pay for one month. The other is to place announcements on WVTF-FM that the day's programming is being sponsored by Plowshare. $200 will pay for one day (five) announcements. As many Plowshare supporters already contribute to WVTF-FM, this is a good way to redirect the contribution so as to to support Plowshare, too. You don't have to pay the full amount for either way of outreach for Plowshare; partial amounts will be sent in together. You can mail checks, earmarked "Bus Sign" or "WVTF-FM" and made out to Plowshare, to Plowshare, PO Box 4367, Roanoke VA 24015. Plowshare Calendar: As above, Plowshare is an action-oriented organization. We exist to encourage peacemaking. So please check out the Upcoming Events page to the left. You will find all our vigils, programs, speakers, committee meetings, etc., as well as like-minded peace group events. Visits by Plowshare: Plowshare loves to visit groups who would like to hear about our beliefs and projects. Call or email the Director; contact information is below. Plowshare Board: The board, also called the Steering Committee, is comprised of at least 12 elected members and usually meets on the first Thursday of each month at 7 PM at the Plowshare office, 1719 Grandin Rd in Roanoke. The president of the board is Manuel Dotson. If you would like to contact the board, call or email the Director; contact information is below. We are very interested in taking on new members. Service on the board includes attendance at the monthly meeting and participation as a coordinator or on a committee for one of our projects. Plowshare Interns: Plowshare takes on interns from high schools and colleges. It's an excellent opportunity if you want to learn to be an activist as well as to work for a non-profit. Contact the Director if you're interested; information is below. Director Contact Information: Gary Sandman: 540-989-0393; Plowshare, PO Box 4367, Roanoke VA 24015-mail; 1719 Grandin Rd., Roanoke VA 24015-office,
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Committee & Coordinator Contact Information:
Here are contacts for our projects: New River Voice & Richmond Defender: Gary Sandman, 540-989-0393,
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Peace Vigils: Mike Bentley, 540-389-3752,
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Programs: Gary Sandman, 540-989-0393,
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Death Penalty: Manuel Dotson, 540-344-3997; Gene Edmunds, 540-343-3100 Truth-in-Recruiting: Gary Sandman, 540-989-0393,
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Carpooling: Herb Beskar, 540-989-6875,
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Lobbying: Mike Bentley: 540-389-3752,
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Pledges: Herb Beskar, 540-989-6875,
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Newsletter: Gary Sandman, 540-989-0393,
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Democracy Now: Brent Riley, 540-989-2195,
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Website: Gary Sandman, 540-989-0393,
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Interns: Gary Sandman, 540-989-0393,
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Phone tree: Gene Edmunds, 540-343-3100 |
