Fetzer Institute and Compassionate Action Network Partner on Compassionate Seattle Celebration

SEATTLE, April 22 /PRNewswire/ --

Believing that love and forgiveness are powerful forces that can transform the human condition, the Fetzer Institute has partnered with the Compassionate Action Network, lending their support to Compassionate Seattle: It's Up to Us!, an event organized to honor Seattle as the first city in the world to affirm the Charter for Compassion. The Institute engages with people and programs working to bring love, forgiveness, and compassion to the center of individual, organizational and community life.

Religious historian and public thinker Karen Armstrong will headline an evening celebration that follows a daylong symposium on multiple ways of living and sharing our compassion. Importantly, these opportunities to broaden our humanity follow two years after the Seeds of Compassion, the largest event of any kind held in Washington State. So encouraged have Seattleites been by the Dalai Lama's challenge to live compassionately that we have reinvigorated our existing work, engaged new efforts and created the Compassionate Action Network (CAN) to coordinate our activities.

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Ms. Armstrong won the TED Prize for her role in creating the Charter for Compassion which calls on us to treat others as we wish to be treated ourselves. To support the Charter, the Compassionate Action Network successfully embarked on a 10 Year Campaign for Compassionate Cities. Seattle is the first city to implement its campaign goals and will celebrate its success at an event called Compassionate Seattle: It's Up To Us! The Fetzer Institute is working with Karen Armstrong to ensure the success of the campaign of the Charter for Compassion. The public is invited to attend the celebration at the Center for Spiritual Living in Seattle on April 24, 2010. Tickets are moderately priced and available through Brown Paper Tickets. Childcare will be provided.

The Evening Celebration includes contributions by artists, singers, poets, dancers, politicians and performers, as well as reflections about Seattle's involvement in the compassion movement by Karen Armstrong.

The event is co-sponsored by The Compassionate Action Network (CAN), Seeds of Compassion, the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education in Vancouver, BC and the Fetzer Institute. The Production Network (TPN) is also sponsoring and supporting the event with innovative webcasting technologies. Dynamic Webcasting is a series of customizable web tools that deliver the live event experience to audiences around the globe via a virtual event environment. Video, PowerPoint and polling are delivered in a simultaneous stream in one graphically pleasing and engaging package. The following links provide connection to the webcast:

This link to gets you to the webcast

http://compassionateseattle.dynamicwebcasting.net/

This is the link to promote the webcast

http://my.compassionateactionnetwork.com/page/promote-the-webcast-on-your

"There are many, many, amazing expressions of compassionate action happening in our community. We hope that people turn out to celebrate and discover Seattle's accomplishment as a Compassionate City, to share their personal stories of compassionate action and to join the community of those working intentionally to make Seattle and the world more compassionate places." Jon Ramer, Executive Director, Compassionate Action Network

COMPASSIONATE SEATTLE: IT'S UP TO US!

9:00AM – 5:00PM PDT; 12:00PM – 5:00PM EDT;16:00 - Sunday, 4/25/10 at 00:00:00 GMT

Compassion Showcase and Exchange

Karen Armstrong will give a keynote speech. The Seattle City Council will sign a proclamation and affirm the Charter for Compassion. A Compassion Showcase includes nationally known inspirational speakers James O'Dea, and Courtney E. Martin along with panel dialogues with local organizations that are working to awaken compassion in our children, ourselves and in our world. Topics include:

1. Personal & Intergenerational Compassion

2. Compassion in Businesses and Institutions

3. Thriving Communities and Caring for the Earth

During a Compassion Exchange, attendees are invited to pledge their personal gifts (time, talent or treasure) to support the ongoing work of compassionate organizations. There will also be a room to tell your tales of compassion. Together, Seattle will build a more compassionate community.

5:00PM – 7:30PM PDT; 8:00 – 10:30PM EDT; Sunday, 4/25/10 at 00:00:00 – 02:30:00 GMT

Celebration and Performance

Join local artists, musicians, politicians and actors in a Celebration of Compassion and further remarks about Karen Armstrong's Charter for Compassion. Visitors from outside Seattle are welcome to attend the April 24th event and perhaps launch a 10 Year Campaign for Compassionate Cities in their own cities. To find a hotel in the University District near the event, see http://www.gonorthwest.com/washington/seattle/hotels-university.htm

The Compassionate Action Network (CAN) is a network of self-organizing groups that share a common vision for a compassionate world. For more information about this 501(c)(3) organization, please join us at www.compassionateactionnetwork.com.

RELATED LINKS

• Tickets for April 24th Event at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/104534
• Charter for Compassion: http://charterforcompassion.org/
• Compassionate Action Network: www.compassionateactionnetwork.com
• Seeds of Compassion: http://seedsofcompassion.org/
• Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education: http://dalailamacenter.org/
• Karen Armstrong http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Armstrong
• James O'Dea http://www.jamesodea.com/James_ODea/Bio.html
• Courtney E. Martin http://www.courtneyemartin.com/index.php/index

SOURCE Compassionate Action Network