Waterloo residents gathered Sept. 14 for the dedication of a Peace Pole at Lakeview Park, joining thousands of communities around the world who have also planted this symbol of unity and hope.

The Peace Pole Project is organized by May Peace Prevail On Earth International, an organization which has been involved in a number of global peace-building efforts over the past few decades.

Per the website worldpeace.org, a Peace Pole is “a symbol of the hopes and dreams of the entire human family, standing vigil in silent prayer for peace on earth.”

The poles feature the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” translated in multiple languages.

Locally, Waterloo’s new Peace Pole was donated by Waterloo Listens. The effort was led by Paul Pecha, and the dedication ceremony was organized by Amanda Chase.

The pole was planted at Lakeview Park some time ago following approval from the Waterloo Park District. It can be found along the park’s walking path just a brief walk away from the Veterans Memorial.

At the  morning dedication, a number of residents and members of community organizations were present, including folks from Waterloo Listens, the Waterloo Lions Club, Waterloo Police Department and Human Support Services.

Also present for the dedication were family members of Marge Francois, a member of Waterloo Listens, the Lions Club and many other community groups who recently passed away.

As she was involved in procuring the Peace Pole as well as many other peace building efforts in the community, a plaque on the pole notes that it is dedicated to Francois.

Along with explaining the meaning behind the Peace Pole, Pecha spoke at the ceremony to recognize Francois’ contributions to the community, including the Give Peace a Dance event which was celebrated early this year in honor of peacemaker Martin Luther King Jr.

“One leader who was famous for promoting peace in our community was Marge Francois, a member of Waterloo Listens and many other organizations in our community,” Pecha said. “Sadly, Marge recently passed away, but Marge left a mark on our community.”

Chase, who knew Francois through both Waterloo Listens and the Lions Club, also offered kind words recalling how giving a person Francois was.

“What she did in our community, so humble, so caring, so service-minded,” Chase said. “She was so dear to so many people, and I think we all got to learn something about the other organizations that she spilled into.”

Following the ceremony, Pecha spoke with the Republic-Times to discuss the Peace Pole and what it’s meant to represent in the community.

He noted that he, Francois and others have pushed for a number of other efforts in the community that didn’t get as much traction, such as getting local officials to declare Waterloo a compassionate city through the Charter for Compassion.

“It really kind of revolves around peace,” Pecha said. “Cities around the world have adopted the charter, which means their mayor and aldermen have adopted it, agreed to abide by it. So they’re designated as compassionate cities.”

In looking for a new project, Pecha landed on the Peace Pole concept having seen one in his community when he previously lived in Texas.

He offered thoughts on the Peace Pole and his hopes for how it will get Waterloo residents to think about peace in the community.

“Waterloo Listens is always trying to build a brighter future for our community,” Pecha said. “If there are any existing conflicts between people in our community or there are groups of people that feel not accepted, then hopefully, by trying to open people’s eyes to the idea of a peaceful community, they will see that conflict and those people that feel slighted and try to eliminate that. It’s really just to make the community hold together stronger and have more unity and try to accept everyone.”

Currently, Waterloo’s Peace Pole features four languages: English, German, Mandarin and Russian.

Four additional languages are planned, and folks can cast their vote for which language through a donation at givebutter.com/WLPeacePole.