Peace Pole installed in Veterans Park
A Peace Pole has been installed at Naperville's Veterans Park.
The pole at 303 E. Gartner Road is an 8-foot tall structure made of brushed stainless steel, handcrafted by an artist from Ohio for ThinkGlobal Arts Foundation.
ThinkGlobal Arts Foundation is a nonprofit organization in Naperville dedicated to the promotion of world peace through the arts. The foundation is organized and operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes.
The pole is laser inscribed with the words, "May peace prevail on earth," displayed in 12 languages onto the six sides of the pole. The languages include English, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, French, Swahili, Russian, Tagalog, Hindi, German, Cherokee and Japanese.
Naperville Park District approved the placement of the peace pole at Veterans Park in December 2014. The cost of the pole was funded by patrons of ThinkGlobal Arts Foundation. The park district will help maintain the site at Veterans Park.
"The Peace Pole is an internationally recognized symbol of the hopes and dreams of the entire human family, standing vigil in silent prayer for peace on earth," said Revati Natesan, president of ThinkGlobal Arts Foundation.
"The presence of the Peace Pole provides a special place in Naperville where folks can celebrate peace, honor peacemakers, motivate and encourage our youngest citizens, and communicate the message that peace is a powerful tool that they can use throughout their lives to spread happiness and goodwill in our communities."
ThinkGlobal Arts Foundation intends to add a plaque near the pole later this year to recognize this gift to the Naperville community.