A golden orange glow softly made its way through the windows at the Universal Sheraton Hotel as the doors opened for the Institute for Individual and World Peace (IIWP) Donors Thank You Seminar. The seminar is an annual event sponsored by IIWP as a way to say thank you to donors, report on the Institute’s wins and activities for the year, renew support for the Institute, and give everyone an opportunity to celebrate and deepen our commitment to the Institute’s mission: To identify and present the processes that lead to peace.

The Institute was founded by John-Roger in 1982, and is a vehicle that supports the Travelers’ ministry of peace on the planet.

Our MC for the evening, Stu Semigran, opened the evening by calling in the Light and calling for a blessing of peace to go out to the world. IIWP Managing Director David Rogers then came to the stage and thanked all participants for our contributions and putting our bodies on the line. David noted that it is the consciousness of peace that we hold that really makes a difference and it is our job, collectively, to choose back to peace. One of his chief observations about the Institute’s work during this past year was the depth of two of the core principles that Institute teaches: Peace is present, and Peace is a choice. David shared how those two principles have been reassuring people who have contacted the Institute during the challenges of this past year.

There were two beautifully creative videos shown for the attendees. IIWP Representative Leigh Taylor-Young hosted the first video, sharing about how the Institute has been putting principles and processes of peace in action through activities including: