An extended community of people from different cultures and spiritual practices, the core community was founded at the start of the 1991 Persian Gulf War by people who wanted to activate greater peace in their lives and the world. Since 1994 they operate as a non-profit educational corporation offering a variety of service-oriented activities to the public, instructing and hosting talking stick circles, retreats, and seasonal gatherings at their Sanctuary in the Finger Lakes of western New York. They claim 501(c)3 not-for-profit status.