From the Executive Director

What's Happening at BPF

Dearest Ones,

First, I would like to first let everyone know that we have had a strong response to our spring appeal, exceeding donations from last year this time.  In addition, we received a gift of $99,000 from a trust fund of an anonymous BPF supporter who has passed away. Thank you members for continuing to support us in these tough times.  We greatly appreciate your commitment to the vision of BPF and your dedication to see that there is a BPF for the next generation.

I wanted to let you know a little about what is happening here in the National Office:

As we have just concluded our board/staff retreat to re-group and envision the future for BPF. This work retreat will focus on BPF's programmatic focus, fundraising, membership communication, Board structure, and relationship between staff and Board.

On June 5th we invited long time supporters of BPF to join us in for brunch and dialogue about the changes at BPF and what is needed to strengthen the infrastructure of the organization.

The speakers’ series has been an engaging experience as one by one members and guests talk about issues in which the dharma is the basis for social action. Alan Senauke, Sr. Advisor to BPF and founder of the Clear View Project and Nyunt Than, head of the Burmese American Democratic Alliance encouraged us to remember the people of Burma. At our reception for Dhamma Moli, the nuns spoke of all teachings of Buddha as social action in relationship to their work in preventing girls from being sold for sex trafficking. We ended the talk with a chant from their tradition. BPF Board Member Chris Wilson's story of the soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress was a true story of a bodhisattva engaging in liberation.

Our next talk will be June 19th with Jakada Imani, Executive Director of the Ella Baker Center in Oakland. He will speak on youth and incarceration.  Ella Baker's goal is to close all the prisons for youth and replace them with educational institutions. The talk will serve as the beginning of BPF entering into the arena of incarcerated youth and forming a working collaboration with like-minded organizations. We have already agreed to join the following coalition of organizations for the Summer of Peace 2010 working for peace/non-violence among Bay Area youth: Ella Baker Center, Green For All. Bay NVC, American Friends Service Committee, Women of Color Resource Center, Arts in Action, Institute of Noetic Sciences, Challenge Day, Urban Peace, Paths to Change, The Peace Alliance/Peace Partnership International, and Covenant House.

This summer we will have an intern join us from the Metta Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice to conduct research and develop collaborations with like minded organizations around our three campaigns: Right to Practice/International work in Asia, One Peace/Non-Violence and Too Young to Do Time. You will be hearing from us about what we are finding in future newsletters.

Turning Wheel has an interim Senior Editor, Minal Hajratwala (long term Buddhist practitioner and journalist) helping to produce a wonderful 30th Anniversary issue to be distributed in September. I want to express my gratitude to Minal for creating a production schedule in which we have received all of the articles and essays three months before distribution of the issue. Bows to Minal and to Patricia Tumang for taking on Turning Wheel at an incredible time of transitions.  We are thrilled with their work.

In addition, I want to say "nine bows" to Rosalie Z Fanshel and Caroline Acuña, our Membership Coordinators, for jumping in head first to produce the speakers series, a major donor brunch, participate on the 30th Anniversary event committee, produce and distribute fundraising appeal letters, while learning to navigate our membership database. All of this they did in three months!!

Finally, I would like to thank Oren Sofer for standing by my side during this time. His presence and willingness to stay at BPF and practice the dharma whether it is comfortable or not, is commendable. The list of his accomplishments here is much too long to list. Thank you Oren for serving BPF in the deepest way.

So, as you can see there is forward movement at BPF and your support has enabled us to continue. I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in the near future. I will be away the month of July, as I head out to Mongolia for the 10th Sakyadhita Conference for Buddhist Women and then on to New Mexico for a women's Lakota Sundance. When I return there will be the big roll up the sleeves time as we prepare for the 30th Anniversary Event. Please join us for that occasion, Saturday, October 18, 2008. Save the date!

In peace,

Zenju Earthlyn Manuel