You are just the kind of example the Sullivan Ballou Fund seeks to recognize and affirm We first came to know of you through Mary Johnson, Brian Mogren, and the Sisters of the Visitation. Your story is one of courage, transformation, and hope. Having been forgiven by Mary for taking the life of her only son, and having served 17 years in prison, your journey through forgiveness and healing has led you to dedicate your life to making a difference in the lives of youth, despondent prison inmates, and devastated families. This incredible service is possible because you are learning to forgive yourself; THAT takes an enormous amount of courage and is a daily challenge.
With Mary, you conduct this ministry through an organization she founded, “From Death to Life”.Through speaking engagements in churches, schools, colleges, universities and prisons, you and Mary are able to spread the message of reconciliation that you first experienced with one another. To many people, you are an advocate for peace, forgiveness and nonviolence. You are a mentor, a friend, a son, a father, a student, a songwriter, and a musician. We know you would be the first to say that you are not perfect, but a person ‘in process’.
Most important of all, you have a dream: that through sharing your story and Mary’s story, there will be an end to violence and the beginning of a Beloved Community on the Northside and beyond.
Elissa Peterson
Bruce Peterson
Susan Thomson
Dean Thomson