For their vigorous efforts promoting peace and justice in such challenging social climates as Israel, Northern Ireland and Africa, three community activists will be honored at Seeking Common Ground's (SCG) second annual "Circles of Change" breakfast, Friday, November 16 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Four Points by Sheraton, Denver Southeast at I-25 and Hampden.
Amal Elsana-Alhjooj is a Bedouin feminist and long-time community activist in Israel. The first Bedouin women in Israel to attend college, Ms. Elsana-Alhjooj is being honored for her impressive and inspiring work to empower women and create change for the Negev Bedouin-Arab population. At the tender age of 17, Ms. Elsana-Alhjooj founded the first women's Bedouin association in Israel and is today the Director of AJEEC, the Arab-Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment and Cooperation, located in Beer Sheva, Israel.
Denver attorney and community leader
Jim Lyons will be honored for his work to promote peace in Northern Ireland through economic development. Mr. Lyons served as the US Observer to the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) from 1997-2001, succeeding former Senator George Mitchell, and as the Special Advisor for the President and Secretary of State for Economic Initiatives in Ireland with the Clinton Administration from 1993 to 2001. In these roles, Mr. Lyons worked to promote cross-community cooperation between the religious traditions and communities in the north of Ireland and was responsible for numerous economic initiatives in support of the peace process, including Aspire Micro Loans for Business, the first micro-enterprise loan fund in Western Europe.
The son of two immigrants who rejected apartheid South Africa, former Denver resident
Saul Garlick developed an early commitment to advancing social change and is working tirelessly to similarly engage his peers. The 23-year-old will be honored for his efforts, as the founder and director of the non-profit Student Movement for Real Change, to motivate young people to take on the challenges of global health and education in neglected regions of the world. He also serves as Ambassador for the United States for the Buffelshoek Trust, an organization working on community development in rural South Africa.
"Inspiring peace, hope and social action is the spirit behind our annual breakfast," said Melodye Feldman, SCG executive director. "These three individuals, each in her and his own way, demonstrate a heartfelt commitment to peace and social justice that deserves our applause. Our hope is that all who attend this event will be inspired by our honorees remarkable stories and energized to make their own contributions to helping change the world."
9News anchor and reporter Bazi Kanani will emcee the morning program.
Tickets for the breakfast are $85 per person, $60 of which is tax-deductible; student tickets are $30 each. Last year's breakfast raised more than $30,000 for SCG youth leadership and peace building programs. Proceeds from this year's ticket sales will help further these efforts. To purchase tickets, please contact Agatha at 303.691.2393 or visit www.s-c-g.org.
Established in 1994, Seeking Common Ground's (SCG) is a Denver-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower individuals to change the world by creating peaceful communities through integration, socialization, communication, and leadership development. SCG provides programs for individuals of diverse cultural, religious, ethnic, political and socioeconomic backgrounds that encourage those in conflict to come together on common ground. Its flagship program, Building Bridges for Peace, brings together American, Israeli, and Palestinian young women and men (16 -19) to participate in a yearlong leadership development and peace-building program. During their time together participants learn new communication techniques, develop leadership skills, and gain the skills and confidence to become empowered agents of change.
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