On November 5, they will be honoring country queen Dolly Parton with the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Peacemaker Award this year at the We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) Gala. “It is a very humbling experience to have the honor of presenting an award in my son’s name and legacy to the living legend that is Dolly Parton. What touches my heart is that she not only chose to accept this award, but that she is also proud of what this award stands for, and she is publicly sharing her celebration of Mattie’s peace message and mission,” she said.
“This will be an epic evening,” she said, about the 2019 WAFF Gala. “A celebration of the best of humanity, a reminder that peace is possible and that youth and celebrities and global neighbors are sharing their time and talents and energy and resources to rebuild the mosaic of humanity, and an all-around fun time and great concert with Dolly Parton, Nile Rodgers, and Chic.”
Last year’s honoree for the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Peacemaker Award was Roger Daltrey, CBE, the lead singer of The Who. “Roger and I connected in the weeks after the WAFF event, and when I say ‘connected,’ I mean that we not only met and chatted, but that we have so many similar interests and endeavors for creating peace and fostering hope and resiliency, and we have talked about creating some type of collaborative project or activity that brings our visions and efforts together for a greater and positive impact for youth and adults,” she said.
“Mattie’s Peace Day, both the National campaign and the local celebrations, have grown tremendously in the past few years,” she said. “As Mattie knew, our world is filled with generally and genuinely good people. What we see in the news is not reflecting that truth. But we see that global neighbors, youth and adults diverse in race and religion and other realities, are seeking peace.”
“We now have hundreds and hundreds of leaders and family members who gather together. for cake and conversation, for crafts and games, for entertainment and food and drink, for fun and community connections. and most of all, to help #MakePeaceTheNews. Mattie’s Peace Day 2020 will take place on July 11 in the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park – anticipate an epic celebration,” she elaborated.
“We have added a #ToastToPeace element to our Peace Day Celebration. and this is something that we are celebrating monthly, at different locations around the country from porches to pubs – many people, many places, one purpose – peace,” she explained.
On her future plans, she said, “We hope to have 500 to 1,000 ‘global neighbors’ from around the block to around the world gather to celebrate peace in honor of Mattie’s birthday in 2020, and also in honor of the 15 year anniversary of his namesake foundation.”
“We also hope to move our National Peace Day Campaign forward. It began with 10,000 signatures from leaders and citizens across the country, and a local celebration here in Rockville, Maryland. We now have the growing attention of other cities and counties and organizations, whose leaders and citizens are committed to creating and celebrating peace in their areas,” she said.
She continued, “We have moved from Rockville City to Montgomery and Howard Counties to the entire state of Maryland issuing ‘Peace Day Proclamations’ to honor Mattie’s birthday, with a day dedicated to learning about peace as a personal and community choice, through recreational and educational activities that combine service and celebration.”
“We also have more and more leaders at local and state and national levels supporting and participating in this effort, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Governor Larry Hogan (R-MD). And we have schools and businesses joining the effort and we are spreading beyond Maryland, to places like Americus and Plains, Georgia in the past year and now Wisconsin in the coming year,” she said.
She hopes to have a special preview of where we are with the Mattie documentary in conjunction with the 2020 Peace Day Celebrations, which is titled I Am… a Mosaic of Mattie and it will hopefully be completed during 2020.
“We hope to expand the #MakePeaceTheNews activities (peace celebrations and our Pathways to Peace Program) and the #ToastToPeace celebrations to more places,” she said.
Regarding the title of the current chapter of her life, she said, “Wow and Thank You.” “The Mama Peace daily toast to someone, something, and somehow. The facts are my life story is filled with so many challenges, medical challenges related to neuromuscular disease and cancer, personal challenges related to the loss of my children, logistic challenges and more. But the truth of my life story is that I am filled with gratitude, and awe, and a belief in and commitment to teaching and inspiring and creating peace, and I am surrounded by so many good people and communities that are like-minded and share in that spirit of hope,” she said.
On November 8, they will be hosting the “Toast to Peace” event in New York at Pete’s Saloon, which is their first event in New York. For more information, click here. “We will be celebrating with firefighters, family, and friends, the life and legacy of Mattie J.T. Stepanek, the late teen poet & peace activist who left us inspired with Heartsongs and rebuilding the mosaic of humanity,” she said.
“Join us in a Toast to Peace. A portion of the food and drink proceeds and all donations to support Mattie’s Foundation. Filming for the documentary will take place during this event,” she added.
To learn more about the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation, check out its official website.
