About Us

Creating Friendships for Peace, Inc. is a volunteer grassroots organization whose mission is to promote and strengthen friendships between teens from divided communities and extend those friendships to their families and friends.  The friendships are developed through home stays with American families.  Each family hosts two teens – one from each side of a conflict.  The teen pair shares a room and learns about each other, understanding their different perspectives and realizing that friendships can develop despite significant political and cultural differences.  With friendship, an atmosphere is created that allows for mutual respect and understanding – a key ingredient for peace. CFP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in the United States.  Our volunteers were active in Northern Ireland from 1981 until 2007.  We are currently active in Cyprus since 2009 and Israel/Palestine since 2018. In our efforts to maintain neutrality, we do not accept government funding and rely solely on gifts from individuals, charitable foundations and businesses who wish to make a difference for peace in the world. Creating Friendships for Peace believes in self-determination and peaceful conflict resolution for all cultures and nations. “I know if everyone had a sister/brother/sibling on the other side that they felt close to as much as I did to my pair, we would all be so much closer to peace.”  Summer ’22 CFP Teen

Latest News

Rotary International Peace Conference

February welcomed an opportunity for Executive Director Tammy Haas and Board Chair Linda Ziglar to attend the Rotary International President’s Peace Conference in Istanbul, Turkey. The conference included 1100 attendees from around the Rotary and non-Rotary world. To be in a united setting of peacebuilders was inspiring, humbling and motivating.Tammy and Linda made important contacts to enhance and further CFP’s mission. Some contacts will be useful in evaluating  opportunities for expansion in the Middle East/North Africa region. Others will be useful in expanding our impact in Cyprus and Israel/Palestine. Contacts with US Rotary Clubs will hopefully lead to additional hosting …

CFP Expands to Include U.S. Teens

After a successful pilot program and discussion, CFP is happy to announce that American high school students will now be included in the CFP U.S. Residency program for teens from foreign conflict areas. Unlike the foreign teens, the American teens will not be paired and will live in their own homes. However, they will participate in all the workshops and activities that teach peacebuilding and leadership skills and will develop their own friendships with teens locally and globally. Like the foreign teens, they will receive a formal certificate in a “graduation celebration.”We anticipate many benefits to our foreign and American …

Welcome Wilmington, NC

CFP is pleased to welcome Wilmington, NC as our newest host city starting this summer. CFP Board Member and Wilmington resident Jonathan Berger, a retired Foreign Service Officer with the State Department, was able to bring this to fruition together with brand new Co-Area Coordinator and UNC-Wilmington senior Keegan Noble. Keegan is a Charlotte, NC native, currently working towards a degree in non-profit management. Together they are developing a robust program that will include conflict resolution workshops at UNC-Wilmington; panel sessions with the Wilmington Interfaith Council; a meeting with the City Council and Mayor; an environmental conservation program with the …

CFP Warren R. Muir Endowment Fund

At its meeting on March 26, the CFP Board of Directors passed a resolution to create an endowment to honor Warren Muir for his many contributions to our organization. Warren began his journey with CFP by hosting teens from Northern Ireland in 1994. He became President of the organization in 1997 and was one of the people responsible for bringing CFPNI’s peace model to Cyprus. While he has been recognized for his many achievements in science, CFP is grateful for the opportunity to honor his legacy in peacebuilding. The endowment begins with founding gifts amounting to $27,500. An opportunity for …

CFP Board Welcomes New Member Reverend Dr. Robert T. Baggott

Bob Baggott is a retired Minister in the United Church of Christ, currently, serving with his wife, Dr. Casey Baggott, as co-pastor of the Chapel at Lost Tree Village in North Palm Beach, FL. When not serving this seasonal chapel (Nov.-May), he resides in the Twin Cities, where he serves as Chaplain to the Carver County Sheriff’s Department, along with enjoying his role of being a grandfather to 6 grandchildren and their pets. He has been President of the Coconut Grove Rotary Club in Miami, Chair of the Protestant Appeal of Miami, Board Member of the Year for the Community …

CFP Board Welcomes New Member Michael Panayi

Michael was a member of CFP’s first class of students in 2009 and one of the four who were privileged to be included in The Elders movie Cyprus: Digging the Past in Search of the Future. Currently living in London, he is a member of Akin Gump’s Financial Restructuring  Practice.

CFP’s Volunteerism: Alumni Coordinator Rebecca A. Stirn

Creating Friendships for Peace operates efficiently and impactfully because of the professionalism of our leadership. Becky Stirn is a wonderful example of how you can live a full life, working full time, raising a family and still find opportunities for volunteer service. In addition to her long-term commitment to conservation, Becky has served on the Board of Governors of Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Clinic for 44 years. Last June, she was honored with Wilmer’s Aida de Acosta Root Breckinridge Award, which recognizes women leaders who devote significant time and resources to the institute. “I never knew life without volunteering, regardless …