Portsmouth, Ohio, "Peace Park" -- Can You Help?

[theHandpuppet]

(Note: I have also posted this on the Ohio Forum.)

Donations/volunteers are being sought for a "Peace Park" in Portsmouth to be coordinated with NYSD (National Youth Services Day). Portsmouth is an impoverished community so a project such as this is not only pretty ambitious but funding it will be difficult. If you can at all help in any way, I hope some of you will consider it. I also hope some of our Dem representatives will make an appearance, as to date most who have been invited have not committed. Portsmouth, long ago a thriving river city, was a major hub for the Underground Railroad and in recent years the town has done much to memorialize that particular part of the community's history.

I'm providing some excerpts I gleaned from one of the links posted at the bottom of this post.

In the park, we will create a beautiful peace garden. The youth will learn the history of the plants, the conditions for planting, type of nutrients required and how often, and their basic upkeep. The entrance to the park will have a walk through trellis. A memorial brick walkway will lead to the center of the garden and encircle a gazebo. One section of the park will display flowers to attract butterflies. In another section of the park there will be a rose memorial garden. The memorial garden will give a historical timeline of African-American events of importance as well as pay tribute to some of our African-American leaders. The garden will address questions such as, "Where did we come from?" "Who are we?" "Where are we going?" The answers will come in the form of roses and literature displayed in the garden. Each rose will be picked on the basis of the name of the rose and how that name can provide a connection mounted on plaques, telling our history as Black America. For example, one rose in the garden will be the rose named "Distant Drums" and will discuss our journey and captivity during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Other roses will also include "Rhapsody in Blue" which will stand for the Harlem Renaissance, "Black Jade", which is the deepest of all red roses, will stand for Harriet Tubman. "We Salute You" will be dedicated to Rosa Parks, for we salute Mrs. Parks for her courage and ability to not give up her seat on the front of the bus, and "Let Freedom Ring will denote Martin Luther King, Jr. The landscaping layout of the rose memorial garden will resemble a quilt, after the quilts that were hung on clotheslines as a sign to welcome run-away slaves traveling the Underground Railroad and used to map out their escape to freedom. The rose garden will tell a story of our heritage and the story of our struggles throughout the years. The gazebo will house benches to be placed throughout the park for visitors to rest and reflect on the beauty and education of the park. Along with other plants, flowers, bushes, and shrubs, the "Love and Peace Rose" will also find a place in the park. A small waterfall with colored water and a sound enhancer will be installed in the park...

A Peace Pole will also be planted. A Peace Pole is a hand-crafted monument that displays the message and prayer May Peace Prevail on Earth on each of its four or six sides, in 8 different languages. There are more than 200,000 Peace Poles in 180 countries all over the world that are dedicated as monuments to peace. Planting a Peace Pole is a way to bring people together on an inspiring project to join in a network of peace consciousness that is emerging all over the world. When we plant a Peace Pole in our community, we will be linking with people all over the world who have planted Poles in the same spirit of peace. Mayors in many parts of the world have planted Peace Poles to dedicate their cities and towns to world peace. Political leaders, such as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and religious leaders, such as Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama, have dedicated Peace Poles. Peace Poles serve as constant reminders for us to visualize and pray for world peace....

Beulah Baptist Church is conducting a fund-raiser for the project by selling donor bricks for the memorial brick walkway. The bricks will be made available for purchase to current and former community members, friends and relatives, churches, and businesses for $50.00 each for a 4x8 brick, $100.00 each for an 8x8 brick and $175.00 each for a 12x12 brick; and can be personalized. The brick can have your name, the name of a loved one you would like to honor or donate in memory of, or just a "peaceful" message. The Peace Park will pay a tribute to our African-American heritage, so your message could also pertain to Black History or honor of one of our many African-American leaders. If you would like to be a part of NYSD and this historical event, and contribute by purchasing a brick for the walk-way or making a donation to help fund the construction of the park; please access our website at www.beulahbaptistchurch.info and click on the NYSD logo to access the order form. You can order online, or you can print out the form and mail to Beulah Baptist Church at 1226 14th Street, Portsmouth, OH 45662. You can also call the church at 740.353.1432 or Gennifer Davis at 740.821.6951 for more information. We also invite anyone who is interested to come out on April 22nd to help in the construction of the Peace Park and be a part of National Youth Service Day.

For more information on the Portsmouth Peace Park, here are a couple of links:

http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/articles/2006/03/2...

http://www.rivercitiesezine.com/making-a-difference.htm...

Thanks!!