The Rotary Club of Monroeville celebrated the United Nations’ International Day of Peace a day early this year, bringing together interfaith leaders and community members for a program focused on unity and diversity.
The celebration, held Sept. 20, was anchored at the Peace Garden in Community Park West, which grew from a peace pole installed by the Rotary club in July 2021. That pole displays the message “May Peace Prevail On Earth” in 38 languages.
The event, which commemorated the U.N. International Day of Peace (observed annually on Sept. 21), adopted the 2025 global theme: “Act Now for a Peaceful World.”
“It was incredible to see so many people from different backgrounds and cultures all standing there, simply united in wanting peace,” said Rotary District 7305 Gov. Felicia Mycyk, who quoted Mahatma Gandhi: “We need not wait to see what others do.”
Mycyk emphasized Rotary’s focus on action, stating, “We don’t wait for change, we create it. And when we come together, we can turn those actions into movements.”
Greetings were delivered by state Rep. Brandon Markosek, councilman Dennis Biondo Jr., borough manager Alex Graziani and Turtle Creek Mayor Adam Forgie.
Focus on interfaith harmony, arts
The program highlighted Monroeville’s diversity with performances and representation from local faith and cultural groups.
Participants included:
• Monroeville Inner-Faith Ministries representatives from the Muslim Center of Monroeville, Garden City United Methodist Church, the Baha’I Faith, the Thai Temple of Monroeville and The Lord’s Church.
• Performers including flutist and Trinidad native Gemma Stemley, the Mitchell family’s Ibeji Drum Circle, East End Kids and East Indian dancer Shrabani Badu.
Anthony Mitchell, an associate teaching professor emeritus at Penn State University, commended the event for promoting harmony.
“It’s sad to see that in these troubling times, too many elected officials on all levels of government are spewing hate rhetoric and creating divisiveness instead of promoting racial, ethnic and religious harmony,” Mitchell said.
The event also featured demonstrations from Gateway High School’s Quasics Robotics Club and a poem enacted by the Black Student Union. Rotarian and vocalist Diane Milowicki, the club’s immediate past president, served as mistress of ceremony, and Rotary President Tim Little, a former Monroeville municipality manager, delivered the closing remarks.
The ceremony concluded with a release of doves from Allison Park’s Dovecote Mission. Owner Ken Haselrig called the release an “affirmation that countless people across the globe are dedicated to the relentless pursuit of peace.”
Rotarian and Gateway school board Director Susan Delaney said the celebration represented both the unity and diversity within the community.
“We embrace the beauty of our humanity because we are all part of the human race, which makes us more alike than different,” Delaney said. “Although the event was well attended, it is looking to grow every year with more community families participating.”
For more on World Peace Day, visit internationaldayofpeace.org.
