Wear words of peace around your neck

SEATTLE - A local woman has combined her love of jewelry with her passion for peace.

"I just really wanted to do something to help," said PeaceTags creator Fredda Goldfarb. "Our mission is to help veterans and spread peace."

Her jewel of an idea was to create sterling silver dog tag necklaces inscribed with words of peace from some of history's most famous advocates.

"We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means," reads one PeaceTag with a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.

Peacetags began as a misson to honor Goldfarb's father.

"I'm the daughter of a veteran and my dad was treated here at VA Puget Sound Medical Center. And this has been a way for me to give back to them and to honor my dad," said Goldfarb.

The peace tags sell for about $130 and all the proceeds go to veterans organizations. The largest recipient is Seattle's Fisher House - a peaceful place for veterans' families to stay during the chaos of recovery.

"I never take it off, actually," said Ernie Butler, a big supporter of Fisher House. His quote is from Benjamin Franklin, who said, "I've never known of a good war or a bad peace."

Those words mean a lot to the Vietnam veteran.

"I've always admired Benjamin Franklin and I've always agreed with the idea that there is no such thing as a good or just war," said Butler.

Since launching in 2007, PeaceTags have generated $25,000 for Fisher House and the tags have become popular gifts for celebrities and dignitaries, even worn by the Dalai Lama during last year's Seeds of Compassion event in Seattle.

It's all because of a woman on a mission for her father to spread peace one tag at a time.

"It's a way to demonstrate that I care about veterans. I care about their families. And it's a way for other people to demonstrate that," said Goldfarb.

So far, PeaceTags has raised $50,000 for veterans organizations.