OFFICE & STORE HOURS
Monday-Thursday 10 am- 5 pm
Saturday 10 am - 2 pm
Closed Fridays & Sundays
LOCATION & CONTACT
612 N. Main
Newton, KS 67114
316-284-0000
STAFF
Myrna Krehbiel
Director
Marva Weigelt
Administrative Associate
Marlene Smucker
Volunteer Store Manager
Karen Dickson/Kent Dick
Volunteer Bookkeepers
Wanda Pumphrey
Bill Reynolds
Glenda Reynolds
Circles of Hope Staff
Laurie Oswald-Robinson
Coordinator of Fund Development
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Cathy Anderson
Stan Bohn
Margaret Goering
Shafiq Hasan
Judy Hawk
Gary Rediger
Jeanette Stucky
Justin Thaw
Mary Sue Voth
Mel Voth
Peace Connections recognizes the relationship between poverty and peace and works to develop resources, educate our community and inspire change. Our major investments in this focus area are Circles of Hope and the Kids Summer Food & Activity Program.
Circles of Hope. This initiative aimed at ending poverty one family at a time has its own section on our website. Go to Circles of Hope
Kids Summer Food & Activity Program. With 59% of our Newton-area students eligible for free and reduced lunches during the school year, this program meets a significant need. Each summer since 2006 we have partnered with churches, businesses and schools—including USD 373 and the U.S. Department of Agriculture—to coordinate a program offering free breakfasts, lunches and activities to all Newton children ages 1-18 during the summer. Nearly 10,000 meals are served each year, with volunteers providing much of the personal investment that makes this possible. Check back in March or April to print your own Volunteer Form or Program Application Form.
Peace Connections provides resources on the power of nonviolence as we relate to ourselves and others:
Pledge of Nonviolence. Making peace must start within ourselves and our families—pledge to respect self/ others, communicate, listen, forgive, respect nature, play creatively and be courageous
Season for Nonviolence. A national 64-day campaign dedicated to practicing nonviolence as a powerful way to heal, transform and empower our lives and communities.
Peace Connections is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
©2011 Peace Connections
Peace Connections celebrates the peace that is already within us and equips us to be more effective peacemakers in everyday life through a variety of resources for all ages and interests. These community resources include:
Gift Shop. Visit our store in downtown Newton to find resources and gifts focused on peace-building (see Peace Shop for a preview).
Community Space. We offer a place where individuals and groups are invited to gather for meetings and meals.
Breathing Room. Use this quiet space for stepping out of the busy world and into meditation and prayer. Join us on the first Monday of every month for a Be the Peace meditation from 12:10-12:50.
Card Making. Use your creativity and our collection of rubber stamps to help you make and share a message of peace, love and respect.
Newton Giving Garden. Peace Connections, partnering with Harvey County Horticulture Agent, Master Gardeners and the City of Newton, has created a community garden at 6th & Pine. The garden is affiliated with the U.S.-wide organization, Plant a Row for the Hungry. The produce is donated to those who do not have access to fresh, healthy food.
Download a Peace Connections brochure
RECOGNITION
As our leadership, location and programs have altered in response to changing needs over the last three decades, peace and social justice remain central to the vision, while simplicity and sustainability continue as the touchstones of our operational philosophy. This quality of intention has resulted in several awards:
- 2011 Kingdom Class Award to Circles of Hope from Missional Church Network
- 2010 Woman of the Year award to Peace Connections Director, Myrna Krehbiel, The Newton Kansan
- 2009 Friends of Education Award in the Partner Activity category, South Central Kansas School Public Relations Association
- 2008 Award for Collaborative Excellence, Kansas Association of Community Action Agencies (KACAP)
- 2007 It's All Good, Sierra Scott, KPTS TV
About Peace Connections
Peace Connections is a community-based non-profit that began humbly and heartfully in 1983 as the Newton Area Peace Center and opened its first office above Druber's Donut Shop in downtown Newton, Kansas, a Midwestern town of just over 18,000 residents.
To visitors from larger metropolitan areas it might seem a bit unusual that a relatively small population center (our entire county has fewer than 35,000 persons) has an organization dedicated to peace and social justice. Peace Connections is one of several local, faith-based organizations addressing human rights issues in the region because of a shared ethic and understanding that peace on earth must begin right where we live, wherever poverty or other forms of inequity are evident.
The fruits of our mission have been many over the last three decades. The illustration below shows Peace Connections' current primary services and initiatives, each of which advances at least one of our three mission focus-areas, as explained in greater detail below.
JUSTICE
NON-VIOLENCE
WELL-BEING
Peace Connections is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
©2012 Peace Connections
