“GIVE US YOUR 2 CENTS FOR PEACE”
Two Communities Commemorate 9/11 with Roots of Peace Penny Campaign Events

First Event on Sept. 11, 2007:
Where: San Rafael, California--San Rafael High School gym, 185 Mission Ave.
When: 1:55-2:40 PM —Media Invited

San Rafael High School (SRHS) will host a special student assembly to honor the memory of those lost on “9/11,” recognize the everyday heroic efforts of local police and fire departments and kick-off the annual Roots of Peace Penny Campaign to raise money to help remove landmines in war-torn countries and build safe schools and playing fields.

Hollywood celebrity Diane Baker, members of Pablo Cruise Band, and city dignitaries will take part in the ceremony. Nearly 1,000 SRHS students, many who came to the U.S. from the mine-affected countries in Central America and Southeast Asia, will explore the landmine issue in post-conflict countries such as Afghanistan, while collecting pennies for this peaceful mission.

“It is a great honor to take part in supporting peace worldwide and to have our diverse student body, so representative of the world, launch this noteworthy campaign on September 11th,” said Judith Colton, Principal at San Rafael High School.

Second Event on Sept. 11, 2007:
Where: St. Helena, California Park, Main Street
When: 6:00 PM—Media Invited

The community of St. Helena will host a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony with special recognition of the St. Helena firefighters and policeman and a kick-off of the Roots of Peace Penny Campaign. Attending will be Mayor Del Britton and legendary vintners Robert and Margrit Mondavi and Mike Grgich, who have supported Roots of Peace since its inception in 1997.  

The MINES to VINES initiative has helped to replace the scourge of landmines with the nectar of grapes as a tangible way to restore economic vitality to war-torn countries. Baskets of fresh grapes will be presented by vintners, families, and civic leaders in a symbolic call to action to transform the “seeds of terror” into “seeds of hope” during an Interfaith “Blessing of the Grapes.”

The community will also bring their “pennies for peace” to remove landmines and restore communities.

Thousands of clusters of grapes will be gathered in an effort to stomp out cluster bombs and landmines that yield only a lethal harvest for farmers living in an estimated 70 countries where 70 million mines are planted.

Background:
The annual Penny Campaign was launched on September 11, 2003 by ABC 7 TV news anchor Cheryl Jennings, Roots of Peace founder Heidi Kuhn and her then 16-year-old daughter Kyleigh Kuhn, who will all be on hand for the upcoming 9/11 events to kick-off the campaigns. Over 15 million pennies have been collected since the campaign first launched and have been put to use in Afghanistan to remove landmines, repair and build schools and soccer fields, restoring safe places to learn and play for Afghan children. The Penny Campaign projects have removed a minefield next to the Bajgah school, repaired school buildings and put in soccer and playground equipment at the boys’ and girls’ schools in Bagram, and transformed a tent school into an eight-room school house with sanitary restrooms. “I have been deeply touched by the response from civic-minded American children who have expressed a sincere desire to serve humankind, not just here at home, but elsewhere in the world," said Heidi Kuhn.

Roots of Peace, a California-based humanitarian non-profit organization, is honored to pay tribute to those lost on 9/11. Its mission is dedicated to inspiring youth and communities to give their 2 cents for peace to heal the wounds of war in Afghanistan. Roots of Peace will join community events on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 in both San Rafael and St. Helena. The goal is to raise both funds and awareness regarding the removal of an estimated 10 million landmines and UXO which prevent the seeds of democracy from being sown in Afghanistan, the most heavily mined country in the world. Landmines represent terror at ground zero, claiming between 100 and 150 new victims each month in Afghanistan. Removal is imperative. It costs about $3 to plant a landmine and about $1,000 to remove it.