At the culmination of a five-year project, Exemplar’s Grove is finally completed
Harrisburg, PA – In honor of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC) 100th and International Institute for Peace Through Tourism’s (IIPT) 5th anniversaries, Exemplar’s Grove, on the corner of Front Street and Verbeke Street received its final upgrade. Twelve trees, six benches, two stone markers, and one time capsule will complete the newest section of Riverfront Park.
“In honor of our 100th anniversary, we want to celebrate by providing a gift to each of our regions- in honor of their unique place in our community,” says Janice Black, president, and CEO of TFEC. “We are celebrating our Harrisburg community by supporting the enhancement of Exemplar’s Grove and the recent construction of the Commonwealth Monument: A Gathering at the Crossroads on the Capitol grounds. It is our hope that with continued work in our communities we can achieve peace in our neighborhoods now and for future generations.”
The enhancement of Exemplars Grove recognizes nine individuals and families who serve as templates for both the achievement of peace and the endurance that it takes along the way to achieving peace. A tree is being planted in honor of each exemplar for their individual contribution to achieving peace. They include:
- Mahmooda Bhatti and Momin Bhatti
- Homer C. Floyd
- Peggy Grove
- K. Leroy Irvis
- Mrs. Anne Marie Judson and Dr. John Judson
- Dr. George Love
- Rabbi Ron Muroff
- The Honorable Jeannine Turgeon
- Mrs. Maude Coleman
TFEC was also recognized in Exemplar’s Grove with three trees dedicated to its past (THEN), present (NOW), and future (FOREVER).
“Five years ago, Harrisburg Peace Promenade along Riverfront Park was designed an official heritage site of the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism,” says Lenwood Sloan of the IIPT Harrisburg Peace Promenade. “This year with the gracious support from The Foundation for Enhancing Communities and the sponsorship of Peggy Grove, we complete our Exemplars Grove- a place of memory and reflections honoring TFEC’S 100th anniversary and nine Exemplars of service to the community.”
At the site of the grove, in the Spring of 2022, TFEC will be burying a time capsule to commemorate what life was like in 2020 and 2021. Twenty-five years from then, in 2046 the time capsule will be unearthed to illustrate the heartbeat of this community to those who stand in this very spot in the future.
The celebration inspired community connection with speakers including Janice Black, president and CEO of TFEC, Lenwood Sloan, the leader of the IIPT Harrisburg Peace Promenade, Jeb Stuart, of the IIPT Harrisburg Peace Promenade, George Hartwick III, from the Dauphin County Commissioners, and Rick Kearns, Poet Laureate of the City of Harrisburg, who recited two poems specifically for this momentous occasion.
EVENT PHOTOS – photos by Minnick Photography
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About The Foundation for Enhancing Communities
The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC), a community foundation, inspires giving by partnering with donors to achieve their charitable goals, and strengthens our local communities by investing in them now, and for future generations. TFEC has been serving the South Central Pennsylvania counties of Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lebanon, and Perry, and the Dillsburg Area for over 100 years. Regional foundations of TFEC include the Greater Harrisburg Community Foundation, the Franklin County Community Foundation, the Mechanicsburg Area Community Foundation, the Perry County Community Foundation, and the Dillsburg Area Community Foundation. For more information on TFEC, please visit www.tfec.org.
About IIPT
The International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) is a not for profit organization dedicated to fostering travel and tourism initiatives that contribute to international understanding, cooperation among nations, an improved quality of environment, cultural enhancement and the preservation of heritage, poverty reduction, reconciliation and healing wounds of conflicts; and through these initiatives, helping to bring about a peaceful and sustainable world. It is founded on a vision of the world’s largest industry, travel and tourism – becoming the world’s first global peace industry; and the belief that every traveler is potentially an “Ambassador for Peace.”
About IPTT Harrisburg Peace Promenade
IPTT Harrisburg Peace Promenade, is a Project of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, fiscal sponsor. The charitable purpose of the Project is to promote, conserve and preserve Harrisburg’s African American legacy and inspire peace through tourism through community and educational activities.
