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Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesPeace Center Office Opens in Frederiksted

Peace Center Office Opens in Frederiksted

Jay Woods, left, prospective board member, and Jerry Wenenger in the new Community Peace Center.Peacefulness is not always what Frederiksted is known for. However, in a courtyard off Prince Street on Sunday, peaceful is the best way to describe the gathering of several dozen residents in the afternoon.

The group, many of them from the Interfaith Coalition of St. Croix, informally marked the establishment of an office for the Community Peace Center.

The Community Peace Center itself was established last year. The Center already has three program areas under way: Arts for Peace, Skill Building for Peace and Advocacy for Peace.

Sitting in a circle in the shade of large palm trees and tropical plants, the group discussed how, as the center’s vision statement said, the members can “support individuals and groups of all ages to choose peace, love, trust, and forgiveness."

Carolyn Keys, who has been a moving force behind the center’s establishment, said the center has been in the birthing process for 10 years.

“We’re about partnering with many other groups and building peace,” Keys said.

Most of the center’s nine working committee members, which includes Keys, Rachel Pakenham, Mary Jo Wilder, Olu Massey, Linda Garvin, Jerry Wenenger, Tahira Abubakir, and Serena Sundaram, were in attendance.

Sundaram said she feels honored to be a part of the center and to be able to deeply support the community.

The center is sponsored by the Interfaith Coalition, which since 2004 has run an Alternatives to Violence Project that is now being taken on by the center. Other programs that will be run out the Peace Center include Intergenerational Round Table, Public Health Model for Violence Prevention, Sculpture from Guns, and Café Philo. Programs proposed for the future include Peer Meditation, Playback Theatre, HIP (Help Increase the Peace,) Poetry for Peace, Stress Management, Empowerment for Citizenship and Restorative Justice Circles.

People can volunteer or make a donation by calling Keys at 1-340-719-7805.

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