Batavia Peace Project to receive Community Impact Award

The Batavia Peace Projects initiative, led by the Batavia Parks Foundation, will receive the Batavia Community Impact Award for their work on the Peace Bridge.

The Community Impact Award is not given annually, rather it is the prerogative of the award committee to decide if the award is presented each year, based on whether a project or initiative has made a significant impact on the community.

The Batavia Peace Project was selected to receive the award for a trifecta of efforts this year. The first of those efforts was to raise money and install the 12-foot “Peace on Earth” letters and lighting on the downtown bicycle-pedestrian bridge, commonly known as Batavia’s Peace Bridge.

The Batavia Parks Foundation also partnered with the City of Batavia to install a stainless steel “selfie station” on the Wilson Street bridge’s northwest overlook planter, which opened in May.

The third initiative from the Peace Project was the Batavia Peace Garden that opened on Sept. 21, the United Nations International Day of Peace. Volunteers from the Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners, the Batavia Parks Foundation, the Batavia Park District and the community worked together to install the Batavia Peace Garden along the South Riverwalk Plaza.

Batavia Parks Foundation president Britta McKenna said that through these projects, the Peace Projects Initiative “captured the spirit of volunteerism and community engagement that is uniquely Batavia.”

To maintain these projects and to fund the development of future Batavia peace projects, the Batavia Parks Foundation Peace Projects Fund was established and is now accepting donations at the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley.

For more information, or to purchase tickets to Inspire 2025: A Celebration of Those Who Inspire Us!, visit the Chamber of Commerce website at bataviachamber.org/events or call 630-879-7134.