The Rotary Club of Pittsburgh is proud to announce the launch of its newest initiative, Every Rotarian a Peacemaker, a project designed to empower individuals to practice peacemaking in their daily lives and relationships.

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At its core, Every Rotarian a Peacemaker encourages individuals to become advocates for resolving conflict through everyday interactions at home, at work, and within the community.

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“In this growing climate of separation and hostility, Rotarians are stepping up to take personal responsibility for lowering the temperature of the human interactions we encounter every day,” said Club President Eric Moye.

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The project has its roots in a highly successful Rotary youth initiative developed between 2000 and 2008 by then club member Elaine Parke. Known as 12 Caring Habits, the program used engaging multimedia materials to introduce twelve monthly peace-based values in Pittsburgh area schools and communities.

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First piloted in 1998 at Aliquippa Middle School under the leadership of Principal Dr. Melvin Steals, the Caring Habits initiative produced measurable results. Academic performance improved, bullying declined, and within two years the program earned the Pennsylvania State Violence Free Youth Award, presented by then Governor Tom Ridge.

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Inspired by those results, members of the Rotary Club of Pittsburgh adopted the Caring Habits program as a club youth service project in 2000. Four Pittsburgh schools were sponsored, with outcomes later evaluated by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. As part of the outreach, a Rotarians in the Classroom manual was developed, and members visited participating schools monthly to reinforce the importance of healthy peace values and constructive conflict resolution.

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In 2008, Parke relocated from the Pittsburgh region to continue developing the 12 Peace Habits initiative, first in north central Pennsylvania near Warren and later in West Virginia, where she currently resides.

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In recognition of more than 35 years of peace focused work, Parke was honored on September 13, 2025, with a Lifetime Achievement Award as an Exceptional International Woman of Peace by Pathways to Peace, a United Nations affiliated non-governmental organization.

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“With the launch of Every Rotarian a Peacemaker, it is time for ‘Peace Begins With Me’ to become more than a song,” said Parke. “Rotarians are uniquely positioned to bring personal peacemaking to life in communities around the world.”

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Rotary International includes approximately 1.4 million members worldwide across more than 46,000 clubs in nearly 200 countries and regions. Rotarians have sponsored the planting of more than 20,000 peace poles globally, each inscribed with the message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth.”

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Every Rotarian a Peacemaker is designed as an umbrella initiative under which clubs and individuals can engage in a growing range of peace building actions. Participating clubs are encouraged to open meetings with peace invocations or brief meditative reflections, while individual members are invited to use their personal platforms to share stories, examples, and tools for resolving conflict constructively.

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A new half day workshop currently in development, Informal Conflict Mediation, will teach practical mediation principles such as active listening, finding common ground, and reducing reactivity. Unlike formal mediation processes, this approach is designed for everyday situations where tensions are escalating and relationships matter.

 

Speakers at the March 11 launch ceremony will included Elaine Parke, Dr. Melvin Steals, and Linda Fischer Bruce, a charter member of the original 12 Peace Habits youth project launched in 2000.

 

The March launch timing is intentional. Within the 12 Peace Habits framework, March focuses on resolving conflicts, fittingly described as “in like a lion, out like a lamb.”

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The vision of Every Rotarian a Peacemaker is captured in an African proverb that guides the initiative: “When spiderwebs unite, they can tie up a lion.”

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“As we come together,” added Linda Fischer Bruce, “we have the opportunity to make peace and conflict resolution a conscious priority in our daily lives moving forward.”

 

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About the Rotary Club of Pittsburgh

The Rotary Club of Pittsburgh is part of Rotary International, a global service organization with approximately 1.4 million members worldwide. The club is committed to advancing peace, fostering understanding, and strengthening communities through service, leadership, and meaningful action.