On Friday, August 19, 2022, the Rotary Club of Georgetown, TX, received the distinction of being named a Peacebuilder Club by the Rotarian Action Group for Peace, an international network that provides resources to further the peace and conflict resolution work of Rotarians around the globe.
The Club's Racial Unity and Peacebuilding Committee, which first convened in June of 2020 following an escalation of racial tension in the U.S., has been meeting weekly for more than two years promoting the belief of Rotary that "when people work to create peace in their communities, that change can have a global effect.
By carrying out service projects and supporting peace fellowships and scholarships, our members take action to address the underlying causes of conflict, including poverty, discrimination, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and unequal distribution of resources." The group has shared its work within Rotary District 5870 and at Zone and International conferences.
This fall, it will be supporting the Rotary Club of Georgetown's 5870 DAP grant project by installing peace poles at local schools. Alison Sutherland, a leader of the Rotarian Action Group for Peace, attended the August 19 meeting virtually from Cardiff Bay, Wales, to welcome the Rotary Club of Georgetown, TX, as an official Peacebuilder Club - one of just 400 clubs in 200 countries. She said, "This group ... is becoming well known globally and very highly respected and will be the place to go as we seek to roll out diversity, inclusion and equity and other aspects.
So, I congratulate you on that and the work you are doing." Ron Swain, the convener of the Racial Unity and Peacebuilding Committee accepted the recognition on behalf of the Club and said, "We hope that other Clubs will join us because we believe that Rotary can bring peace throughout our communities, our nation and the world. Rotary creates environments of peace."