By Jane Stoever
Energy and excitement. Ann Suellentrop never fails to give us those. A PeaceWorks Board member since 2008, Ann has found two women to go with her on her annual DC trek to lobby for a nuke-free world. They needed financial assistance. Ann found it. They wanted to spread the word about it later. They’ve promised that. Way to go!
This annual DC lobbying, called DC Days, is part and parcel of the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, a national network of organizations addressing issues of nuclear weapons production and waste cleanup. Ann was its president for several years in the last decade. The ANA mandatory lobbying-training day, April 23 this year, will help prepare participants for the April 24-26 meetings with government officials and House and Senate members and staff.
Part of the annual PeaceWorks budget is $300 for ANA—that will cover the ANA registration for Ann, Kristin Scheer (also a PeaceWorks Board member), and Luisa Olarte. Doubling those dollars, ANA will send PeaceWorks a $600 scholarship award that will cover the KC-DC-KC plane fares for the three. In addition, a friend of Ann’s donated $150—help for grabbing a meal in the Capitol cafeteria or nearby. “We have found free housing through the DC Catholic Worker for Luisa and Ann, and Kristin will stay with a friend,” wrote Ann in an email Feb. 17. “Luisa volunteered to write a report in both English and Spanish for our website!” Ann added, “We are making Peace Work!!!”
Replies from PeaceWorks past and current Board members came fast. “Bravo, and safe journey,” emailed Henry Stoever.
“Fantastic!” emailed Bennette Dibben, saying she was “looking forward to hearing and reading about your experiences. It’s totally AWESOME that Luisa will be writing about it in both Spanish and English.”
“Write on!” encouraged Charles Carney.
“Great news!” emailed Jim Hannah. “PeaceWorks will be well represented as you lend your weight toward the tipping point of nuclear weapons abolition.”
—Jane Stoever is a past PeaceWorks Board member. (c) 2023, Jane Stoever, Ann Suellentrop, Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 International License.
