May Peace Prevail On Earth. 

A new white, 7-foot pole shares that message in various languages at Girsh Park in Goleta. 

The Rotary Club of Goleta recently installed the city’s first Peace Pole at the park at 7050 Phelps Road, linking the city to an international movement. 

“This pole is more than just a monument of plastic, wood and metal. It is a physical symbol of our shared aspirations,” said Roger Aceves, president of the club. 

The Peace Pole project is a movement to bring “inner peace of mind and to foster peace in the world at large.”

Goleta now joins the more than 250,000 communities worldwide that participate, according to Aceves.

“It stands as a visual reminder that peace is not just a distant global concept; peace begins right here, in our daily actions, our conversations and how we treat one another,” he added. 

Club leaders hosted a dedication ceremony on Thursday at the park near the Pat O’Malley Fieldhouse and Rotary Community Room, where the pole stands. 

The languages chosen to be represented on the pole – Spanish, Italian, German, Mandarin, Japanese, Hebrew, Chumash, English, along with Braille – reflect the local community, Aceves said. 

There are also QR codes for passersby to scan and learn more about the project. 

Ryan Harrington, executive director of Girsh Park, said the pole’s location is significant as peace is practiced by over 5,000 children who visit the park each year.

The pole’s location next to the fieldhouse is special, he added, as Pat O’Malley believed that children were the future. 

“This Peace Pole will stand as a lasting reminder of the values that Girsh Park represents,” he said. 

There are six Peace Poles from Carpinteria to Goleta, according to Art Fisher, Rotary Club of Carpinteria peace chair. 

Plans to install a Peace Pole in Goleta began about a year ago, and the club finished its installation last week, according to club member Brooke Armstrong. 

“Let it be a beacon of hope; may it remind every student who walks past, every neighbor who rests near it, and every visitor who reads its words that they have a role to play in building a better world,” said Tammy Dobrotin, former president of the club.

There are plans to add more Peace Poles to the Goleta area, she added.