Dan West
Encyclopedia
Dan West was the founder of Heifer International
, a charitable organization dedicated to relieving hunger and poverty. A native of Ohio, born in 1893, West was a member of the Church of the Brethren
and graduated from Manchester College (Indiana) in 1917. As a church man from Indiana, West spent two years as a conscientious objector
during World World I. After working for the Emergency Peace Campaign in 1936, he traveled to Spain to serve as the director of a relief program in the Spanish Civil War. He grew weary of handing out rationed supplies and thought there had to be a better way of eliminating hunger. He gave the idea to his neighbors and many congregations in northern Indiana of donating young heifers to families in need. The involvement from his community led him to bigger dreams. His idea became an official program of the Church of the Brethren in 1942 and eventually became an independent nonprofit corporation in 1953. His phrase "not a cup of milk, but a cow" became the mantra for Heifer International, which continues on today.
Upon returning to the United States, West pushed for two more programs to be created. Alongside Alma Long, he was a key person in helping to develop the Brethren Volunteer Service in 1948. The BVS acted as an alternative to military service for war objectors beginning in WWII.
Returning to Manchester College, West spoke to the president of the college and, together, they convinced Gladdys Muir to launch the nation’s first undergrad program in peace studies at Manchester College.
“With deep-rooted Christian values and a conviction for active peacemaking, he led by example, and motivated others to believe that ordinary people could do extraordinary things.”
Biography written by Glee Yoder: Passing on the Gift : The Story of Dan West (Paperback) The Brethren Press, 1978 (reprinted 1995) ISBN 0-87178-689-3
Heifer International
Heifer International is a global nonprofit with the goal of ending poverty and hunger in a sustainable fashion. Established in 1944, Heifer International gives out gifts of livestock, seeds and trees and extensive training to those in need...
, a charitable organization dedicated to relieving hunger and poverty. A native of Ohio, born in 1893, West was a member of the Church of the Brethren
Church of the Brethren
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination originating from the Schwarzenau Brethren organized in 1708 by eight persons led by Alexander Mack, in Schwarzenau, Bad Berleburg, Germany. The Brethren movement began as a melding of Radical Pietist and Anabaptist ideas during the...
and graduated from Manchester College (Indiana) in 1917. As a church man from Indiana, West spent two years as a conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
during World World I. After working for the Emergency Peace Campaign in 1936, he traveled to Spain to serve as the director of a relief program in the Spanish Civil War. He grew weary of handing out rationed supplies and thought there had to be a better way of eliminating hunger. He gave the idea to his neighbors and many congregations in northern Indiana of donating young heifers to families in need. The involvement from his community led him to bigger dreams. His idea became an official program of the Church of the Brethren in 1942 and eventually became an independent nonprofit corporation in 1953. His phrase "not a cup of milk, but a cow" became the mantra for Heifer International, which continues on today.
Upon returning to the United States, West pushed for two more programs to be created. Alongside Alma Long, he was a key person in helping to develop the Brethren Volunteer Service in 1948. The BVS acted as an alternative to military service for war objectors beginning in WWII.
Returning to Manchester College, West spoke to the president of the college and, together, they convinced Gladdys Muir to launch the nation’s first undergrad program in peace studies at Manchester College.
“With deep-rooted Christian values and a conviction for active peacemaking, he led by example, and motivated others to believe that ordinary people could do extraordinary things.”
Biography written by Glee Yoder: Passing on the Gift : The Story of Dan West (Paperback) The Brethren Press, 1978 (reprinted 1995) ISBN 0-87178-689-3
External links
- http://www.cob-net.org/hpi.htm