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SOCIAL JUSTICE
ACTIVITIES
For more information
on any activity, please contact fusssac@fussonline.org
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On Sunday, August 25, 2002, the Interfaith Peace Walk started
out from Schenectady, aiming to arrive in New York City on
September 11. FUSS members participated in a portion of the
walk. The walk is sponsored by the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist
order, Grafton Peace Pagoda, led by Jun-san Yasuda.
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AIDS Walk http://www.aidswalk-capitalregion.org/
Volunteer Time and Requirements:
One Sunday afternoon in September/ walk 2-3 mile through Washington
Park in Albany and solicit donations.
Address: Washington
Park Lake House, Albany, NY
FUSS Contact: Jill Masterson
The annual Capital Region AIDSWalk raises urgently
needed funds for the fight against AIDS. The money raised through
this event will support the efforts of Capital Region AIDS organizations
that provide AIDS prevention, medical care and support services.
A Regional Initiative Supporting
Empowerment (ARISE)
Volunteer Time and Requirements:
Varies/FUSS ARISE Core Team meets on every second Monday of the
month at 7pm at FUSS.
Address: Schenectady,
Albany, Troy, and Saratoga counties
FUSS Contact: Paula Simpson
A faith-based community organizing project
covering four counties. Their purpose is to bring together congregations
and other membership organization in the Capital Region as a strong
coalition able to identify shared community concerns, to define
solutions, and to develop an effective voice for positive social,
political, and social change. FUSS has been a member since June
2001 and is one of the 38 member organizations.
Civil Liberties Committee
Volunteer Time and Requirements: attend monthly meeting; any additional
time required to help organize events, contact speakers, etc.
Address: FUSS
FUSS Contact: Nancy Peterson
The Civil Liberties Committee was established because of civil
liberties concerns both at home and abroad, serving as a discussion
forum. We also organize events such as speakers and films about
current issues, particularly those that threaten civil liberties.
Political and social concerns related to our elections are also
a focus of this group.
Citizens for Global Solutions www.globalsolutions.org
Volunteer Time and Requirements: conference call at 12:30, every
other Saturday of the month, committee meeting last Wedesday of
the month at 7 pm in fireplace room. Time varies for letter writing
campaigns and speakers.
Address: FUSS
FUSS Contact: Jackie Foster,
Katy Leonard
Citizens for Global Solutions, a grassroots membership organization, envisions
a future in which nations work together to abolish war, protect our rights
and freedoms, and solve the problems facing humanity that no nation can solve
alone. We invite you to work with us on our campaigns to promote the International
Criminal Court, reform United Nations peace operations, and encourage our government
to adopt a multilateral foreign policy that emphasizes cooperation with international
institutions and our allies.
Crop Walk http://cwscrop.org/newyork/
Volunteer Time and Requirements:
The third Sunday of May/ solicit donations and walk a specified
3 mile route through Schenectady, including part of Central Park. The
walk starts at St. Luke's School in Schenectady, NY.
FUSS Contact: Members of the Social Action Council
Annual fund-raising event that fights hunger
locally and globally. The Schenectady Crop Walk continues to
be the
largest in New York State and is in the top twenty in the country.
Last year they raised $59,358 with 950 walkers.
Martin Luther King March http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1998/mlk.page/
Volunteer Time and Requirements:
Marching in a parade one afternoon in January.
Address:
Schenectady
FUSS Contact: Members of the Social Action Council
Dr. King described his goals most eloquently
in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the historic Civil Rights
March on Washington in 1964. He prophetically described a future
in which our children are judged "not by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character”. This march is in honor
of his work and a reminder that civil rights is still an important
goal.
Peace and Justice Award Peace Site
Volunteer Time and Requirements:
varies
Address: FUSS
FUSS Contact: Jackie Foster
The Schenectady Peace Site was created in
1984 as a meeting place for people who have interest in promoting
peace
domestically and internationally. This work for peace includes;
studying, preparing educational materials, writing letters, and
preparing speeches. Members of the Peace Site often join in programs
and conferences sponsored by the World Federalist Association.
Both
organizations focus their efforts on strengthening the United Nations
and lobbying the United States Congress on peacekeeping and conflict
resolution legislation.
Remove Intoxicated Drivers (RID) http://www.crisny.org/not-for-profit/ridusa/
Volunteer Time and Requirements-varies
Address: PO
Box 520, Schenectady, NY 12301
FUSS Contact: Doris Aiken, President of RID
RID’s mission is to deter impaired driving,
and teen binge drinking that often leads to intense trauma for all
concerned. They are advocates for victims, enablers of tough laws,
and watchdogs for law enforcement and adjudication in the courts.
They educate the public about the impact of abusive alcohol use
on life and health with materials, public awareness campaigns, and
intense media interactions.
(UFETA) Unitarians for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals http://www.uua.org/ufeta/
Volunteer Times and Requirements:
Varies
Address: varies
FUSS Contact: Dolores Wilson
UFETA is an organization that believes the movement
to end animal abuse presents us with one of the most pressing moral
issues of our time. Drawing on our UU principles and upon rich religious
and philosophical traditions, we aim to deepen our awareness of
this moral issue, reaching out to other religious and ethical individuals
to shape a vision of liberation that will include all creation
Unitarian Universalist Partnership Church Council http://www.uua.org/uupcc/about_us.html
Volunteer Times and Requirements: varies
Address: FUSS and Marosvasarhely, Transylvania
FUSS Contact: Dan Leonard
FUSS has had a partner church in Marosvasarhely, Transylvania
since May 2003. Groups from our church will be visiting Transylvania
this year. The Vision of the UU Partner Church Council is that
partner relationships between North American congregations and
churches around the globe will be forged and sustained wherever
they are desired -- and that all of these relationships will
be
of high quality, firmly based, mutually beneficial, responsibly
sustained, and linked by a joint and mutual covenant. The focus this
year of the FUSS partnership committee is fundraising and planning
trips in the future.
(UUSC) Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
http://www.uusc.org
Volunteer Times and Requirements:
varies
Address: varies
FUSS Contact: Kevin O'Connor
UUSC is a nonsectarian organization that promotes
human rights and social justice worldwide. Their programs are based
on Unitarian Universalist principles that affirm the worth, dignity
and human rights of every person. Through a combination of advocacy,
education and partnerships with grassroots organizations, UUSC supports
programs and policies that empower women, defend the rights of children
and support the struggles of indigenous people and oppressed racial
and ethnic groups.
Elinor Linberg selling UUSC Holiday Greeting Cards while UUSC contributors
sign the FUSS Christmas Card
(UUSC) Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Coffee Project http://www.uusc.org/info/coffeeproject.html
Volunteer Times and Requirements:
varies
FUSS Contact: Lois Porter
The UUSC Coffee Project was launched in June
2001, just as world coffee market prices were beginning to collapse.
During its first year, the Unitarian Universalist congregations
across the country increasingly were making a difference in the
lives of small coffee farmers. At least 200 UU congregations now
participate, purchasing over 10,000 pounds of fairly traded coffee
and offering hope to small farmers at a critical time. Fair trade
coffee, purchased under the UUSC partnership project with Equal
Exchange, a worker-owned fair trade organization founded in 1986,
is used at the FUSS coffee hour. Packages of fair trade coffee are
also available for purchase at the Social Action Council table in
the Great Hall after Sunday services.
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