The Awakening Peace Award sponsored by Awakening Peace Inc. is awarded once a year on International Day of Peace September 21st. The prize is awarded to a person or organization who in the preceding years has done great work creating unity and peace within their community, state, nation, and/or world. This peace prize winner will be acknowledged for sustainable programs that shift separation and fear to Unity and Love.
Selection: The selection committee will be comprised of the Awakening Peace Inc board of directors.
Deadline for submission: September 1st midnight Pacific Time annually.
Award Announcement: International Day of Peace, September 21st annually.
A nomination for the Awakening Peace Award may be submitted by any person. A nomination for yourself will not be taken into consideration.
Our 8th Awakening Peace Recipient
Dr. Marty K.Casey
Dr. Marty K. Casey is a Global Peace Ambassador, transitional trauma coach, speaker, and so much more. Her portfolio of contributions and body of work continues to evolve, as she combines her passion for the ARTS with her compassion for her community! Dr. Casey has built a fulfilling and impactful career that traverses entertainment and community service, an anointed singer, gifted actress, writer, producer, and director. No matter what hat she is wearing her noteworthy goal is pointed– “to heal our community, to provide a response and outlet for inbred trauma.”
Dr. Casey asserts “Hurt people hurt people. Healed people heal people.” She has set out to support individuals, families, and communities heal with her latest development of UnGUN Institute©, focused on disarming Trauma in individuals, to heal from collective trauma events which plague the black communities.
For many years now, Dr. Casey has leveraged her passion for Art, combined it with her compassion for Activism and in 2014 created Show Me Arts Academy, serving as the founder and Artistic Director positively impacting the lives of more than 3,000 kids, using the Arts to Heal.
After more than three decades as a performing artist on major global stages, Marty K. Casey has transformed her craft beyond the world of entertainment to show the restorative power of the arts to heal hurting people. In 2020, just days before a forced lock down caused by a global pandemic, Dr. Marty performed her one-woman show in the Big Apple for the largest non-profit nation-wide, AARP New York. Dr. Marty brilliantly used the story of her own trauma-ridden life to give hope to a sold-out crowd. This performance shined the light on arts efficacy as a tool for mitigating trauma impact. Following her New York show, the close of theatres throughout the world brought an abrupt halt to Dr. Marty’s live performances, a pivotal moment that prompted Dr. Marty to relaunch her artistic focus to address a more pressing societal need: trauma impact resolution.
Toward this end, Dr. Marty has leveraged the ARTS for therapeutic purposes, and in 2020, she founded UnGUN® Institute, where the display of synergy between applied arts and trauma healing could be maximized and experienced by the masses. In the span of just two years, Dr. Marty K. Casey and her Team have presented UnGUN® workshops for organizations such as Preferred Family Healthcare (St. Louis, MO); St. Louis Public Schools (St. Louis, MO); Blessed are the Peace Makers and National Black Police Association (Dallas, TX); The Peace Center (Bathe, Maine); St. Louis Service Women’s Post 404 (St. Louis, MO), indigoLife International Women’s Empowerment & Cultural Expo (Cordele, GA); and Ark of Safety Church (St. Charles, MO).
To date, nearly 10,000 people have been positively impacted by UnGUN® methodology and strategies. An ode to her entertainment roots and with expected impact on the entertainment industry, UnGUN® products have been numerously featured inside the Gifting Suites of the Oscars and the Emmy Awards. Her message of healing and now her trademarked UnGUN Institute, ® approach for mitigating the impact of trauma have landed Dr. Marty on stages beyond the theatre to broader spaces that include government, education, business, healthcare, and community-based sectors. She has represented UnGUN Institute® as a featured presenter for the Parliament of the World’s Religion Global Conference; World Unity Week; World Peace Week; Alex Haley Museum; American Voice Foundation; General Congress of Women; African American Museum; Chosen for Change Foundation; The Michael O.D. Brown Foundation; and Shoot for the Stars Foundation (Hip Hop Artist Pop Smoke)
Our 7th Awakening Peace Recipient
Masami Siaonji
Our 7th Awakening Peace Award recipient was given in 2024 and was presented in Japan during our delegation “From Auschwitz to Hiroshima,” honoring September 21st during Peace Day in Hiroshima. The recipient selected is Masami Saionji, Spiritual leader, peace activist, author, Chairperson of the Goi Peace Foundation, May Peace Prevail On Earth International, Byakko Shinko Kai; co-initiator of the Fuji Declaration.
Human evolution is not something that is achieved by governments or by experts in various fields. It is forged by the consciousness of every individual. Each of us must continually evolve and re-create ourselves.
Each human being is constantly receiving an abundant supply of creative energy, flowing to us from our universal source. We assign forms and shapes to this energy using the decisive power of consciousness. Through our words, thoughts, and emotions, we determine our future and the future of our family, our nation, and the planet Earth. Indeed, from moment to moment, each of us is wielding an influence on the vast universe.
Masami Saionji, co-initiator of The Fuji Declaration, discusses the Divine Spark within humanity and the importance of each member of humanity to take a stand in bringing about a shift in consciousness to bring about a new world civilization based on peace, wisdom and spirituality.
Our 6th Awakening Peace recipient was selected in 2023 and will be presented on September 21 during Peace Day online Zoom. The recipient selected is Dr. Nina Meyerhof and her organization Children of the Earth and co-Founder of the One Humanity Institute.
| Dr. Nina Meyerhof is a visionary thought leader recognized for a life of advocating for children and youth around the world. |
| Nina advocates for all people to go beyond cultural, ethnic and religious differences and strive for altruistic ethics. Her focus is on the realization that peace must come from recognizing our interwoven unity. |
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Nina Meyerhof has dedicated her life to working for the betterment of children`s lives through developing empowerment processes with a focus on self-esteem, democratic living skills, understanding one’s spiritual nature and furthering a local to global perspective. The co-author of “Conscious Education: The Bridge to Freedom”, and “Pioneering Spiritual Activism” she has been an innovative force in Authentic Education and Holistic Education. Nina was for 20 years Director of ten public schools Special Education programs as well as Interim Director of other school districts. Nina has received many awards for her work from The Mother Theresa Award to the Citizens Department of Peace Award to The International Educators Award for Peace as well as the State of Vermont passed a Resolution honoring her for her life’s work in PEACE, the Sage Award and one of twelve recipients for the Public Peace Prize and is recognized as one of the world’s known Evolutionary Leaders. Nina believes it is necessary to put words into action. Nina has worked in South Africa, Israel, Russia, Thailand, Ghana, Switzerland, Japan, Australia, total working in approximately 100 countries. |
Our Fifth Awakening Peace Award recipient was selected in 2022 and the recipient is Ben Bowler, and his organization Unity.Earth.Unity.Earth
Ben Bowler is the Executive Director of UNITY EARTH, a global network and movement dedicated to fostering unity and peace on Earth. He is a driving force behind Unity Earth’s efforts to connect people across cultures, generations, and geographical boundaries by focusing on the intersection of spirituality, science, technology, transformative practices, and the arts.
Our Fifth Awakening Peace Award recipient was selected in 2022 and the recipient is Ben Bowler, and his organization Unity.Earth.Unity.Earth
Ben Bowler is the Executive Director of UNITY EARTH, a global network and movement dedicated to fostering unity and peace on Earth. He is a driving force behind Unity Earth’s efforts to connect people across cultures, generations, and geographical boundaries by focusing on the intersection of spirituality, science, technology, transformative practices, and the arts.
Our fourth Awakening Peace Award recipient was selected in 2021 is Paul K. Chappell, and the Peace Literacy Institute.
Paul K. Chappell is an international peace educator, founder, and executive director of the Peace Literacy Institute. He graduated from West Point, was deployed to Iraq, and left active duty as a Captain.
Chappell is helping to lead the global campaign to have education in Peace Literacy recognized as a universal human right that equips us with the skills needed to address the root causes of societal problems rather than surface symptoms, heal tangles of trauma such as rage, mistrust, and alienation, and preempt the unintended consequences of emerging technologies. Peace Literacy is the human right that empowers us to protect all of our other human rights and fully flourish as human beings. In an era when humanity has the technological capacity to destroy itself, Peace Literacy is survival literacy. You can learn more at the website: Peaceliteracy.org
Our third Awakening Peace Award was selected in 2020, the recipient is Barbara Gaughen-Muller.
Barbara Gaughen-Muller is a peace educator, advocate, and activist; she is globally known, especially among those working for peace. She is helping make peace a true global reality by sharing with others that there are many ways to peace.
As an inspirational speaker, her enthusiasm and dedication for peace is contagious. Recent topics about bringing peace into our daily lives are: The Time for Peace Is Now! Peace begins with me and starts with a conversation. https://peacepodcast.org
Barbara is President of the United Nations Association, Santa Barbara, CA Chapter. In 2015, after she spoke at the UN in New York City, she was recognized and acknowledged with the Spirit of the United Nations Award. With Mark H. Fowler, who is the creator of the Tools, she is co-author of the book Revolutionary Conversations: The Tools You Need for the Success You Want and Co-CEO of Revolutionary Conversations, LLC.
The Power of Peace™ Podcast interviews are a weekly testimony to the power that each of us has to create peaceful interactions. Guests share about the peace they believe is possible and how we can achieve it.
Barbara is a co-founder and president of the Rotary E-Club of World Peace, established following her work with the Rotary World Peace Conference 2016. She continues the peace work of her late husband, Dr. Robert Muller, former UN Assistant Secretary General. Together, Robert and she co-created 7500 Ideas for a Better World shared daily. In January 2019, she received the Visioneers Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the founder of the award-winning Gaughen Global Public Relations, celebrating its 25th year working for a better world.
She is also the President of the United Nations Association, Santa Barbara Tri-County chapter, host for Power of Peace podcasts and co-author of Revolutionary Conversations. https://peacepodcast.org
It is with a great honor to present this award to Barbara Gaughen-Muller. Watch this video presenting the Awakening Peace Award.
Our second Awakening Peace Award winner was selected in 2019 and the winner is Dr. Robert Dodge.
We honor Dr. Dodge with this Awakening Peace Award for his ongoing commitment to peace and the prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Dr. Dodge is a family practice physician in Ventura, California with more than 30 years. He is the President of Physicians for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles and co-founder of Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions. He is the Co-Chair of the Security Committee of Physicians for Social Responsibility – USA and Co-Chair of the Nuclear Weapons Abolition Committee. He has written and spoken widely on the subject off nuclear disarmament.
Dr. Dodge played an active role in the successful passage of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and helped organize the US Back from the Brink campaign, which endorses the UN Treaty and calls for specific steps to lower the risk of nuclear war. Dr. Dodge in April 2018, led the effort to convince the city of Ojai, California to adopt a resolution supporting the Back from the Brink campaign and committing the city to nuclear weapon free contracts and investments.
From Fred Arment-Founder director of International Cities of Peace and the first recipient of the Awakening Peace Award:
“Dr. Robert Dodge is an inspiring choice for the Awakening Peace Award, and so very timely with the collapse of nuclear treaties and the rise of a new arms race. Each and every year military expenditures are $1.6 trillion and the global arms trade reaches $100 billion. Funding for the nuclear weapons industry, including space weaponry, is cloaked in secrecy but is surely expanding without full knowledge of citizens across the globe. Dr. Dodge is a profound peacemaker who links a compassionate understanding of how dangerous the existential thread of nuclear arms is to all living things on Earth with a practical approach of revealing to humanity the extent of the threat in dollars and sense.”
It is with a great honor to present this award to Dr. Bob Dodge. Watch this video presenting the Awakening Peace Award.
Our first Awakening Peace Award winner was selected in 2018 and the winner was Fred Arment*, Executive Director of International Cities of Peace.
This Awakening Peace Award is a 3D metal printed sculpture which symbolizes our unity as One Humanity. It is recognized globally as a 3 dimensional peace symbol.
“I am very appreciative and honored to receive the Awakening Peace Award. I accept it as representative for all the leaders of International Cities of Peace and dedicate it to our mutual vision to bring peace to the world, community by community. The HOLOS design symbolizes the circular, reciprocal, and organic heart and soul of peace. I am humbled to receive the award not only because it renews my hope but also in imagining future Awakening Peace Award recipients who will do extraordinary work in bending even further the arc of history toward holistic and sustainable peace.” J. Fred Arment
