The Southold-based peace group, North Fork People of Conscience, is the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Long Island Community Foundation (LICF). The award came with a recommendation from the Long Island Unitarian Universalist Fund (LIUU Fund).
This generous grant will be transmitted through the Community Land Trust of Southold, Inc. (CLT) which will serve as the funds administrator for North Fork People of Conscience. NFPOC is a not-for-profit organization run by volunteers. The group is non-partisan and the funds will not be used to support fundraising events for political candidates or other electioneering activities.
According to NFPOC director, Pat Hovey, “We are grateful to LICF and LIUU because this grant will help support our ongoing work, including educating the public about the consequences of the war in Iraq and the connections between war and other national and local issues confronted by our community.”
The funds will support NFPOC’s Honor the Fallen memorial to the casualties of the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars. Through panels of photographs and biographies, the Honor the Fallen memorial bears witness to the U. S. servicemen and women who have lost their lives in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The memorial also honors the Iraqis who have perished in the war. The memorial has been displayed in numerous venues, from New York City to Greenport. “Visiting the memorial has been a very moving experience for most people,” said Eleanor Oakley, an NFPOC director. “when they look at the faces of those killed and read about whom they have left behind. After spending time with the panels, those killed can no longer remain anonymous. Unfortunately, we have to update the memorial every month because every month more soldiers die.”
As part of its community-based mission, NFPOC is presenting a Documentary Film Series spotlighting films that deal with the consequences of war. The first in the series, “Sisters in the Resistance” will be shown at Peconic Landing in Greenport on August 25 at 8PM. Admission is free. The group plans to screen films on a monthly basis. “This very generous grant will allow us to screen more films in numerous venues”, says Ms. Hovey, “and this in turn will, hopefully, generate more awareness and discussion about the costs of war”.
Congradulations to NFPOFC. More Information can be found at nfpofc.blogspot.com
