Update: Send Patrick McCollum to Awakened World 2012

With just 12 days left to go, the campaign to raise funds so that Pagan chaplain and activist Patrick McCollum  can attend Awakened World 2012 in Rome, Italy as a facilitator and representative of modern Pagan faiths has raised nearly $3000 dollars towards its $3,500 goal. We’re in the home stretch! I believe we can collectively raise another $590 dollars to hit this goal before the deadline, and send one of our hardest-working and worthy activists and voices to this international gathering of religious leaders.

Here are some testimonials from those who know Patrick and his work:

“Hopefully by now many of you will have heard of Patrick before, but if not, he is one of the greatest interfaith leaders our Pagan community has right now. He’s worked tirelessly to combat unfair laws, ensure Pagan prisoners’ ability to practice their religion, promote dialogue between Pagan paths and other world religions in such venues as the Parliament of World Religions, and much more. Now he’s been invited to join the Dalai Lama’s International Peace Council and the Association for Global New Thought as a Core Group Leader to help facilitate a world event in Rome, Italy, Awakened World 2012 this October. The event will be attended by many of the foremost political, religious and human rights leaders in the world, and we deserve to be at that table and part of that discussion. I truly feel sometimes as though Patrick were hand-picked by the Goddess herself for this life of busy activism and communication; having met him several times in person at PantheaCon I have experienced his intense energy firsthand and enjoyed his contributions.” – Elysia Gallo, Llewellyn Worldwide

“Patrick is uniquely qualified to represent us as he has been active in our community for over 40 years, and over the last 20 years has been an activist for Pagan rights and has successfully resolved over a thousand discrimination cases. After becoming the first official government Wiccan chaplain in the United States in 1998, he was selected to advise the United States Commission on Civil Rights as a Pagan in 2008. In 2009, Patrick was selected to address leaders and representatives from over 70 countries in Astana, Kazakhstan for the development of a Global Constitution, and in 2010 received the Mahatma Gandhi Award as a Pagan at the Capitol in Washington DC. Also in 2010, he was honored to be invited as a World Inner Peace Ambassador at a gathering of 150,000 Buddhists in Bangkok, Thailand. He was also given the title, Sheda Garpo, King of Peace, by Lama Gangchen Rinpoche of the World Peace Foundation.” –  Tony Mierzwicki,

“Patrick has offered service to the larger Pagan community at great expense to himself for many years, working in the US and on the international stage. It is a powerful thing to have a Pagan in such a high profile position at events like Awakened World. I feel grateful for his willingness to do this work, and will lend my support. Patrick, you’ve worked long and hard for us, and it is time for us to do some work to support you.” – T.Thorn Coyle, Solar Cross Temple and Morningstar Mystery School

I have been truly heartened by our community’s fundraising success of late: The New Alexandrian Library Project raised $13,000 dollars towards the construction of their new building, Chicago-based Pagan/magical performance troupe Terra Mysterium raised funds for their new show “The Alembic,” and SJ Tucker‘s Kickstarter campaign for Tricky Pixie’s European tour more than doubled their initial goal in a matter of hours (and kept on growing). We can do this, we can come together to fund worthy and worthwhile projects that benefit us collectively. I believe that sending Patrick to this event is just such a project.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1OiSaYS7gI

Here are a few words from Patrick McCollum on this fundraising effort:

“I have always done my best to shed a positive light on my community and to promote understanding and tolerance worldwide. Now I have been offered the opportunity to represent us at an even higher level, and to do even more to promote ideals that many of us hold dear. World Peace, tolerance for diversity, the empowerment of women, the accommodation of pluralism, the sacredness of the earth and all of its inhabitants, and the conservation of our planetary environment and its resources. I hope you will join me in making this happen by donating to my cause. Every little bit helps. And if you feel so inclined in the future, you can also make friends aware of my foundation and support its activities when you can.”

All donations, no matter what the amount, help us towards this goal. All donations are tax-deductible. So let’s send Patrick McCollum to Awakened World 2012, and let’s hit that goal before the week is out! 

To read all my coverage of Patrick McCollum, click here.