Bob Moore, Vicki Megginson, and Bill Sturm provided an exciting overview of the goals and activities of the Peace Builders Committee at our February 15, 2021 club meeting. Bob and Vicki (pictured above) are the co-chairs for the Peace Builders initiative and Bill Sturm (image to right) is a founding member of the committee. Bill provided some background on the development of this new initiative. He related that he had become increasingly concerned about the diminishing civility and acceptance of differing view points among people and that he had emailed Vicki the phrase "Rotary, promoting civility through service." The seeds for this initiative were planted in November of 2018, when Bill Sturm, Bob Moore, Bob Stuart, Vicki Megginson, and Dave Kromphardt met with the Springfield Mayor and Chief of Police about about ways that Rotary could promote civility in our community, including the possibility of sending a member of the Police Department to the Rotary Peace Institute. Bill noted that he was worried that much of the incivility that he saw was political and that might pose a conflict because Rotary is not a political organization. He further related that he was deeply moved by a statement from Rotary International President for 2020-2021 Holger Knaack that Rotary stands for values of equity, tolerance, and peace, and Knaack encouraged Rotarians to help correct inequities, including those that were the result of political actions. All agreed that Rotary is respected for its work to promote equity, tolerance, and peace regardless of the cause of the inequities and has a reputation for getting things done. Vicki reported that that the current Peace Builders Committee members also include Jim Applegate, Kathryn Harris, Stacy Kelly, Naomi Lynn, Dave Kromphardt, Barry Tobias, Loretta Meeks, Justin Rose, Tony Williams, and Kathy Johnson. Vicki identified some of the criteria for what the committee wants to accomplish: (1) be a part of the conversation to reduce systemic racism, (2) build community partnerships, and (3) attract new members who want a peaceful and civil community. She relayed the need to have conversations with other organizations to identify specific projects to move the needle forward. Bob noted that the committee has met with five organizations that all work with the community in preventing systemic discrimination: the United Way of Central Illinois, Frontiers International, Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and the Dominican Sisters of Springfield. Vicki noted that all of these groups brought something positive to the whole as well as different expectations and different viewpoints. The dialogue with these organizations and about specific projects to pursue continues. Bob expressed the desire and importance of input from the Club and asked members to send in suggestions and issues to be addressed. The overall goal of this important committee is to make Springfield a better place to live. |