Funding CCCO's Work for Peace
You can make a donation online with your credit card using here.
If you prefer, donations can be mailed to:
CCCO
405 14th Street #205
Oakland, CA 94612
If you have any questions or concerns, please email Wendy Carson or call her at (888) 231-CCCO.
CCCO is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Most of CCCO's income is from individual contributions and all donations are fully tax deductible. Because of the nature of our work, it is difficult for us to obtain funding from mainstream foundations or corporations. Not surprisingly, none of our support comes from the government. Support from activists and concerned individuals makes our work possible.
Join four generations of peacemakers in supporting CCCO.
David Dellinger: WWII-Era Draft Registration Resister
When the first so-called Peace-time draft was passed in 1940, I was attending divinity school and exempt from military service if I registered. But to me and seven of my colleagues, the exemption was a bribe intended to make sure that people who objected to killing their fellow humans would not speak out against war. We refused to register. Our advocacy of nonviolent methods for resolving human conflict resulted in prison sentences and subsequent arrests and jail terms. While incarcerated, I learned that even prisoners who had committed vicious crimes harbored a spark of divinity in them that was capable of asserting itself in response to the loving treatment that is at the core of nonviolent resistance.
While I stood trial as one of the Chicago 8 in 1969, CCCO stood with thousands of draft resisters and conscientious objectors facing their own trials.
When one considers the lies and deception that still serve as a cover-up for all of this country's unjust and greedy wars, one can see the importance of organizations like CCCO that spread the word about conscientious objection and loving nonviolent conflict resolution.
Paul Seaver: Korean War Draft Registration Resister
In 1950, my brother and I, inspired by the compelling example and vision of a group of young men, like Dave Dellinger, who had been imprisoned for draft resistance during WWII, notified our draft board that we would not register for the draft. The Korean War began that summer and we were arrested and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
When the Vietnam War escalated in the mid-1960s, a group of us at the Palo Alto Friends Meeting began a CO counseling service. The need for counseling, particularly for those who could not make the traditional religious claim, quickly outgrew our resources. In response, CCCO opened the San Francisco office, which provided us with materials, training and legal referrals.
Now that military recruitment is moving increasingly into the schools, it is even more vital that young people know that there are alternatives to the military both in terms of careers and a moral vision of citizenship. CCCO provides resources to educators and activists to provide this information. I believe that CCCO deserves all the support I can give it. For most young people, the choices are difficult; to provide counseling has always seemed part of the obligation we owe our brothers and sisters.
Dan Kelly: Vietnam War Resister
When I was 18 years old, wrestling with the morality of the Vietnam War, CCCO was a clear voice for personal responsibility. CCCO provided a link to a previously unknown community of conscience. I was drafted in 1966 and after publicly denouncing the draft, refused induction in January, 1967. I was convicted for draft resistance and served two years in jail.
I am currently the President of the San Francisco School Board and work with CCCO to replace military programs such as JROTC with nonviolent alternatives. CCCO has helped activists in 15 cities defeat the Pentagon's planned JROTC units by providing clear and unbiased information to the community and members of School Boards like me. CCCO continues to open doors for all who are troubled by unquestioning obedience to authority and by the continued militarization of our society.
Karen Barnes: Gulf War Conscientious Objector
Like many young people today, I joined the military thinking it was a good way to get money for college and job skills. I never thought about actually going to war. When the conflict in the Gulf started, I realized I could not fight. I needed support for my decision and turned to CCCO.
CCCO's book, Advice for Conscientious Objectors in The Armed Forces, was invaluable. With guidance from CCCO staff, I gained courage, faith, and hope, despite the overbearing and unsupportive military authorities. I came to realize that not only was my choice to file for CO status a legitimate one, but that others around the country had made similar choices. I was relieved to find that there was a whole community of individuals to help me through the process. By co-founding the GI Rights Hotline, (800) FYI-95GI, CCCO is insuring that the military resisters of today and tomorrow will get the support we need.
I am especially impressed with CCCO's concern for future generations. In the course of activism, it is so easy to get caught up in the crisis of the moment. We often forget the importance of taking preventative actions. CCCO's work to oppose JROTC addresses the need to counter the aggressive military recruitment of young people.
In a country that seems so committed to the military and war, it is vital that organizations like CCCO are there to provide education, guidance and support to those of us who choose to resist. |