August 7, 2012
Dear Friends of Alicia,
Thank you for your past contributions, for your continued love and support and for believing in our vision of a world in which peace and justice prevail. To date, thanks to all of you, The Alicia Titus Memorial Peace Fund has raised over $51,000. This year, with the profits from Alicia’s Peace Run on September 8, 2012 and other funds, we will start a Scholarship Fund in Alicia’s name that will be housed at Urbana University. Our hope is that eventually we will be able to endow a permanent scholarship to help students with financial need committed to changing our world in a positive way.
Another year has come and gone as we approach the eleventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks against our country that took so many lives, including Alicia’s. Our world was forever changed on that fateful day! Consequently, we have been at war for nearly eleven years; and we are no closer to peace than we were then! The sad truth is that we live in a culture of violence! Our children are exposed to the horrors of violence daily in life and through the media depictions; some of it is all too real, most of it is merely for entertainment. Acceptance of this can no longer be the norm!
Most people long for a world of peace. But, how do we bring this about? Is war really the solution? Or are we merely ensuring that this “cycle of violence” will continue for generations to come? There are no easy answers; but, through Alicia’s Peace Fund, we are working on finding a better way. Last year for the 10th anniversary we organized five days of peace-building events including presentations by Alicia’s parents, John and Bev, Betsy Coffman, Dr. Steven Jones and Dr. Dorothy (Dot) Maver, President of the National Peace Academy. We presented at public forums, engaged students in the classrooms for dialogue about peace-building and creating a culture of peace, started a Student Peace Alliance and hosted a 5K Run for Peace. Our friend, author, spiritual leader and international speaker, Marianne Williamson once stated that if each of us who truly believe in peace completely committed ourselves to this cause, we could indeed change the world; after all, look what a few committed terrorists did on 9/11!
Bev and I continue to speak on issues of peace and justice and have traveled far and wide to do so. We are committed to this cause for the sake of our children and grandchildren. As the Bible states, there is “a time for war and a time for peace”. It is now time for peace!
Peace be with you,
John and Bev Titus
Download entry form for The Alicia Titus Memorial Peace Run
5K & 1 Mile Walk/Run for Peace
Download a poster for this year's run.