By Marty Peak Helman, Rotary International Director
It was a beautiful Saturday morning in late September. I joined more than 100 Rotary members at a small park in Detroit overlooking the brand-new Gordie Howe International Bridge, which spans the Detroit River between Michigan and Windsor, Ontario. There were balloons and kids and smiles all around as we turned and waved to an equal number of Rotarians who had similarly gathered on the Canadian side. On both sides, Rotarians and friends admired new Peace Poles, they sat on newly installed benches designed for rest and reflection, they came together to recite a Peace Pledge and sing “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”
Excitement was in the air! For more than a year, District 6400 has been working to plant twin Peace Poles at either end of the international bridge. The endeavor was the brainchild of Linda Morrow, who was district governor in 2025-26. Morrow worked with both municipal governments to make it happen. She was also enthusiastically supported by past, present, and future governors in the district, many Rotary clubs in the area, and ultimately, the parks and recreation departments on both sides of the border.
Liz Smith Yeats, a past district governor, designed T-shirts that showcased the Bridge — red shirts for the Canadians and blue for the Americans —and she also made sure plans for the event went viral.
After all the planning, I was excited the day had finally arrived. District Governor Kim Spirou and I keynoted on the American side; across the river, Morrow and Nick Krayacich, governor in 2024-25, shared the honors with Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and other community leaders. Members of the Rotary Action Group for Peace and the UN-affiliated nonprofit May Peace Prevail on Earth International were on hand, as well as at least three inbound Rotary Youth Exchange students.
“A bridge can be more than a crossing of steel and concrete. This bridge represents connection — bringing together cultures, friends, families, ideas, and futures. A Peace Pole is a signpost reminding us that peace begins within each of us and grows through understanding, respect, and service to humanity.” Linda Morrow
Spirou summed it up: “In dedicating a Peace Pole, we are planting a promise.”
The idea of the Peace Poles began in post-World War II Japan, and always carry the message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in four or eight languages. By the 1990s, Peace Poles became an international phenomenon and began to be erected in countries beyond Japan. Over the past decade they have become a popular Rotary project. Today, the Peace Pole Project makes it easy to both acquire a Pole and provide for the translation in over 500 languages —more being added every year.
Peace Poles have become a defining symbol of Rotary’s peace work. They have been planted in over 250,000 communities on every continent by Rotary members and nonmembers all working to uplift the consciousness of humankind. From city parks and schools to places of worship, businesses, and private gardens, Peace Poles spread the universal message of peace on earth.
For me, the most evocative Peace Pole I have ever witnessed is at the site of the former slave market in Zanzibar. In the United States, there is a Peace Pole at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham where the four girls were murdered during the country’s Civil Rights struggles. Peace Poles also mark peaceful communities across the nation — perhaps including one in your own hometown.
In Windsor, the Peace Pole carries its message in English, French, Arabic, and Ojibwe. In Detroit, the message is in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Arabic. These languages were selected to reflect the communities in which they stand.
In Rotary, the emphasis on peace work has always been to rise above the headlines and differences in order to create sustainable and positive peace. It’s critical to recognize that Rotarians work toward that goal every time we fulfill a humanitarian need, either in our home communities or internationally.
Every time we sponsor a Rotary Youth Exchange student or embark on a Rotary Friendship Exchange, we are forwarding the goals of positive peace. Every district and global grant that provides nutrition, health, education, or a better tomorrow to needy people is a work of peace. Our Rotary Peace Fellows are of critical importance in carrying this work forward.
“This is Rotary at its best. Rotary International has funded almost 2,000 Peace Fellows over the past 25 years. Rotary does not just talk about peace. We invest in people who can create it.” Nick Krayacich
Rotary not only invests in international connections, our governance is designed around it. Along the 3,000-mile border that separates Canada and the United States are 12 Rotary districts that span the border and include clubs and communities on both sides. These international districts aren’t happenstance. They were planned.
When district boundaries were first established, our Rotary forefathers knew that there are things more critical than political lines drawn on a map. Just as Rotarians know that if a communicable disease is anywhere in the world, it can be everywhere in the world, just as we know that if any of our children are without clean drinking water or the ability to go to school it affects us all, so we also know that peace starts at home, within ourselves, and in our relations with our closest neighbors.
In my remarks at the American side of the bridge, I commented that sports legend Gordie Howe, for whom the bridge is named, lived a life and career that spanned the two nations. Howe was born and raised in Saskatchewan. He was scouted by the Detroit Red Wings and played with them for 25 seasons, then came back from what he euphemistically called “retirement” to play for the Houston Aeros and the New England Whalers.
Gordie Howe, just like the span that bears his name, bridged our two nations; he never divided them.
After the speeches, Rotary members who were able got out their passports to walk the bridge and met and mingled in the middle of the span, right at the international border. There were many spontaneous moments of celebration, a lot of high-fives and photos, and that’s when I overheard a passer-by, who had noticed our matching T-shirts, say: “I want a selfie with those Rotarians!”
Hey! We’re the cool kids!
After that, we all returned to our homes, with photos, origami cranes that symbolize the Japanese origins of the Peace Pole movement, and even cookies with a red maple leaf and blue star marked in sugar icing. And lots and lots of hugs and memories. We had come together to recognize and rekindle important friendships, and we left determined to continue to do our part — both individually and collectively — to work toward positive peace.
About the author: Marty Peak Helman is a member of the Rotary Club of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, USA, a past Trustee of The Rotary Foundation, a Rotary International director, and a member of the Arch Klumph Society. She and her late spouse Frank were charter members of the Legacy Society of The Rotary Foundation.
