Members of PAVE, the Clark County Peace Alliance, and the Springfield Peace Center receiving the Mayor’s Proclamation creating Springfield: City of Peace.

Springfield, Ohio, U.S.A.: City of Peace

 

Welcome to Peggy Hanna, the Springfield Peace Center, Partners Against Violence Everyday (PAVE), and the Clark County Peace Alliance who have worked for many years to bring a culture of peace to Springfield and beyond. The Mayor of Springfield issued a Proclamation for International Day of Peace, 2015 acknowledging Springfield as a City of Peace.

Note: Introduction page with information primarily at the time of joining International Cities of Peace. For updates, please contact the liaison.

 

Springfield City Proclamation

To the extent that the citizens of Springfield, Ohio desire human security and to live in peace,

And Whereas: economic security requires an assured basic income from productive work,

And Whereas: food security requires the physical and economic access to basic food,

And Whereas: health security aims to guarantee minimum protection from diseases and unhealthy life styles,

And Whereas: environmental security aims to protect people from the short- and long-term ravages of natural threats and environmental deterioration,

And Whereas: personal security aims to protect people from physical violence and predation,

And Whereas: community security aims to protect people from the loss of traditional relationships and values as well as ethnic violence,

And Whereas: political security is concerned with the right of people to live in a society that honors their basic human rights,

And Whereas: an awareness of non-violent principles and practices is a powerful way to heal and
transform our lives and communities, to recognize the dignity and worth of every human being, and to promote peace and harmony among all people regardless of apparent or perceived differences;

And Whereas: a culture of peace is determined by the citizens of each community,

And Whereas: we will benefit from democratic participation

And Whereas: we intend to foster a culture of peace through education and action,

I, Mayor Warren R. Copeland, do hereby declare the City of Springfield to be a City of Peace

 

     

Bystander Training workshops as well as trainings and workshops on non-violence and social justice are offered throughout the community and schools.

ABOUT THE SPRINGFIELD PEACE CENTER

Springfield is the home of The Springfield Peace Center established in 1985. The Springfield Peace Center is a small non-profit organization located on the campus of Wittenberg University.

Every June, a free one-week Peace Camp is offered to 225 children aged 4 years to sixth grade. The children learn conflict resolution skills, anti-bullying techniques, self-esteem, leadership skills, mediation, and care of the Earth. These skills are taught through art, music, puppet shows, skits, role plays, cooperative games and learning snacks.

Throughout the school year, programs in conflict resolution and mediation are given in the local elementary schools.

 

ABOUT PARTNERS AGAINST VIOLENCE EVERYDAY (PAVE)

PAVE is a coalition of community organizations including police, fire, mental health, faith community, schools, prosecutor’s office, etc., working together to end domestic violence, intimate partner abuse, and sexual assault through social change.

Engaging non-traditional messengers to promote an alternative community mindset will have the longest-lasting and complete impact to ending violence. While we encourage victims to flee from abusers to make themselves safe and empower them to promote self-determination, without systemic, community-wide, social change the victim carries all of the risk and likelihood of ending up in the arms of another abuser. We can and must do more.

 

ABOUT THE CLARK COUNTY PEACE ALLIANCE

Affiliated with The Peace Alliance (www.thepeacealliance.org) to empower civic engagement toward a culture of peace.

The Clark County Peace Alliance works locally and collaboratively for the establishment of a U.S. Department of Peacebuilding to reduce and prevent violence in the United States and abroad. Lobbying our elected representatives is key to passing legislation that will promote peace and social justice in our own communities as well as nationally and internationally.

 

Of Note: In 2017, the Springfield City Commission passed a Proclamation in support of the City’s Muslim and Sikh brothers and sisters.

 

ABOUT PEGGY HANNA

The liaison to International Cities of Peace, Peggy Hanna, is Sociology Department Assistant at Wittenberg University in Springfield. Peg has been married to Jim Hanna since 1962; parents of nine, grandparents to sixteen.

Peggy’s book, Patriotism, Peace and Vietnam: A Memoir, describes the commitment, courage and harassment of the author’s local peace group in Springfield during the Vietnam War and their concern for our servicemen and women. The anecdotes in this work highlight her experiences as a member of an American citizens group interviewing all parties at the Paris Peace Talks in 1971. It is an account of a piece of history and the peace movement told from the point of view of a mother of five small children.

In 1985 Peggy brought the idea of a monthly “peace camp” to Springfield. With the help of many others, the Springfield Peace Center was born. Peggy currently serves as team leader for the Clark County Peace Alliance.

 

 

CONTACT INFO

For more information please contact:

www.peghanna.com or peghanna@woh.rr.com

 

ABOUT SPRINGFIELD, OHIO (based on Wikipedia information)

Springfield is in Clark County, Ohio and located near the I-70 & I-75 interchange, centrally between Dayton and Columbus. With roughly 62,000 residents and an area of 25.2 square miles, Springfield is a mid-sized Ohio city.

In its heyday, Springfield was a manufacturing hub for autos, trucks, and agricultural equipment. But like many mid-west cities, Springfield is re-inventing itself. While manufacturing is still an important part of our economy, the service industries are big employers.

Springfield is proud of its downtown state-of-the-art hospital built in 2011, the Museum of Art which is affiliated with the Smithsonian, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and also of the fact that it is home to the longest running FREE Summer Arts Festival in Ohio. Each summer for a six week period, Springfield offers outdoor free arts programs ranging from Chinese Acrobats to Rock Tribute Bands.

Its architectural heritage includes a Frank Lloyd Wright prairie style house that had a 5 million dollar restoration – The Westcott House.

Springfield has two historic neighborhoods, and several buildings built by noted architects including the original City Hall which is now the Heritage Center.

Beautiful local and state parks offer multiple opportunities for recreation. The Buck Creek Whitewater project enhances the existing Veterans Park with a boat launching ramp for canoes and kayaks. Springfield offers a location rich in culture, history, and recreation.

 

Springfield is home to two institutions of higher learning, Wittenberg University and Clark State Community College.

Wittenberg University, affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church, was founded in Springfield in 1845. The four-year private liberal arts university enjoys a campus of one hundred and fourteen rolling acres, shaded by many majestic trees. Nineteen hundred students represent 38 states and 25 foreign countries with a student-faculty ratio of 13:1. Clark State Community College was founded in 1962 under the name of the Springfield and Clark County Technical Education Program as a technical education college for Clark County, Ohio and the surrounding area.

Curriculum includes career-oriented programs as well as those designed for transfer to a four-year college or university, working closely with Wittenberg University.

 

DO YOU THINK YOUR COMMUNITY CAN BE A CITY OF PEACE? SEND AN EMAIL!

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