By HOLLY PASZCZYNSKA

Staff Writer

Friday’s after-lunch assembly at the Coeur d’Alene Boys and Girls Club started with a splash as kids sat on the lawn waiting to hear from their special international guests. The rain decided to hold off for the hourlong presentation, but the automatic sprinklers did not, sending a spray into the faces of nearby kids in a direct hit.

When the squeals subsided and the kids settled back to their spots on the field, they were introduced to the 13 runners who are passing through the area on a four-month, 11,000-mile relay run.

The relay runners — from the U.S., India, Mongolia, Austria, Puerto Rico, Bali, Ukraine, New Zealand and Italy — are members of the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run, a torch relay run that traverses the world spreading messages of peace and goodwill. Teams meet with schools, clubs, celebrities, and government entities along the way.

The run was started back in 1987 by Indian spiritual guru Sri Chinmoy, who moved to New York City in 1964 to establish meditation centers in the West. He was an artist, poet, musician and athlete, and used athleticism as a means of meditation and self-transcendence. Since the inception of the relay, nearly 400,000 miles have been run by volunteers with the organization.

The kids were treated to a game — guess what country each runner is from — based on their introduction and a few clues. They were then asked to point to the respective country on a brightly colored map.

They grew (mostly) quiet when asked to place hand to heart, close their eyes, and feel the peace within them, in a moment of meditation.

Silly skits were performed by the runners, asking kids for a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to show if actions performed were kind or not. Six-year-old Makenna Hershfield recalled the hair pulling by teammates as a definite thumbs-down, but still a little silly.

During a moment when the kids formed a big circle to hold and pass the torch, they were asked to think of their hopes and wishes before passing it on.

“I wished that I could see my brother,” said 11-year-old Jadis Allert. “He is in foster care right now.”

Boijayanti Gomez, of Puerto Rico, explained that the Oneness Run takes place every two years, and volunteers form teams to make the trek. She first ran with the group back in 2008.

“I was really touched by the message that peace starts in the heart of every person,” she said. “And I thought it would be unique to give it a shot and join the team and see different parts of America and share that message; it’s not that we are offering peace, it’s that it already exists within us.”

That message seemed to have been received. Eight-year-old Prue Clarkson reiterated the message when asked, ‘what does world peace mean?’

“It means everyone is in harmony and kind to each other.”