Friends of Batavia Peace Garden

This was sent in by Barb Toal, Friends of Batavia Peace Garden, and Jeanne Walton, YWCA of Genesee County.

PARTNERS IN PEACE

This year for the first time, Friends of Batavia Peace Garden and YWCA of Genesee County combined efforts to throw a fantastic "Garden Party" awards dinner on May 10. We could not have done it without the tremendous and overwhelming support of this wonderful community, and we
offer our heartfelt thanks to all involved.

In attendance was an incredible mix of people from many walks of life, all who were joined together in a mutual effort to support the goal of two organizations: to bring more peace and harmony to our community.

We have learned that a common goal helps to create the common thread that ties us all together to
accomplish great things. Thank you to everyone for helping us to turn our vision into reality.

We can't say it was all easy to merge the desires and goals of two organizations for one big event. But it was a terrific lesson that with change comes challenge, and with challenge comes learning. It was the learning that ultimately gave us the ability to overcome the challenge.

Let’s all learn from our experiences and change the things we often accept without question, because they are familiar and comfortable. That can result in "the greater good," and we all prosper and grow in the end.

Our mantra for the evening, a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, now holds true more than ever: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world."