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The Real Roots of PeaceMay 15, 2010, Ted Sorensen, Special Counsel to President John F. Kennedy, visits Roots of Peace.
 "Ted Sorensen's words inspired a generation, and his counsel and judgment helped steer our nation through some of its most difficult hours", says President Barack Obama commenting on his recent NY Times Best Seller "Counselor: A Life on the Edge of History."
 Ted Sorensen was a guest of Roots of Peace for a series of events and speaking engagements in tribute to their call to action inspired by the words of the Kennedy era, "Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country." Founders, Heidi and Gary Kühn, were only in Kindergarten at the time when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963, but they were deeply inspired by his passionate words for peace.
 Joined by his wife, Gillian Martin Sorensen, former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Senior Advisor to the United Nations Foundation, the Sorensen's have supported Roots of Peace since September 1997.
 From her office on the 38th floor of the Executive Offices of the United Nations, Gillian Sorensen graciously received a telephone call from a mother working from the basement of her home who had an "idea" to transform Mines to Vines™. Now, we stood together on the same sacred grounds of the family home over a dozen years later where a simple toast from the heart of a mother has impacted hundreds of thousands of lives in war-torn countries.
 From the backyard of the Kühn family home, Roots of Peace formally announced their new partnership with The Friends of Hue Foundation along with their CEO, Ms. Thien-Nhien Luong. Roots of Peace has formally received support from PACCOM to expand their Demine~Replant~Rebuild™ model in Vietnam—a country where an estimated 3.5 million landmines remain and 300,000 unexploded ordnance and remnants of war remain. Their goal is to transform MINES TO CHOCOLATES™ by replacing war-torn lands with cacao trees.
 In celebration of this "sweet" partnership, Roots of Peace formally presented Ted Sorensen with surprise cake in honor of his 82nd birthday celebrated in May!
 Roots of Peace escorted The Sorensen's to the Napa Valley for a series of events hosted by vintners Shirley and Paul Dean. Coins were tossed into the fountain of the Grgich Hills Estate wishing well dedicated to the Mines to Vines™ initiative.
San Francisco and Ho Chi Minh City are official Sister Cities, and the goal of Roots of Peace is to build bridges of friendship across The Pacific with Vietnam. Now, over 35 years after the end of the war, we hope to plant the roots of peace from the ground up…
 The official visit to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's office (featuring a bust of President John F. Kennedy on the mantle) and his inspirational speech at The Commonwealth Club provided matchless prose with a historian's vision. With eloquence and honesty, Ted Sorensen inspired thousands in the San Francisco Bay Area by "taking us" on a tour of many of the most important moments of the second half of the American century.
Click HERE to read ABC7 News Anchor Cheryl Jennings' story about Ted Sorensen's visit to San Francisco. Click HERE to read the Marin Independent Journal article written by Noah Griffin, "The Real Roots of Peace."
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