Join Us On April 15

A round the turn of the year (and decade), we ran a series of Heart Beat columns about the work of Clear Path International to bring attention to the needs among victims of war, particularly civilians injured by accidents with land mines.

Now, we're hoping you will consider joining the organization for its first benefit event in Eastern Washington - a wine and cheese reception at "Heaven," the space next to the jimgermanbar generously made available by Jim German and Claire Johnston at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 15.

In the first decade of its existence, Clear Path International has changed and grown, but one thing has remained the same: the humanitarian group can't do its work without the support and generosity of its donors.

At a time when war is once again in the news, it's worth remembering that its toll continues long after the guns fall silent. Libya, which is now in focus because of the fighting there and the involvement of the United States and United Nations, still bears the scars from the desert battles during World War II.

Although human accidents with ordnance from that era are not as common, livestock is killed or injured regularly and at least two-fifths of all arable land in Libya is contaminated by land mines from campaigns that made Rommel and Montgomery household names.

This same problem exists where Clear Path does its work: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Afghanistan and along the border between Thailand and Myanmar. Since it was founded with the narrow mission of serving land mine accident survivors in Southeast Asia, Clear Path has assisted more than 36,000 victims of ordnance explosions, persons with disabilities and other disadvantaged people in current and former war zones.

Its mission has evolved from merely providing emergency medical treatment to victims of accidental ordnance explosions to offering everything from physical rehabilitation, vocational skills training and psychosocial support to micro lending, community development, sports and peer-support programs.

Its beneficiaries now also include other war victims, such as refugees and internally displaced people, as well as those who suffer economic losses from war.

In Afghanistan, Clear Path has embarked on a nationwide program to provide persons with disabilities access to schools, government offices, medical facilities and places of worship through the construction of wheelchair ramps, interior remodels and accessibility awareness training.

In much of its work, Clear Path is supported financially by the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement within the U.S. Department of State, a government entity whose own mission has enjoyed bipartisan political support since the 1990s.

But grassroots contributions remain critical for the health and sustainability of Clear Path's programs to some of the world's most disadvantaged individuals and families.

Many local supporters are helping to make the benefit in April possible. Besides Jim German and Claire Johnston, K Vintners, Dunham Cellars, Woodward Canyon, DeMa and the Monteillet Fromagerie are supplying wines and cheeses for attendants' enjoyment.

Prizes, including a week's stay in a Provencal farm house, will be raffled throughout the reception, and those who come will have a chance to learn more about the humanitarian work of Clear Path from Karen Matthee, communications director and partner of co-founder Imbert Matthee.

We hope you can come to this purposeful evening so Clear Path can continue to help conflict survivors regain their dignity and their footing on the path to recovery and self-sufficiency.