The Interact Club of Tilbury, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Tilbury, will dedicate a Rotary Peace Pole on Sunday, August 9 at 10:45 a.m. on the Odette Library property at 2 Queen St. South in Tilbury.
The pole, gifted as a symbol of hope, unity and peace, is inscribed with the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in eight languages, reflecting those spoken by people who live or work in the community. Rotary Foundation Trustee Marty Peak Helman, one of Rotary International’s leading advocates for global peacebuilding, will take part in the dedication ceremony.
The Peace Pole was one of two peace projects taken on this year by the Interact Club of Tilbury, alongside an initiative to send Shelter Box kits to Ukraine and Gaza. The planning, fundraising, site development, landscaping, installation and dedication ceremony were completed by students with assistance from the Rotary Club of Tilbury, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent and staff, the Tilbury Horticultural Society and the staff of the Odette Library. Organizers thanked Dr. Ashish Sarkar for donating the pole and Norma Sarkar for her assistance in ordering it.
The Rotary Club of Tilbury was founded in 1948 and has served the community for nearly 77 years through local and international service projects. Its Interact Club, originally a high school club for youth aged 14 to 28, transitioned into a community club after Rotary began allowing members aged 12 to 18.
The dedication ceremony will bring together Interact and Rotary members, elected officials, community service clubs and religious partners, residents and businesses. The program will include remarks from the Interact Club, community leaders and Helman, recognition of the Indigenous people on whose land the community sits, recognition of volunteers and donors, and the planting of a shrub in the garden by Helman. The ceremony will close with a community commitment to fostering peace and understanding, sealed with a song of peace.
