Spreading Peace at I.R. Holmes, Sr. Recreation Center

If you've visited I.R. Holmes, Sr. Recreation Center at Campus Hills recently, you might have noticed a new garden and sculpture at the center of the drop-off roundabout. Standing 15-feet tall, a beautiful three dimensional aluminum structure and garden was created by Durham Resident, Boy Scout and Senior at Jordan High School, Shaun Deardorff.

Shaun began planning this project over four years ago to fulfill his Eagle Scout badge, which is the highest rank to earn in Boy Scouts. He approached Durham Parks and Recreation with the idea and over the span of a few years, our staff reviewed, made suggestions and helped implement Shaun's idea into one of Durham's local parks!

The project is officially called the 'World Peace Garden and Anti-Gun Violence and Terrorism Memorial'. His vision and desire is to spread the message of world peace and promote an end to gun violence in the community. He told a local news outlet "I knew I wanted to create some type of memorial for those who had fallen due to gun violence and other violence in the community -- the nation and internationally. It has a heart in the middle that symbolizes love is the cornerstone of peace." (Read the Full News Article)

After two weeks of hard work and a lot of volunteer hours, Shaun and 45 volunteers finished the garden and sculpture. Along with the aluminum structure stands a six foot pole with the words "May Peace Prevail on Earth" written in different languages around the world including Cherokee, German, Vietnamese, Russian and English.

Great job, Shaun! Your commitment to promoting peace is one step to making our world and our community a better place! And thank you for choosing Durham Parks and Recreation to help make this vision come to life!