Connecting Like-minded People

Many years ago Founder/President of the FUSION Foundation, Annie Loyd, was in search of an effective means of bringing like-minded people together. On this journey many events shaped what has emerged today as a direct result of the intention of "connecting like-minded people."

In early 2005, Annie convened a group of women who began to meet on a regular basis to begin answering the questions of how do we bring women together? One of the many considerations was beginning a women's political party. Some things were very clear and others were not. It was determined that in making connections there was some consistent synergy:

• telling of personal stories enhanced connections
• gathering in a circle with no beginning and no end promoted equitable dialogue
• honoring all points of view without judgment provided an opportunity for a change in perspective
• diversity was not just good and important it was essential

In September of 2005, a close friend of Annie's, Terri Mansfield, the co-founder of the Arizona Department of Peace Campaign, invited Annie to attend the Department of Peace Conference in Washington, D.C. While listening to Conference speaker Dr. Barbara Marx Hubbard of the Foundation for Conscious Evolution. Barbara had a colorful wheel that Loyd recognized as being similar to many models of organizational development and community organizing she had worked with previously. Today that "wheel" is the organizing framework for the FUSION Foundation.

Upon returning to Phoenix, Arizona Annie's journey continued to evolve and in February of 2006 Annie made a decision to leave the world of running a high-end residential design/build construction company. Annie embarked on a journey of discovery that led her to identifying a field of work known as Social Architecture and Transpartisanship, the FUSION continued to evolve and in June of 2006 One Planet magazine was created.

The intention of creating One Planet magazine was to provide readers with a way of being inspired by the creative work of individuals solving problems and creating solutions in local communities with a global vision. "We wanted to spread the word that great things were happening around us every single day," says Annie.

In February of 2007 Annie returned to Washington, D.C. for the third Department of Peace Conference as a trainer. When she returned to Phoenix this time she was encouraged by her friends to run for U.S. Congress as an Independent. Fifteen months later, after an launching an energetic and inspiring campaign based on extraordinary volunteer support, Annie stepped down with a clear understanding that her skills as a diplomat and community leader were needed in her community of Phoenix, Arizona to meet the increasing cultural conflict arising as a result of the challenges of the immigration reform debate.

The FUSION Foundation is an organic organization shifting and changing to meet the increasing needs of grassroots work. As the world becomes easier to access as a result of increasingly brilliant technology our individual connections and personal relationships become require a greater conscious effort to initiate, develop, maintain and grow.