Student Involvement with Sal y Luz Project

On-Campus Events | Student Leaders
Ways Students and Organizations Can Help | Contact the US Congress

Photo Taken by: Lutheran World Relief

List of On-Campus Events for the Colombia Project

Colombian Project for Peace
When : September 20th, 2004, 4-6:00 pm
Where : Banquet Room B - Heritage Banquet
Room Audience : General Public
Sponsor : Office of International Education
Contact : Linda Shaw Phone: 933-7545
Explanation : Phillip Cryan of Lutheran World Relief will lecture on the Sal y Luz Project -- the Colombian civil war and current efforts by the Peace Sanctuary Churches to provide refuge and hope for Colombians who have been displaced by five decades of violence.

Photo Taken by: Lutheran World Relief

Peace in Colombia Presentation
When : Nov 15, 2004, 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Where : Banquet Room B - Heritage Banquet Room
Audience : Campus Community
Sponsor : Office of International Education
Contact : John Cha
Explanation : Martin Gafaro, Xaverian University in Bogota, will give a presentation on the Colombian civil war and current efforts to provide refuge and hope for the millions of Colombians who have been displaced by five decades of ongoing violence. Gafaro will describe the peace-building work of the Peace Sanctuary Churches in Colombia and discuss the Sal y Luz ("Salt and Light") partnership, which partners communities in the Upper Midwest with Colombian church communities.

Photo Taken by: Lutheran World Relief

Colombia Peace Delegation
When : Mar 17, 2005, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Where : International Center
Audience : General Public
Sponsor : Sal Y Luz- Community Service
Contact : Kendra Rinas Phone: 933-7090
Explanation : Three guests from Colombia will present their experiences with armed conflict, internal displacement, systemic poverty, and discuss how U.S. policy is perpetuating these issues. They will speak about how their work in community development, relief efforts and church ministry have contributed to building sustainable peace.

National Call In Day
When : Apr 26, 2005 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Where : All over campus
Audience : Campus Community
Sponsor : ASAP
Contact : Kendra Rinas
Explanation : Call your congressperson and ask them to support humanitarian development in Colombia. In the past five years the U.S. has put more than $3 billion into the Colombian armed forces. Congress is beginning to debate the Colombia policy for 2006, proposing to send $730 million, 80% of which is military assistance.

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Student Leaders On-Campus

Here at Gustavus there are a number of student leaders. To readily available student leaders our class could interview were Daria Hashemi-Rad and Kendra Rinas.

Daria Hashemi-Rad
Daria is a Communication Studies Major and Religion Minor from Edina, MN. This is her senior year at Gustavus (2004-5). Daria got involved with Colombia through her internship with the Gustavus Community Center. She has helped organize many Colombia events on campus including Colombia Week held in March. Daria also went to Washington D.C to learn more about Latin American Issues and in particular, Colombia. What Daria wants most from other students is involvement and support. Currently there are no students heading up a planning committee for Colombia next year! If you would like to be a part of the cause and be directly involved, you can contact Daria herself via e-mail. For students who can't be involved directly, she says they can definitely support the cause through attending Colombia events, stopping by tabling, and by listening to speakers. There are a number of contacts on and off campus that students reach to get more information.

Kendra Rinas
Kendra Rinas a Political Science major and Peace Studies minor from Manchester, Maine. This is also Kendra's senior year here at Gustavus (2004-5). Kendra got involved with Colombia through her internship with Lutheran World Relief. She works on publicity and media contact. She helps get newspapers and TV stations involved with Colombia. An accomplishment she's proud of is having help get Lutheran World Relief on Minnesota's Public Radio and on Sioux Fall's ABC News. She also helped organize national call-in day here at Gustavus. National call in day is a day dedicated to getting citizens to call their senators. At Gustavus more than one hundred and twenty-five students called in. She says the greatest thing we as students can do is to "CALL YOUR SENATORS!" Many students don't know they can do this and she says, "It's the easiest thing in the world and it doesn't take up only a minute of your time." It is, "the best way to help out". "All you do is call in and tell them you want to support humanitarian rights in Colombia." She also stated you can help out by telling your friends, spread the word, and support the cause.

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Ways in Which Students and Organizations Can Help Colombia

Photo Taken by: Lutheran World Relief

Help with Project Comfort- help pay for cartons of quilts, soap and clothing to be shipped overseas.
Make quilts, health blankets, and school kits and send them to Colombia.
Assemble layettes that can be sent to refugee camps, hospitals and villages. Things that could be included are: shirts, sweaters, diapers, washcloths and bars of soap
Get involved with local fundraising. Some ideas include: sell Lutheran World Relief fair trade coffee, tea, chocolate and hot chocolate and donate the money. Have bake sales at schools or your church. Sell tickets to potluck dinners.
More information on what should be included in packages and how to send things can be obtained off of the Lutheran World Relief Website or by contacting the foundation.
Contributions by cash, check, and money orders to:
Lutheran World Relief
P.O. Box 17061
Baltimore, MD 21298-9832
By Phone: 800-597-5972
Join Gustavus Adolphus College and/or Lutheran World Relief E-mail lists to receive advocacy updates.
Educate yourself and others about the Colombian Project and have open discussions about it with friends and family.
Call your Senator, further information below.

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How to Contact Congress

Call, e-mail or fax the Washington, DC office of your member of Congress. All Congressional office contact information is posted at www.house.gov, or, simply call the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and they will transfer you to the appropriate office.
A good message that has been compiled by the Sal y Luz organization on campus is below. Use this message as a guide line, but feel free to add any of your own statements that you feel are important, remember, these women and men are our representatives, and are their to hear your voice!
Follow the example of our Colombian partners by using your gifts and talents to advocate for peace! Look at the International Relations committee members posted below and contact your friends or family members who live in the listed districts. Then continue to follow the model provided to us from Colombia, tell them your story of why you believe that peace is possible in Colombia, share this action with them and ask them to be your voice for peace and join in this growing call for a new policy in Colombia by contacting their members of Congress in the International Relations committee
These messages are taken very seriously and are an easy way to make an impact. Get a bunch of friends together and have a calling or writing party to Congress!!!
Visit our links page, that lists several areas for additional links to contact congress and others.

Call in Message:
Introduce yourself as a constituent and ask to speak to the Foreign Policy staffer. Tell the staff member who you are and any groups who you represent.
Suggested script "Congressman (woman) _________ will be discussing the merits of Plan Colombia in an International Relations hearing on Wednesday. We are very concerned about the impact that Plan Colombia has had on faith communities, farming communities, and in particular, the over 3 million Colombians who have been displaced from their homes because of the conflict. Though Colombia faces the worst humanitarian crisis in our hemisphere, Plan Colombia has devoted 80% of all resources on military spending, with the cost of violence being borne by the most vulnerable Colombians. At this hearing my request is for Congressman (woman) ________ to ask questions for the purpose of prompting further evaluation of Plan Colombia."

Committee for Foreign Relations: Subcommittee on Western hemisphere

Peace Corps and Narcotic Affairs:
Committee Phone (majority): (202) 224-4651
Committee Fax (majority): (202) 224-0836

Committee Members and Contact Information:

Majority Members (Republicans)
Member Name/E-mail DC Phone DC FAX
Norm Coleman (R-MN) [Chair] (202) 224-5641, (202) 224-1152
Lincoln D. Chafee (R-RI) (202) 224-2921, (202) 228-2853
George Allen (R-VA) (202) 224-4024, (202) 224-5432
Mel Martinez (R-FL) (202) 224-3041, (202)-228-5171
John Sununu (R-NH) (202) 224-2841, (202)-228-4131

Minority Members (Democrats)
Member Name/E-mail DC Phone DC FAX
Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT) [Ranking Member] (202) 224-2823, (202) 224-1083
John F. Kerry (D-MA) (202) 224-2742, (202) 224-8525
Barbara Boxer (D-CA) (202) 224-3553, (415) 956-6701
Bill Nelson (D-FL) 202-224-5274 202-228-2183

Members of the House International Relations Committee :

Flake (R-AZ), Boozman (R-AR), Rohrabacher (R-CA), Berman (D-CA),
Gallegly (R-CA), Royce (R-CA), Sherman (D-CA), Issa (R-CA),
Lee (D-CA), Watson (D-CA), Schiff (D-CA), Napolitano (D-CA),
Cardoza (D-CA), Tancredo (R-CO), Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Wexler (D-FL),
Harris (R-FL), Mack (R-FL), Hyde (R-IL), Weller (R-IL),
Burton (R-IN), Pence (R-IN), Leach (R-IA), Chandler (D-KY),
Delahunt (D-MA), McCotter (R-MI), McCollum (D-MN), Fortenberry (R-NE),
Berkley (D-NV), Menendez (D-NJ), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Payne (D-NJ),
Ackerman (D-NY), King (R-NY), Engel (D-NY), Meeks (D-NY),
Crowley (D-NY), Brown (D-OH), Chabot (R-OH), Blumenauer (D-OR),
Barrett (R-SC), Wilson (R-SC), Paul (R-TX), McCaul (R-TX),
Poe (R-TX), Davis (R-VA), Smith (D-WA), Green (R-WI)

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Created: May 08, 2005
by the Intro to Peace Studies class of 2005