KINGMAN – To Kick off “Rotary Week of Service,” The Route 66 Rotary club has dedicated a monument in Metcalfe park known as a Peace Pole. A part of Rotary’s “Adopt-a-Park” program. Susan Williams gave the Peace Pole dedication, saying, “The Peace Pole is now the most internationally recognized peace symbol and monument in the world, having more than 200,000 Peace Poles worldwide as part of the Peace Pole Project.” She explained that the message inscribed on the pole is, “May peace prevail on earth.” The message is written in several languages, including English, German, Spanish, and Hualapai.

Community leaders also took part in the dedication ceremony including Hualapai tribal member Ernestine Claw, Kingman Mayor Jen Miles, Kingman City Manager Ron Foggin, and Kingman Vice Mayor Travis Lingenfelter, who announced that the Peace Pole project would plant ten trees on the continent of Africa in honor of the Kingman Route 66 Rotary Club.

Rotary is an organization with designs on spreading goodwill and peace across the globe. With a member roster of about 1.2 million, Rotary has chapterson every continent on the globe. Rotary is a charity whose members enact programs including clean water programs, mobile clinics and education and community-based funding. Some famous Rotarians include former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, former president of France Nicolas Sarkozy, and former British Prime Minister Margret Thatcher.

If you would like more information on joining Route 66 Rotary or becoming a member of any other chapter of Rotary international along with programs Rotary contributes, check out their website at https://portal.clubrunner.ca/1699/ There you can find a list of chair members and news and events Rotary is putting on in the area. For information on the Peace Pole Project head over to their website at https://www.worldpeace.org.

Chad Walker