Meet Our FoundersMJ and Jerry Park are peace educators with more than 35 years of experience leading year-round programs for children and adults. They founded Little Friends For Peace in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1981. MJ and Jerry brought peace-building to the D.C. Metropolitan Area after relocating their family to Mount Rainier, Maryland, in 1988. In 1999, Little Friends For Peace became a founding organization of the community-initiated Perry School Community Services Center by establishing a Peace Room for the Youth Development Department and the Sursum Corda neighborhood. Since then, they have brought their peace curriculum as far as China and El Salvador. The Parks are proud parents of 6 children. In both raising their family and in their work, they believe that peace is a way of life. In July 2006, LFFP was officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit, and it continues to operate through dedicated, individual donor support.
Board of Directors
|
The Little Friends for Peace curriculum is based on the philosophy that peace begins with you. When we find the peace inside each one of us, we can all become peacemakers and spread peace to our communities, our countries, and the world. 
|
Books & Publications
Our Recommended Publications
How Full is Your Bucket?
Tom Rath, Mary Reckmeyer, Maurie J. Manning Through a little boy named Felix, readers learn how "put ups" and kindness can fill one's bucket. When things don't go so well, or when people put us down, our bucket gets tipped. |
The Peace Book
Todd Parr Using fun illustrations, Parr takes children through some simple building blocks of peace. Simple statements like, "Peace is keeping the water blue for all the fish," will create an idea of what it means to have peace. |
Awards & Accolades
|
JAMS Foundation & The Association for Conflict Resolution
LFFP and Action in Montgomery County (AIM) were awarded a grant to support their 2-year joint project, In the Shelter of Each Other: From Personal Wellness to Empowered Community. This project centers on two adjoining elementary schools in Montgomery County, Maryland: St. Francis International School and JoAnn Leleck School. Both schools serve highly diverse populations, including a high percentage of immigrants, and about 10% of the students are African American. The most common environmental condition to the students at both schools is trauma. The proposed project will implement conflict resolution learning and practice through services and opportunities provided to teachers, staff, parents, students, and the surrounding community. The goal is to meet urgent needs identified by community members, including gang violence prevention and safe spaces for children. |
Saint Francis International School
MJ and Jerry Park and were recognized on May 11, 2016, for their work in partnership with Saint Francis International School. Msgr. John Enzler and Deacon Jim Shanahan from Catholic Charities DC celebrated the Innovations in Catholic Education Award from Today's Catholic Teacher magazine, and the school's peacemaking project that was the focus of the award. During Mass, Fr. Jacek Orzechowski, O.F.M., explained the importance of peacemaking in the message of Jesus and the central role that peacemaking plays in the Franciscan tradition. |
LFFP proudly partners with many organizations around the DC metropolitan area. From churches to schools to other
non-profits, LFFP is happy to build relationships with organizations that share our dedication to interrupting violence and creating a culture of peace. Together, we can transform our world. To partner with LFFP fill out an application here:
non-profits, LFFP is happy to build relationships with organizations that share our dedication to interrupting violence and creating a culture of peace. Together, we can transform our world. To partner with LFFP fill out an application here: