By Christopher Overfelt
Chapter 97, the Kansas City chapter of Veterans for Peace, received the 2023 Chapter of the Year Award from the Veterans for Peace Board. Veterans for Peace, an international organization, works against militarism and violence in local communities and around the world. Local chapters exist throughout the United States and in other countries. The Kansas City chapter participated in several anti-war and anti-violence events throughout 2023.
Sara Campbell is president emeritus of the Kansas City chapter of Veterans for Peace. Chapter officers, including veterans and associates, are Ted John as president, Lynda McClelland as vice president, Pat McClelland as treasurer, Anna Bedinger as secretary, and Jeff Humfeld as quartermaster, and I am an active member. In 2023, members of the KC chapter participated in several PeaceWorks events, including the Memorial Day resistance at the Kansas City nuclear weapons plant and the Hiroshima/Nagasaki remembrance. Every November, on Veteran’s Day, Veterans for Peace gathers at the Liberty Memorial to honor Armistice Day. We also help prepare and serve a meal once a year to the houseless at Cherith Brook Catholic Worker House.
The 2023 award is especially significant for the Kansas City chapter. We feel that we received this award largely based on the efforts of Sara Campbell. Recently, longtime president Sara moved away from the Kansas City area to be closer to family. She worked tirelessly for many years to sustain and grow the Kansas City chapter of VFP. Chapter 97 sent the award with Sara as a fitting gift in her honor.
—Christopher Overfelt serves on the PeaceWorks KC Board. © 2023, Christopher Overfelt, Jim Hannah, Jane Stoever, Ted John, Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 International License.
