Peace torch making local stop

SANDPOINT — The Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run, an international torch relay, is making a stop in Sandpoint this weekend.

An estimated 50,000 children in over 1,000 cities and towns along the route are expected to participate when the peace run visits schools, youth organizations and local events. Runners will offer educational presentations that promote self-esteem and the oneness of humanity.

The run will be in Sandpoint at 3 p.m. at Sandpoint City Beach at 3 p.m. Area residents are invited to pass the peace torch with the runners by the Statute of Liberty at the city park.

The goal of the run is to share a message that peace begins with the individual, organizers said. Along the route runners are meeting with schools, youth organizations and groups to give local citizens an opportunity to express their hopes and dreams for peace.

The team will cover 93 miles on Sunday, running from Spokane to Hope on Highway 200 passing the Peace Torch along the way.

For nearly 40 years the Peace Run has traversed over 160 nations throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia as a symbol of humanity’s universal aspiration for a more peaceful world.

A team of runners left New York City on April 16 and will pass the torch along the over 10,000-mile route. The continuous relay will run through all 50 states in honor of the 250th anniversary of America during the four-month journey before arriving back in New York in August. The team will run in Alaska and Hawaii in September. The European Peace Run will begin in Helsinki, Finland on May 18th and will make presentations in 13 countries.

Since the inaugural Run in 1987, more than 7-million people have participated. Commendations have come from many world figures including Pope Francis, President Nelson Mandela, President Mikhail Gorbachev, Saint Mother Teresa, Olympians, state governors, city mayors and celebrities across the world.

"By carrying the torch, you will be bridging cultural and social barriers, and all the boundaries that separate nation from nation," Carl Lewis, 9-time Olympic Gold-medalist, said. "You will be the living proof of the ancient vision of having a beautiful and harmonious world."

The Peace Run was inspired by visionary Sri Chinmoy to give citizens a dynamic way to express their own hopes and dreams for a more harmonious world. An athlete, philosopher, artist, musician and poet, Sri Chinmoy dedicated his life to advancing the ideals of world harmony and said, "How can we have peace? Not by talking about peace, but by walking along the road of peace."