Dear Friends,

More than 11 million people in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, and Djibouti are affected by the drought. People have been displaced because of the drought and children are dying from starvation. There are more than 400,000 Somalian refugees staying in the Dadaab Camp near Kenya and the number is increasing. Recently, Adrian Edwards, the Official Representative of the UN stated that the Dadaab Camp is the world’s largest refugee camp.

Peace Valley Foundation invites you to support them and to show our friendship and brotherhood.

Peace Valley Foundation urges you to make donations through Helping Hands Relief Foundation. You can make donations by visiting their website;
www.hhrelief.org

Huntsville,  AL. Ladino Exhibition in Huntsville started on January 10 at 7:00 pm at the UAH Salmon Library Art Gallery. UAH Salmon Library opened their facilities for this cultural event. The program started with a local rabbi’s lecture, Rabbi Dr. Bernard Honan, whose ancestors were among Jews seeking refuge in Turkey during the 15th century Spanish Inquisition. Rabbi Dr. Bernard Honan gave a lecture on that culture Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011, 7 p.m., at the M. Louis Salmon Library at UAH. Rabbi Dr. Bernard Honan, a former chaplain in the U.S. Air Force and a Torah scribe, talked on the Ladino community – Jews with roots in Spain who continue to live in Turkey – as the official opening of exhibit that continue through January in the university library.

For the State of Alabama, Istanbul Center’s 2010-2011 Art & Essay Contest Awards Ceremony was held  on Saturday, March 19th at 2:30 p.m. at the 10th floor of the Auburn University Library Tower at Montgomery. Read the full story

Huntsville, AL. In July of 2009, Peace Valley foundation hosted a trip to Turkey on a journey to experience and meet Turkish people and culture and contribute to dialogue. Our distinguished guests were Don Palmer, Lizzie Palmer, Monita Soni and Abha Soni from Huntsville,AL. The group traveled across the Turkish countryside to cities such as Istanbul, Ephesus, Cappadocia, Konya on plane, bus and even boat. They shared meals with Turkish families, visited their homes, and experienced Turkish hospitality. These experiences were life changing and these interfaith conversations helped broaden the minds of both the American and Turkish peoples involved.

Huntsville, AL. People prepare the pudding at home and handout bowls of it to their neighbors. Every year, Peace Valley Foundation volunteers prepare thousands of bowls of Noah’s pudding and hand it out to its various neighbors all around Alabama.

The Huntsville Times made news on Noah’s pudding and PVF volunteers in Hunstville,AL. on January 22, 2010.

Click to the links below to read the story:

http://blog.al.com/living-times/2010/01/noahs_pudding_serves_up_delici.html

http://www.al.com/religion/huntsvilletimes/news.ssf?/base/living/1264155386209390.xml&coll=1

Huntsville, AL. Peace Valley Fountain organized the 3^rd annual essay contest titled ” Who is my neighbor? ” among high school students. The award ceremony of the contest was held at the 4^th Annual Dialogue Dinner at Huntsville, Marriott on October 15th, 2009.Winners and their teachers received cash prizes and gift cards.

1^st Place: Zachary A. Phipps- $150 CASH PRIZE

Bob Jones High School 12th Grade, Sponsoring Teacher: Mrs. Leah Faris,

Click here to read the essay

2^nd Place: Candace (Candi) Rose- $125 CASH PRIZE

Bob Jones High School 12^th Grade, Sponsoring Teacher: Brandy Panagos

3^rd Place: Isaac Espy- $100 CASH PRIZE

Bob Jones High School Grade 10th grade, Sponsoring Teacher: Leah Faris

4^th Place: Savannah McCullough- $50 Gift Card

Bob Jones High School Grade 10th grade, Sponsoring Teacher:Ms. Stefanie Peterson

5^th Place: Stephen Lombard – $50 Gift Card

New Century Technology High School 10th grade, Sponsoring Teacher: Ms. Rebecca Savage-Owens

(Honorable Mention) Austen Shipley

Bob Jones High School Grade 10th grade, Sponsoring Teacher: Ms. Stefanie Peterson

(Honorable Mention) Chantias Ford,

J. O. Johnson High School 12th Grade, Sponsoring Teacher: Joane Frieder

(Honorable Mention) Phaedra Anderson,

Lee High School 9th Grade, Sponsoring Teacher: Miss M. Sisson

People at the picture (from left-to-right) B. Dizman (PVF Dinner Host), Rex Reynolds (Deputy Mayor, Huntsville), Zachary A. Phipps (Winner), Mrs. Leah Faris (sponsoring Teacher).