Peacemakers Awards Gala
March 29, 2008 - Sunset Depot

Once a year, the San Antonio Bar Foundation joins with the business community to further the cause of peace and nonviolence, hosting the Peacemakers Awards Gala. The 2008 Peacemaker Awards Gala was held on March 29, 2008, at the Historic Sunset Station, beginning with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. Friends of the legal community and families of the Peacemaker honorees came together to benefit the Peer Mediation (AIM) program in Bexar County and other charitable projects of the San Antonio Bar Foundation.

The Gala's special focus is on AIM, Amigos in Mediation. AIM is the groundbreaking Peer Mediation Program administered by the Bexar County Dispute Resolution Center, which is transforming our schools by creating a culture of peaceful dispute resolution. Since 1999, the AIM Program has been assisting schools to establish self-sustaining peer mediation programs which enable students to resolve their own conflicts without the intervention of school staff through the use of students trained as peer mediators. AIM offers peer mediation training and consultation services to elementary, middle and high schools within all 15 school districts in Bexar County. Participating schools are encouraged to select students to be trained as peer mediators from a broad cross-section of the student population in order to assure representation across gender, ethnic and economic sectors of the school population spectrum.

In addition to raising funds, the Peacemakers Awards Gala honors outstanding efforts to develop a culture of nonviolence and peace. The Peacemaker Awards are presented in three to four categories, although the categories may vary in number from year to year:

Carolyn Thurmond Peacemaker Award, recognizing an individual who has promoted non-violent resolutions to community conflicts.

Corporate Community Service Award, recognizing an entity for its community service.

School Peer Mediation Award recognizing a school for implementing and supporting peer mediation.

Some years, a Lawyer Community Service Award, recognizing an attorney who has demonstrated outstanding service to our community, also is presented.

In 2006, the Honorable Solomon Casseb, Jr. was selected to receive a Lifetime Peacemaker Award, recognizing his invaluable efforts in the creation and funding of the San Antonio Bar Foundation, his lifetime of service to the legal community and his ongoing support for the Foundation’s community peacemaking efforts.

MARTA B. PELAEZ, M.A.
San Antonio Bar Foundation 2008 PEACEMAKER Award Recipient

The Bar Foundation is excited to honor Marta Pelaez with their 2008 Peacemaker Award.  Mrs. Pelaez is the President/CEO of the Family Violence Prevention Services, Inc., which served over 10,000 people in 2006 and the same number just by June of 2007.  The non-profit corporation also operates the San Antonio Battered Women’s Shelter that provides a safe haven for members of families subject to violence.   Courageously, Marta has been very vocal in seeking to secure the continued governmental funding of domestic violence programs key to the continued survival of shelter facilities and support programs.  Marta is very passionate about the work done through the FVPS because of the people who need their services and the impact it has on the victims of domestic violence.  She is quick to note that the agency is in fact the community’s tool to aid in stamping out child abuse and violence in the family.

Mrs. Pelaez collaborated with Palo Alto College and Trinity University to create on-site educational programs for women at the Battered Women’s Shelter to foster self-sufficiency and independence thus providing them with the tools to break the cycle of abuse and to restore dignity to their lives.  She also developed and implemented a new program called “Court Liaison”.  Court Liaison assists the local courts in providing legal advocacy, substance abuse intervention, and program referral services to domestic violence victims.  Marta’s commitment to improvement of services is greatly benefiting our community.


CAROL WEIR
San Antonio Bar Foundation 2008 CAROLYN THURMOND Community Service Award Recipient

Carol Weir was selected by the Bar Foundation to receive the attorney award, which this year is being renamed for the Foundation’s beloved late Executive Administrator, Carolyn Thurmond.

Carol earned her law degree in 1983 at the age of 40 and immediately began handling cases for children. Carol epitomizes a attorney seeking to spread peace throughout our community with her long-standing service to abused and neglected children.  She has not only provided legal services to these children but she has valiantly comforted children in hospitals who have been severely injured and endured the emotional devastation of those passing due to their injuries.  Carol has represented children and families for over 20 years.  In 1993, Carol was involved in helping an Anglo couple adopt a Hispanic child, a case that resulted in the state reconsidering the policy on interracial adoption.  She also worked to enable the child to see her 3 siblings through a visitation agreement between the three sets of parents caring for the children.  Recently she represented the 3 boys of Richard McFarland serving a 40-year sentence for the murder of his boy’s mother.

There are numerous other cases in which Carol fought to do the right thing for the children.  She loves to “put families back together”.  Carol speaks out in favor of fixing families, in the alternative letting caring people adopt children but she believes that the state conservatorship of children is not the best answer.  The Bar Foundation is honored to recognize her enriching service to our community powered her formidable passion, amazing courage and empathy for children and their families.


VALERO ENERGY CORP.
San Antonio Bar Foundation 2008 Business Community Service Award Recipient

Valero has been an integral part of the community for decades and the Bar Foundation is proud to recognize the community service provided by this corporation and its employees, which has fostered peace here in San Antonio.  In 2006, Valero employees donated over 270,000 hours to the communities where they live and work.  Of a high priority are the programs benefiting children.  Over the years, the company has helped thousands of youngsters in need.  In conjunction with the Valero Texas Open PGA golf Tournament, Valero holds its Benefit for Children Golf Classic which has raised over 28 million for children’s charities.  Another community service program sponsored by Valero is the Mentorship Program staffed by Valero employees who mentor at-risk students from local schools, Big Brothers Big Sisters, a children’s home and other organizations.  Valero also sponsors Thanksgiving with the Troops, which welcomed nearly 400 men and women from Fort Sam Houston, Lackland, Randolph and Broods bases for a full Thanksgiving meal and gifts.  At the headquarters, Valero employees donate lunch hours to deliver Meals on Wheels for seniors in the area.

In an effort to inspire youngsters at –risk for truancy, Valero partnered with the local district courts for the past 11 years to give guidance to encourage them to stay in school.  The Juvenile Justice “Mock Court” program brings Valero volunteers to local schools for a program where students get to see first-hand what a truancy court proceeding involves.  Reformed gang members and police officers often serve as guest speakers, and real district judges volunteer to play their roles to give realism to the experience.  The program is credited with helping waive over $1.2 million in probation fine by keeping these students in school.  Related to this effort is an annual push to reach children of the Alazan Apache courts housing projects with a “Back to School” celebration, which brings music, food and free backpacks full supplies to the neighborhood thanks to Valero volunteers.

Some of the programs Valero employees dedicated to were Coats for Kids, Christmas Stockings, Back to School Supply drive, Habitat for Humanity, Food Bank Outreach, Adopt-a-Family, Meals on Wheels, Juvenile Justice Intervention, Back to School Day for at-risk students, Support the Military programs, and Volunteer support at Valero Benefit for Children Golf Classic.  Additionally, the Valero Energy Foundation has delivered over $10 million to community charities.

Congratulations to all of our recipients of the 2008 Peacemakers Awards!