Author: owner

The Product of Justice is Peace
On Tuesday October 22nd, CREA was honored with the Most Reverend Joseph F. Donnelly Award at the Annual Catholic Social Justice Ministry Dinner. The event brought together people who all work towards social justice in various ways throughout the Archdiocese of Hartford. The evening was filled with stories of what different groups are doing to put faith into action through social ministry. The message of hope was brought home by Sister Ruth Rosenbaum, CREA’s co-founder and Executive Director. Sr. Ruth thanked CSJM on behalf of everyone who makes up CREA - the staff, board members, volunteers, field teams, prayer partners and donors.
We know we cannot do it alone. What we believe in, a just world that we are all trying to create, must be done together. None of us, no one group, no one city, not even one country can do this alone. But the hope lives and grows when we all work together, all doing our parts, connected in our common beliefs. “Only together can we build a better world, only together can we build the hope that imagines and creates a better world for all.”
Overall, it was a beautiful gathering of individuals, working together through common beliefs and goals. And CREA would not have been honored without all of your support - and the connection of hope we all share.

CREA: Center for Reflection, Education and Action
Hartford, CT

2019, Issue #4

Celebrating Our Fair Trade Sales 2019
The only words to describe our sales this year would be mind boggling and amazing. We sold over 300 hand woven scarves, over 500 large bottles of Palestinian olive oil and more than 1000 bars of chocolate, both Divine from Ghana and Singing Rooster from Haiti, along with all the bags, jewelry and tree ornaments from Guatemala, and hammered metal from Haiti, etc. The support and hope that this provides for the farmers and artisans on the ground in their home countries is simply HUGE. Thank you to the churches who hosted the sales, all those who helped pack, set up, staff the sales, etc. This work is truly a team effort.
We are in the process of developing new products for the 2020 sales. If you have any ideas, please let us know. We hope to schedule some sales in the spring.
Again: thank you, muchas gracias, merci anpil, thank you again.

L to R: Dave Bolan, Sr. Ruth, Cathy Galvin (CREA Board), Tony
Leesha (CREA Board), Meghan Wrinn, Pat Wilson-Pheanious (CREA Board)

The Work Goes On
As we finish this issue of the newsletter, a team from CREA is on the way to Guatemala for a week long trip to visit the cooperatives in Chichicastenango and Santiago Atitlan. They’re bringing along school supplies we’ve been collecting since our last trip, including backpacks, notebooks, pens/pencils, rulers and other supplies required for the students to attend classes...without the supplies, they miss a whole year of school.
The team will be accompanied by Aida Montalvo, our Central American staff member who coordinates these trips with Sr. Ruth, to visit the markets and cooperatives where artisans live and work to create the fair trade products we sell. In addition, they will bring tuition for two women sponsored by CREA - Soledad Ramos Pixcar, studying for a masters degree as an education supervisor and Maria Xicay, who is doing her masters in special needs education.
As mentioned in the above article, CREA is so much more than the group who attended the awards ceremony. This trip would not have been possible without our volunteers, supporters, family, friends, donors, and everyone who contributed their time to our fair trade work and getting resources to those in need.
We’ll have more about the trip in the next issue.

Demonstrating the Power of your Donations to Improve a Life and a Community
Irma’s thank you letter below highlights the key reasons CREA’s focus on education is so important. First, it enables a person to support her/himself and family. Second, it helps the person to aid others using the knowledge and skills acquired in the education process. Third, it creates hope and possibility for a better future. Last, it reminds each and all of us how linked our lives really are and how much our actions (and failure to act sometimes,) affect the lives of others. Creating hope and possibility is on-going work. Thank you for your continued support which makes all of this possible.
Dear Sister Ruth, I am so grateful for your support during these years which allowed me to study and achieve my dream of a professional degree in Accounting. This allows me to be someone who can help my family by getting a better job and better income, It also helps me to feel valuable as a woman. There is no way to really describe for you my gratitude for your financial support and for believing in me during the years of study. My plan now is to spend some time with my mother as I look for a position where I can use my education and training. I will also continue to help the cooperatives as I have been doing.
Thank you again for believing in me and for your financial support. May you and everyone at CREA have happy holidays and may 2020 be healthy and prosperous for everyone.
~Irma Tomasa

Sr. Ruth, Irma and Soledad

“Believing that the earth is home to all, CREA facilitates analysis of human, social and economic policies
from the perspective of their effects on human lives, beginning with the lives of those who are poor.”
~CREA Mission Statement

CREA, Inc.
PO Box 2507
Hartford, CT
06146-2507

CREA: Center for Reflection, Education and Action, Inc.
is an independent 501(c)3 organization.
Executive Director: Ruth Rosenbaum, TC, PhD.

PHONE: 860-527-0455
E-MAIL: crea@crea.org
WEBSITE: www.crea.org

Growing Hope
While thinking of newsletter topics, we decided to write about something so many of us are in need of these days, something which can easily elude us when listening to shouting politicians in a country that seems more divided than ever before… and that is Hope. But there is a group of people who, even though faced with greater challenges and problems than my generation had to contend with, have a lot of hope. They carry it like armor to fight their battles because they believe in its strength - they are the children.
Young people seem to be more involved today in social issues than ever before, and at younger ages. For some, involvement has been forced onto them - a shooter came to their school, some have felt the pain of discrimination themselves, based on their race, gender, sexual identity, religion, ethnicity, or ability, or they fear their parents may be deported, to name a few examples. Others became involved by choice because they hear about our earth dying. They are young enough that they haven’t been clouded with despair so they believe it when scientists say we can fix this, it’s not too late. We tell our children, ‘you can do anything you want in life’, and some are saying, ‘then we choose to do good, to make things right, to be heard’.
Many of us have heard a lot about Greta Thunberg, the 16-year old Swedish environmental activist, and Malala Yousafzai, a young Pakistani woman who, at age 15, survived being shot in the head for speaking out against the Taliban not allowing girls to go to school. Here are some more young activists you may not have heard of before (and there are so many more like them):
Emma Gonzalez survived the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting where 17 of her classmates and teachers were killed. Three days later she was speaking at a gun control rally. She and her classmates founded Never Again, a gun-control advocacy group, and started the March for Our Lives movement against gun violence.
Marley Dias founded #1000blackgirlbooks at age 10 to collect and donate books whose main characters are black girls. She has collected over 9,000 books and has written one of her own. Asked if her generation feels optimistic about the future she replied, “I do not think my generation is optimistic. All we ever hear is bad news …but we can become optimistic, in a realistic way - if we only knew that there really are people out here fighting, trying to change the world.”
Katherine Figueroa was 9 years old when her parents were arrested at a worksite raid in Phoenix Arizona. Katherine was born here but her parents were undocumented. She appeared in a video made by an activist group just hours after the raid, pleading for her parents return. She continued to speak out to reporters and anyone who would listen. Three months later, her parents were released from jail. She continues to use her voice to help other families like hers.
Mari Copeny wrote a letter to then President Obama when she was 8 years old about the water crisis in her hometown of Flint Michigan. The president met Mari when he visited Flint and later pledged $100 million to repair Flint’s water system. Her mother had said of the letter to Obama that the president would probably be too busy with other things. After his response Mari said, “His trip proved to me that a kid can change the world.”
Darius Weems was a teenager in 2005 when he took a road trip across America to raise money and awareness for his disease, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which is the number one genetic killer of children worldwide. His trip was made into a documentary and has raised more than $1million for DMD research.
Jamie Margolin began her climate activism at age 14 in Seattle. She co-founded “Zero-Hour” which is an international youth-activist group. Their mission statement reads, “We believe that every individual, from every community should have access to clean air, water and public lands. We believe in putting the needs and health of our communities before corporate gain.”
In the dictionary, hope is “commonly used to mean a wish; its strength is the strength of the person’s desire”. Some of these children have nothing but hope. But the strength is in their desire, and in their ability to hope against so many odds - their hope is their strength, and their power. Isaiah wrote in the Bible, “…and a little child shall lead them.” Maybe we can all follow the children and find hope together.

St. Gabriel Students Attend Youth Climate Demonstration
On Friday December 6th, a group of 7th and 8th grade students from St. Gabriel School in Windsor, along with some teachers and parents, joined in solidarity with students around the world in a Youth Climate Strike. The students attended a peaceful demonstration at the State Capitol, organized by local environmental groups and attended by students from several Connecticut elementary, middle and high schools. College students, parents and members of our Windsor town, State of Connecticut and US federal governments were in attendance as well.

Alex wrote, “There were so many people that were very passionate about the issue. It was also very cold and snowy. All our feet were freezing but I was still having fun. The purpose of a peaceful demonstration is to show people what you think about an issue without violence. I think that we should all try to fight climate change. The way we can do this is by going to peaceful demonstrations. We can also learn about the subject and inform others about the issue. So many people are upset about Climate change because there are many leaders that don’t do enough about Climate change. Many scientists are saying that if we don’t change how we do things then by 2030 we won't be able to go back and fix what we have started.”
Aryan wrote, “All the people there were chanting ‘hey, hey, ho, ho climate change has got to go’! My sign said stop the throw-away culture. That means to basically stop polluting the earth with things like plastic bottles and other substances that take a while to destroy or can't be destroyed. The main purpose of this protest I felt was trying to get the attention of the political leaders and try to make a change. There are a lot of young kids and adults that stand outside government buildings protesting for climate change to end. They want to live and want humanity to continue instead of going extinct.”
Another 7th grade student, Matthew, wrote, “There were people making speeches and chanting, “Hey-hey, ho-ho, fossil fuels have got to go!”. All the people there seemed to really care for the cause and want to end climate change.”
Tyler wrote, “I loved being at the Climate Rally at the State Capitol. While we were there, Sen. Richard Blumenthal spoke to us about how he was fighting to change the world’s view of climate change. Youth who are enthusiastic about the environment are that way because they believe that climate change is no joke. And they want to show adults that they can make a difference. I think all the presidents and leaders of the world could help. For example, leaders can persuade companies and businesses to stop burning the Amazon Rainforest. So, kids should continue to speak out.”
Alice, “I really loved going to the peaceful demonstration at the Capitol. I’m really passionate about saving the earth and stopping climate change. I think that many young people, like me, are motivated to stand outside in the cold, rain, and extreme heat to raise their voice... I really loved listening to climate activists talk about how they were going to help save the earth. I look forward to doing it again!”

Lauren in Grade 7 wrote honestly about her initial reaction to the Climate Strike. “I was reluctant to go”, she explained, “I thought this trip was going to be anything but fun, but I was wrong. We got to show off our amazing posters. Also, we listened to all the speeches and learned about climate change and how it is harming the earth. The best part was to see how many other people took time out of their day to be there in the cold weather, so they can speak up for themselves. Another cool thing is there was a girl younger than me giving a speech.”
Abigail, “I attended the Peaceful Demonstration at the Hartford Capitol building with my school. My friends and I made a poster for the event that said, ‘There is no Planet B’. So, we must protect Earth because it is not ours, it’s on loan to us. Another sign said ‘Climate is changing why aren't we?’ There are many ways we can help.”
Matthew, 8th grade: “I really enjoyed going to the climate strike. It had a light air to it, even though it was for a heavy topic. The people there were shouting, but not violently, which was nice. Every once in a while, someone would start a chant, and everyone would chime in. There were no restrictions, and there were all sorts of chants and signs. I was also surprised that there were so many people who spoke in front of the crowd. I thought it would mostly be chanting and waving signs until someone came out of the Capitol or something. I was disappointed that no one came out of the Capitol; I was hoping someone would come out and acknowledge us.”
Eva, 8th grade: “We’ve learned about the environment and pollution throughout the time we’ve been students at St. Gabriel School, but I think every student should have the chance to be a part of a strike or protest. That was what we did this year, and it’s an experience that you can’t get from a classroom. When we arrived at the strike, the first and favorite thing I noticed was the diversity of the protesters. It was filled with many kids: my age, high school, college, and a few children their parents brought with them; as well as adults and elders. Kathy, Nicole, Matthew and I worked together on one poster, and we all thought it came out well… and we felt proud to have such a great sign. I thought the climate strike was amazing... It’s fun to be a part of a crowd of complete strangers who share the same ideas as you, and being able to talk and listen to others and their ideas as well. My first climate strike will not be my last.”

Notes:
Recognizing Gifts (insert?)

Grade 8
Eva, 8th grade: We’ve learned about the environment and pollution throughout the time we’ve been students at St. Gabriel School, but I think every student should have the chance to be a part of a strike or protest. That was what we did this year, and it’s an experience that you can’t get out from a classroom. When we arrived at the strike, the first and favorite thing I noticed was the diversity of the protesters. It was filled with many kids: my age, high school, college, and a few children their parents brought with them; as well as adults and elders. There was a beautiful mixture of races spanning the entire crowd, and everyone looked happy to be there and to stand up for what they believed in. There was a sea of creative posters; from serious to funny, from well-done to “I put this together last night.” Kathy, Nicole, Matthew and I worked together on one poster, and we all thought it came out well. It was a picture of a humanoid Earth who was crying black, oily tears and had the same fluid trickling from their mouth. Their hands were catching the liquid, and all around the Earth was a cloud of inky dark smog. Behind the Earth were the words “Fix this” which were made up of things we could fix the Earth with: trees, windmills, solar panels, etc. Overall, we put a lot of work into the poster (Especially Kathy! She took it home to finish it.) and we felt proud to have such a great sign. I thought the climate strike was amazing (Except for how cold it was!). It’s fun to be a part of a crowd of complete strangers that you know all share the same ideas as you, and being able to talk and listen to others and their ideas as well. My first climate strike will not be my last.
Matthew, 8th grade: I really enjoyed going to the climate strike. It had a light air to it, even though it was for a heavy topic. The people there were shouting, but not violently, which was nice. Every once in a while, someone would start a chant, and everyone would chime in. There were no restrictions, and there were all sorts of chants and signs. I was also surprised that there were so many people who spoke in front of the crowd. I thought it would mostly be chanting and waving signs until someone came out of the Capitol or something. I was disappointed that no one came out of the Capitol; I was hoping someone would come out and acknowledge us. My only wish is that we could have stayed longer, but overall, I really enjoyed the experience.

Look up past articles for each water topic - we could either include a short summary of the article (no more than about 150 words maximum), and/or a quote from it.
What newsletter did we write about the Flint Water Crisis?
What are the “Water & Sanitation Issues” mentioned in Issue #3 of 2003? Summary and/or updates?
What is the Global Water Crisis mentioned in Issue #4 of 2003? Summary and/or updates?
This hotly debated topic has been around for, like, ever. Some experts argue that it’s detrimental to our health due to things like Bisphenol A, or BPA, a hazardous environmental toxin and endocrine disruptor that’s been shown to cause cancer. While others, like Peter Gleick, a scientist and expert on global water and climates issues, say bottled water is perfectly safe to drink. “There’s nothing wrong with bottled water from a health perspective,” he says. Elizabeth Royte, author of Bottlemania: How Water Went On Sale and Why We Bought It agrees, saying that, “There’s no evidence it’s bad for us.”
https://www.wellandgood.com/good-food/is-bottled-water-bad-for-you
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92222327
The first article doesn’t quote any of the experts who argue against BPA. What are they saying? And who are Peter Gleick and Elizabeth Royte? The second link is an NPR interview with her.
Not sure what we can say about Water as a Human Right, in terms of showing a current update of the topic. But maybe we can include the original date(?) that the United Nations declared it, and use that section to mention related topics, such as changes to our Clean Water Act. (see quotes in boxes at the bottom of the chart page - these are just a few random quotes that stood out - feel free to add more.
“It’s a shell game,” she said. “As we get the word out to the public that BPA is dangerous, they substitute other chemicals that are different, but only slightly different.”
https://www.today.com/health/bottled-water-hot-plastic-may-leach-chemicals-some-experts-say-t132687