History and Mission

Why CFP?

CFP Mission Statement: Children for Peace in Ireland, Inc. (CFP) is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization that is dedicated to building stronger families and communities by enhancing the awareness of cultural diversities and the education of the youth we serve.

WHERE IT BEGAN

The history of Children for Peace stems from the history of the period of civil unrest known as “the Troubles” which claimed the lives of over 3,500 people and devastated local communities across Northern Ireland in more than three decades of armed conflict. During this period, no one group was more affected than Northern Irish young people who were recruited by paramilitary groups on both sides of the conflict and drilled in martial principles of violent resistance and sectarian loyalty during the formative years of their young adulthood.

For more information on the history of the Troubles visit: www.cain.ulst.ac.uk

CFP THROUGH THE YEARS

During the height of the Troubles, a program in Kansas City was founded under the leadership of Phil Chaney and named “Ulster’s Children for Peace” which sponsored eight Protestant and Catholic young people from Northern Ireland over a three year period from 1989-91.

In 1998, Dennis Conaghan, a teacher at Kansas City’s Notre Dame de Sion High School, established contact with then Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast, Mrs. Marie Moore, and discussed his interest in resurrecting a program to bring young people from Northern Ireland to the Kansas City area in support of the incipient peace in the North. A motion was put forth to the Padraig Pearse Division of AOH in 1999 who unanimously supported it and established the AOH Children for Peace in Ireland Committee.

In July 2004, AOH Children for Peace in Ireland (CFP) was established as an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit, Public Charity Corporation.

In 2006, CFP further developed its local organization in Northern Ireland by appointing Raymond Stewart and Dominic Mooney Program Coordinators.

CFP TODAY & THANKS

Since 2004, CFP has been run as a private organization in which each summer, for the first two weeks of July, at least 14 Irish teens - half of which are Catholic, and the other half Protestant - are sponsored in Kansas City. While they are here, they stay with host families who provide housing, transportation, and a genuine family experience for their guests. The teens participate in a group activity each day, which allows them to bond with the group despite their differences, as well as spend quality time with their hosts.

CFP and its members would like to thank all who have supported the program. Those who have donated at our annual golf tournament, and those who continue to devote their time to CFP are what makes it function.

We are grateful for the past participants who continue to support and be involved in the program, as well as the parents of host families who are kind enough to host a teen for two weeks.

Because of your support, we have been able to expand the program, featuring a wider variety of activities, etc.

We look forward to your continued support, and being able to keep making positive changes in our participants' lives.