Contributed photoPictured: Members of Rotary Club, Early Act, Pete Nance Boys & Girls Club board and staff, Ollie and Barnard Rivers of Madison Monuments.

GREENSBORO, Ga. — The Rotary Club of Greene and Putnam Counties held a dedication ceremony on March 1^, its recently installed Peace Pole at the Pete Nance Boys & Girls Club. Rotarians, members of the board of the Pete Nance Boys & Girls Club, and members of the Early Act Club attended the event.  The Peace Pole is located near the walkway connecting the Club to the Carson Middle School and Greene County High School.  

One of Rotary International’s primary areas of focus is the promotion of peace throughout the world.  The Peace Pole is an internationally recognized symbol of the hopes and dreams of the entire human family living in peace together. There are tens of thousands of Peace Poles in virtually every country in the world that stand as pillars for peace.

The 10-foot-tall granite pole contains the phrase “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in English, Spanish, Korean, and Seminole. The Rotary Club chose English and Spanish as the most prominent languages in the area, Korean as the third most spoken language in Georgia, and Seminole as the native language of the indigenous people (Oconee).

Rotarian Bill Bonnington, who spearheaded the project stated, “The Peace Pole Project at the Pete Nance Boys & Girls Club is a perfect example of the community working together to create something that will benefit our children for years to come.  Local businesses, the Rotary Club, and the Pete Nance Boys & Girls Club combined resources to create an important place for the kids to gather and celebrate our common goal of peace and cooperation.”

The Rotary Club would like to give special thanks to Ollie and Barnard Rivers of Madison Monuments for their very generous donation towards the manufacture of the Peace Pole; Home Depot for its donation which provided stones, benches, and plants; Ace Hardware of Eatonton for mulch, soil, and landscape weed barrier; Hickory Hill Nursery and Landscape Supply for the donation of plants; and Dirt and Rock for the stone.

Mike O’Neal, Immediate Past Chair of the Pete Nance Boys & Girls Club Board, commented during the presentation, “The Peace Pole and landscaping are aesthetically beautiful and especially meaningful.  We will use the area as a teaching tool as we implement our anti-bullying curriculum, emphasize conflict resolution skills, and promote peace in our Club, our community, our state, and our world.  We are so thankful for, and proud of, the partnership between the Rotary Club of Greene and Putnam Counties and the Pete Nance Boys & Girls Club in making this Peace Pole project a reality.” 

If you are interested to know more about how you can get involved with the many local projects of the Rotary of Greene and Putnam Counties, please visit us at www.GreenePutnamRotary.org or on Facebook.