Announcement
On April 22nd, the IRC in Charlottesville was privileged to be recognized once again by the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run for our commitment to helping our community become a home for all people. The Peace Run “is a global torch relay that offers everyone in the world a chance to express their longing for peace…since its founding in 1987, the Run has visited almost every country on earth – over 150 nations and territories – and touched the lives of millions of people.”
The IRC in Charlottesville was first recognized by the Peace Run in 2024, when we received the Torch-Bearer Award, in honor of tireless efforts to build a better world by providing comfort and welcome to refugees and immigrant. We were honored to welcome the return of the Peace Run to Charlottesville in April and stand with them as advocates of peace and community.
Speaking for the IRC at this year’s Peace Run ceremony was Cecilia Lapp Stoltzfus, IRC Virginia’s Food & Agriculture Program Manager. Cecilia was joined by staff and clients of the New Roots program in Charlottesville and shared the following remarks:
“Sowing seeds on uncertain ground, in a time of drought, in a time of crisis, is an act of hope, of faith, of perseverance, and of peace. Much like a garden, peace is a process one must return to daily, to practice, to learn, to explore, to create through relationships. A journey we enact one step at a time, one day at a time, through a smile, or a shared meal, by believing in and building up one another. We have all heard the adage: Think globally, act locally. Or in our case, we often say we are working for "local food, (with a) global story". Thank you to the Peace Run and this years' awardees for being a part of our global community striving for peace.”
