Build safer schools and stronger communities by understanding other viewpoints.
Longtime PeaceMaker Minnesota contributor Larry Erickson shares why he believes lasting peace starts with teaching young people to understand one another.
For Larry Erickson, supporting PeaceMaker Minnesota isn’t just about supporting a nonprofit — it’s a strategic, value-driven decision shaped by a commitment to service and a belief that peace-making is something we have to learn early and practice over time.
“You have to start with the young,” Larry says. “The experiences and attitudes you have at an early age relate a lot to what happens later.”
That belief led Larry to join PeaceMaker Minnesota’s Peace Builder Brigade — a group of dedicated supporters working to develop long-term, sustainable funding for peace-making education in specific communities across Minnesota.
Service as a Way of Life
Larry traces his commitment to service back to his teenage years. As a Boy Scout, he was selected to join the Order of the Arrow — an organization centered on service to others. That experience left a lasting mark.
“Service became the measuring stick with which I evaluate my life decisions,” he reflects. “Am I just serving myself, or am I of service to others?”
That grounding carried into his professional life. After founding and leading several successful technology companies, Larry offered his experience to younger entrepreneurs struggling to fund and manage their fledgling startups. Alongside that work, he volunteered for nearly a decade as a pro bono mediator across the metro area, helping resolve business lawsuits before they reached small-claims court.
“Mediation is about helping parties in conflict to see where the other side is coming from,” Larry explains. “Understanding the needs and interests of the other side enables the creation of peaceful solutions. That’s how conflict is best resolved, and peace achieved.”
Why PeaceMaker Minnesota Resonates
That same approach — listen, understand other points of view, and work toward win-win solutions — is what drew Larry to PeaceMaker Minnesota.
“We all need to be proficient with conflict resolution skills if we want to solve our personal and world problems,” he says. “You have to be able to talk across the divide.”
PeaceMaker Minnesota’s focus on teaching conflict resolution skills to students feels both urgent and hopeful to him.
“The skills and attitudes you develop early in life can stay with you,” Larry notes. “That’s why the work of PeaceMaker MN matters so much.”
“Is PeaceMaker MN an effective organization for good in our community? Just look at the results: the increasing number of volunteers, the number of programs being implemented, the growing financial support, and the positive responses of the school kids to learning conflict resolution skills. PeaceMaker Minnesota is touching many hearts and creating hope.”
Building Community Funds for the Long Term
Larry helps strengthen prioritized endowment funds — turning shared values into lasting support for local communities.
Two years ago, he was a founding contributor to the Stillwater Community Fund, helping ensure ongoing support for PeaceMaker Minnesota’s work in that area. This year, he played a key role in strengthening the Cambridge–Isanti Community Fund, enabling it to begin making annual payments in 2026 to support programs in that community
The Peace Builder Brigade also contributed to the Eagan Community Fund, ensuring it can begin making annual payouts in 2026. Both the Cambridge–Isanti and Eagan funds will provide $600 each year, with support expected to grow over time as the funds continue to build.
“I’m really impressed with what PeaceMaker Minnesota is doing,” Larry says. “It has a long-range vision, a long-term commitment, and it’s lining up long-term resources. That’s very wise.”
For Larry, putting money aside in endowments isn’t just a good financial strategy — it’s about ensuring peace education remains accessible in communities well into the future.
“It makes good business sense,” he says. “And it makes good human sense.”
A Hope for the Next Generation
When Larry looks to the future, his hope is simple and profound: that organizations like PeaceMaker Minnesota will help the next generation resolve conflict by first understanding others' viewpoints.
“When you do that,” he says, “we can have peace that lasts.”
About PeaceMaker Minnesota
PeaceMaker Minnesota is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that furthers peacemaking education in schools, workplaces, and communities across Minnesota.
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