In Memory: Deora Bodley

As a representative of September 11th Families of Peaceful Tomorrow’s, and as an individual person who knows first-hand the tragedy of losing a loved one to the senseless violence of man's inhumanity to man, I am happy to make a special gift to the Roots of Peace “Making Change Work”’ Penny Drive. How happy I was to find that an organization such as Roots of Peace, dedicated to making a change for the betterment of those suffering from the ravages of war, had chosen to use the concept of change -- coins in everyone's pockets -- to remind people to “make” some “change” in the world, in particular to help the agencies around the world involved in demining programs. Mines are among the most inhumane implements devised by human beings, designed to maim, disable and kill faceless “others” in war zones for years to come. The world's leaders need to ratify and abide by a plan to eliminate landmines from the vocabulary of human activities. Until then, the people of the world must collectively support the efforts of governments and humanitarian organizations such as Roots of Peace in ridding the lands of all nations of the scourge of existing landmines. This is a “change” we can all agree on.

My own decision to collect and use special change in a special way came immediately after September 11th. My daughter, Deora Bodley, was one of the heroes on Flight 93, which crashed in the countryside of Pennsylvania when the passengers refused to allow the hijackers to fly the plane to Washington DC. When I tried to understand what I could do in response to this tragedy, I decided I had to “make a change”, and I spoke on September 14th at an interfaith rally in Stockton, California, explaining that I would not spend any of the new-style “state” quarters which I was receiving in change on a daily basis. To this day, I have not spent any of these beautiful coins. On January 1st, 2003, I gave the first collection of over $300 of this special change to the Interfaith Ministries of Stockton. During the past year, from that date until January 1st, 2004, I have personally accumulated another $300 in “states” quarters. It's not at all hard to do. When I heard about Roots of Peace’s “Making Change Work” program, I decided that this was exactly like the personal plan I had made for myself.

Having visited Afghanistan twice, once in January of 2002 and again in January of this year, I have seen the ravages of the violence of war and its aftermath, including the havoc wrought by the millions of Russian landmines, the tens of thousands of unexploded U.S. cluster bombs, and the untold number of unexploded ordinance -- artillery shells, bombs, bullets, and rockets -- which are scattered everywhere in that nation. In my last visit, I saw the efforts of the UN demining programs, including the humanitarian demining that is going on in Afghanistan, thanks to the financial support of groups such as Roots of Peace.

Therefore, I wish to dedicate and “make this change work” for the programs of Roots of Peace in Afghanistan, supporting the rejuvenation of the lands of that country, to provide income, safety and pleasure to the people who live there. I expect that as the new "states" quarters come more and more into circulation, next year’s collection will be even bigger!

Let us not forget the wonderful work that is being done at the front of this process, by the International Coalition to Ban Landmines, ICBL, and other groups who are attempting to prevent the institution of instruments of violence and destruction in the first place. To stop the cycle of violence and inhumanity in the beginning is preferable to cleaning up the devastation which is left at its end. At the same time, we must support -- with our voices, our actions, and our own personal “change” -- Roots of Peace and the wonderful work of the humanitarian demining programs in Afghanistan which they have sponsored. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to add my voice, action, and “change” to yours on this occasion.

Sincerely,

Derrill Bodley, father of Deora Bodley (4/8/81 - 9/11/01)
Founding Member, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrow’s