Peace Poles erected in Decatur to bring community together

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Tuesday afternoon two Peace Poles were unveiled in Decatur.

"It's a reminder that no mater where you go and where you are, there's an opportunity to be kind and to be generous to other people," said Jerry Johnson, the Executive Director of the Decatur Area Arts Council.

The Decatur Area Arts Council and Decatur Rotary Club worked with numerous organizations to bring the Peace Poles to Central Illinois.

"Peace Poles have been around since the early 50s and they've expanded across the globe," says Johnson. "There are about a quarter of a million Peace Poles in virtually every country in the world and I thought it was a great, colorful way to bring this nice little monument of peace to Decatur."

Each pole has the words "May Peace Prevail on Earth," written in four different languages on each side of the pole. The two unveiled have the words in English, Spanish, Greek, and Hindi.

"Those are four languages that are very prominent in our community." Johnson continued, saying, "You'll see some of the other poles as they go up will have different languages because each of the different organizations were allowed to choose which languages they had."

There are plans to put in at least ten more poles around Decatur this fall at sites including Preston Jackson Park, The Children's Museum of Illinois, the Decatur Family YMCA, Good Samaritan Inn, and Baby TALK.