FROM APRIL, ANOTHER FWer:

Dear Friends, Family & Colleagues,

As most of you know, DIA is not the only org close to my heart. This time I'm asking for your help with my other baby: The Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC).

On the road from the Baghdad airport one year ago this week, my dear friend, Marla Ruzicka, was killed by a suicide bomber while advocating on behalf of victims of the war.
Before she died, I promised to keep CIVIC going should anything happen to her. Well, along with our dedicated Board of Directors and staff, we're making good on that promise. In January (after a long, painful process) we hired a new Executive Director and
Associate Director, Sarah Holewinski and Marla Bertagnolli. They are both amazing and 100% dedicated to CIVIC's mission.

I continue to be involved with CIVIC on a near daily basis as a board member. For the past couple of weeks, we've been working at a frantic pace to launch a new website (check it out! www.civicworldwide.org) and a week-long advocacy campaign to raise awareness
about the human dimension of war and give a voice to people in Iraq and Afghanistan
whose lives have been devastated by the continued violence.

So first, I just want a few minutes of your time. As part of our week of advocacy, we launched a photo campaign called "I Care". To help us make this campaign a success and form a powerful visual of community and hope, just write "I Care" on a piece of paper and have someone snap a pic of you. You can then upload your photo along with hundreds of others here: *icare.civicworldwide.org*
Thanks to everyone who already uploaded their pics!

Please also sign up to receive our alerts and participate in our "week of action"


*action.civicworldwide.org/dia/o...Up.jsp

Lastly, I'm going to ask for your financial support. CIVIC is still a very small organization with very little foundation support. We rely on individual donations to keep our work going and every little bit helps.

I've personally set a goal for myself to raise $5,000 ~~ any support you can give is so very much appreciated!

*To help me reach my goal, you can donate to CIVIC
here:

secure.democracyinaction.org/civ....jsp

Thank you so much for supporting my work -- it means the world to me.

~April

p.s. ok, one more thing. help us spread the word about our campaign!
action.civicworldwide.org/dia/o...rd.jsp