November 23, 2008

As Thanksgiving nears, memories of Pilgrims and their fight against religious persecution are abound. Four-hundred years later, a successful author with local ties is spreading her message about the need for religious tolerance in the 21st century.

Carrie Brown-Wolf is traveling around the country, spreading the message of her book "Soul Sunday". She is getting a mostly positive response to her message of using arts and crafts to show the aspects of faith that she believes all religions have in common.

"As part of the book, and something we do with our families, is to always have a project. It can be arts and crafts, it could be doing something outside, it could be cooking in the kitchen; so that every child has something that inspires them," said Brown-Wolf.

Cherry Stewart, a parent and Charlottesville Public Schools eductator explained Saturday's project, "The kids made a thankful jar, so they decorated the jar, and they wrote down on slips of paper what they are thankful for."

Caroline said she made a thankful jar with glitter, sparkles, and sprinkles.

The author of "Soul Sunday" says holidays are a great opportunity for parents to talk to their kids about understanding different religions.

"Pilgrims came here because they weren't allowed to celebrate their religion the way they wanted. And what would that feel like if we weren't allowed to have our own tradition? What if that was taken from us? And how would that make you feel? So, it's a great way to get kids thinking about what life was like back then," said Brown-Wolf.

Brown-Wolf, whose family calls Charlottesville home, helped schools design their curriculum before she became an author. She says multi-culturalism is integral to her life and influenced the idea for the book.

4-year-old Sarah said she learned about Vietnamese culture and religion. Instead of a thankful jar, she made a thankful lantern.

"There's extremists in all faiths, and the challenge is sort of to be open and have respect that someone else has chosen that life style," said Brown-Wolf.

"Soul Sunday" won seven national awards in 2007.