Peace pole placed in Sandusky

SANDUSKY — Posted at a busy intersection, the new community pillar provides strength to all individuals — regardless of one's religion, race, creed or culture — who call Sandusky home. Members affiliated with the Center for Peace Through Understanding worked with city officials to install what's called a peace pole at Camp and West Monroe streets. It's located across the street from 7-Eleven. Joy Noren, a nonprofit member, answered some questions about the initiative: Q: What is a peace pole? JN: A peace pole is an 8-foot, four-sided cedar pole with the words "May Peace Prevail on Earth" on all sides in different languages. There are more than 200,000 peace poles in almost 200 countries worldwide. Peace poles are nonreligious and nonpolitical. The new peace pole in Sandusky has eight plexiglass plates with the languages of residents and visitors to the (area) neighborhood on the west side. There are five known peace poles in Sandusky, four outdoors and one indoors: Four (were) planted by churches and (there's) one on private property. The new peace pole is unique in that it was led by members of the general community and local business. Q: What is the overall hope for something like this? JN: Sandusky hopes for the peace pole to be a symbol that conveys goodwill and inspires people to build a peaceful community. Q: Why did Sandusky want one and in this specific spot? JN: On Sept. 23, 2018, the city commission unanimously passed a welcoming resolution, which legislatively confirmed the city's commitment to creating a more welcoming, safe and inclusive place for all residents, including immigrants, refugees and people from diverse races, ethnic backgrounds, cultures and religions. The Peace Pole is one way of implementing the welcoming resolution. The residents of the 7-Eleven neighborhood, inspired by the owners of 7-Eleven Rihab and Ali Salhieh, wanted to place a symbol of peace in a visible, well-traveled location right there in their neighborhood. Q: How much did it cost, and where did the money come from? JN: The Sandusky peace pole cost $423. Donations from the residents of the 7-Eleven neighborhood funded half of the pole, and the city of Sandusky matched those funds to pay for the other half. The Center for Peace through Understanding, a local nonprofit organization, made a formal donation of the Peace Pole to the city of Sandusky and provided volunteers to organize the project and order the pole. Q: Will there be an unveiling ceremony? JN: On Thursday, Sept. 3, at 10:30 a.m., there will be an unveiling of the pole and a short outdoor dedication ceremony, observing social distancing, at the site of the peace pole, on Monroe Street across from the 7-Eleven.