"Because of you, we are!" - A letter from Euphrates team member Hollister Thomas

Victor Garpulee (2nd from right) and some of his team of peace leaders.

For over a decade, the Euphrates community has been cultivating meaningful relationships with peace leaders all over the world. This is what drew me into the community as a supporter, donor, and now team member. I am part of heart-centered, intentional community building that is rooted in connection and passionately choosing peace every day. 

In a recent WhatsApp exchange with Victor Garpulee, a peace leader from Liberia, I was struck by the sacred reciprocity of love and encouragement. In response to my observation of his compassionate leadership, Victor quickly responded “Because of you, we are.” Without hesitation, I replied, “We are because of you!” We are intertwined in our pursuit to be change makers and peace leaders. 

And this intertwined pursuit includes you, our community of supporters, donors, friends, and family. “Because of YOU, we are.” Our mission to equip, connect, and uplift grassroots peace leaders is only achievable because of the compassionate support from friends and family members who generously give to make our programs accessible to leaders worldwide.

Your support has helped us launch and sustain a program that has served 78 leaders in 34 countries within the past 2.5 years, and has impacted thousands of community members through local events, workshops, and initiatives that uplift peace leadership. The Peace Practice Alliance is “because of you.” Thank you!

In the upcoming year, we look forward to deepening these meaningful relationships by gathering peace leaders in-person and further investing in broadcasting their stories, wisdom, and peace practices. We will host a Regional Forum for peace leaders, including Victor, in West Africa in 2023, and expand our peace practice archive through multimedia storytelling. These developments will progress our collective practices of peace leadership, strengthen connections, and widen the reach of peace leaders’ work and inspiration.

Thank you for being a part of our community and making this work possible. If you're able, we'd love it if you could make a donation to support peace leaders around the world. Please consider making your donation a monthly one by clicking on "recurring" when donating. Monthly support helps create the stability Euphrates needs to continue to support the work of these peace leaders and expand our programs. We deeply appreciate any support you are able to provide.

As Victor and I signed off from our text exchange, his concluding words touched my heart. I want to share that encouragement with you: “It is your love that brought us where we are. A community that demonstrates love, motivates its members, and that is YOU Euphrates.”

Thank you for all you do to help this community thrive!

With deep appreciation,

Hollister Thomas
Head of Community Engagement