Swords to Plowshares, Vermont Hosts First Public Event May 18
CONTACT: swordstoplowsharesvt@gmail.com

Following a successful introductory Swords-to-Plowshares event at Brattleboro's Retreat Farm in April 2023, several area citizens have formed Swords to Plowshares, Vermont, Inc., which will hold its first official public event from 10 AM to noon on Saturday, May 18 at The Putney School, Houghton Brook Rd., Putney, VT.

The new local group is modeled after a Connecticut organization of the same name, founded in 2017 (https://www.s2pnortheast.org/), which has focused on reducing gun violence in its communities. That group's purpose, according to its website, is founded on the fact that with 40,000 gun deaths per year in our country, we need to act. "The strategy we apply to this problem is to convert weapons of death into tools of life, and then use those tools to the betterment of the community," it says.
Swords to Plowshares, Vermont (StPVt) is a Windham County creation closely related to the Connecticut organization. It is dedicated to community education aimed at reducing gun violence. According to its founder, the Rt. Rev Thomas Ely, the group is collaborating with the Windham County Sheriff's department and the Brattleboro Police Department, to take unwanted firearms that can be destroyed, and then convert the usable parts into garden tools and works of art. StPVt is currently working with Brian Quarrier, art teacher at The Putney School, whose students will create items out of the recycled weapons.

At the May 18 event, attendees will hear a presentation on StPVt's mission and its connection with local law enforcement, then witness a demonstration by Putney School students of the transformational process of turning unwanted firearms into garden tools and works of art. Attendees will also have a chance to take part in the transformational process themselves, wielding a blacksmith's hammer.

People planning to attend this event should arrive between 9:30 and 9:45 at the main parking area of The Putney School, "as there is a bit of a walk to the art center from the parking area," says Ely. "We would like to start the program on time at 10 AM." Those who need accessible parking at the art center will be redirected, so please arrive with enough time to do so.
For more information, please email swordstoplowsharesvt@gmail.com or call 802-233-5729 or 802-254-9019.

Contact:
Swords to Plowshares VT, Inc.
swordstoplowsharesvt@gmail.com
802.233.5729

OR:

Fred Breunig
126 Prospect St,Brattleboro VT 05301
fmbreunig@comcast.net • 802-254-9019

Event Info

Sep 20, 2024, 4:30 to 7 PM

Sep 25, 2024, 5 to 9:30 PM

Sep 26, 2024, 3 to 4 PM