CHICAGO—(ENEWSPF)—April 27, 2015. EarthHeart Foundation’s annual Mother’s Day Peace Celebration will have a new destination this year – a Peace Mural at the viaduct at 63rd and Wallace in Chicago – created by the women of EarthHeart and the youth that joined them.
Over the past two years, each Mother’s Day the organization brought together hundreds of community members from Englewood and Woodlawn to celebrate and renew the vow of the women who originated Mother’s Day in 1908 – the ending of war and violence.
Wanting more than a day each year to remind people of the urgency of the task, last year EarthHeart raised funds and engaged the community in the creation of a mural that celebrates “Peace, Hope, Love, Unity” on a viaduct and that has been too often the site of divisive violence and death.
“Mothers are a critical, yet undervalued force of change.” said Dede Koldyke, the president of EarthHeart Foundation. “We can’t rely on anyone else. So we connect, talk and tap into viable solutions to the challenges of our neighborhoods.”
The Celebration will be held at New Beginnings Church, 6620 S. King Drive, Chicago on Saturday, May 9.
Free and open to all, this event will begin at 12:30 p.m. with complimentary Mother’s Day portraits. The march is a public demonstration that mothers are leaders in encouraging love and creating safe spaces. Beginning at 1 p.m. at New Beginnings Church, they’ll take 3,500 steps together to the Peace Mural, a beautiful, permanent mosaic and a visible symbol of the movement of mothers taking responsibility for peace in their families, on their blocks, and in their whole communities.
During the celebration, one woman will receive the Mother of Magnitude (MOM) award for outstanding service and peace-building in her community, along with a cash prize. Uplifting entertainment will be provided by the Chicago Children’s Choir, For Children By Children, and The Happiness Club, and a stimulating address will be made by Minister Darlene Thorne, co-author of “When Dark Chocolate is Bittersweet.”
Inaugurated last year, the Peace Mural is the culmination of a cooperative effort led by EarthHeart in partnership with the Green Star Movement and supported by 20th Ward Alderman Willie B. Cochran and Metra, as well as individual donors through Kickstarter, a web based crowd funding campaign.
The mission of EarthHeart Foundation is to honor, empower and educate mothers as change leaders and peace builders. The organization was founded by two mothers in 2009. Visit www.EarthHeartFoundation.org for more information.
Source: www.earthheartfoundation.org
