We were all happy to take part in the weekly 2 mile race held every Saturday morning at the Sri Chinmoy Peace Garden. Today was our last day in San Diego before heading to Seattle, so we had to say a fond farewell to many of our local team members.
We offered a big thank you to Manorath Morrison, pictured to the right of the banner holder, for all his hard work coordinating our week of wonderful activities! We also offered our gratitude to all the staff of Jyoti Bihanga Restaurant for so generously sumptuously feeding our team, and also to Vasudha from Noble Learning for hosting the Peace Run event.
We offered
Thank you to Yohan for joining us today! Here we were singing the Peace Run song by Sri Chinmoy.
Marina leads the team in a 3 mile run from The Sri Chinmoy Peace Garden to the World Beat Centre in Balboa Park.
Gatisheela joined us for the week in San Diego. It was great to have her on the team!
We were delighted to be joined by our friends, Mark, Alana and their dog Ella for the run!
There was no time to stop, but we at least got a shot outside the zoo!
Some friendly locals made wishes for peace.
We had a surprise visit from long time Peace Run supporter, Kinkani!
Maestra Mar Cardenas and children came to hold the torch. She has been a big supporter of the Peace Run over the years, so we were really happy she was able to come and hold the torch!
When we arrived at the WorldBeat Cultural Center we were delighted to be welcomed by a super enthusiastic group of Taiko drummers.
From their website:
The WorldBeat Cultural Center was founded by Makeda Cheatom in 1993. It’s first location was an annex in Old Town and San Diego and in 1995 WorldBeat Center was granted entry to its current location in Balboa Park.
Her dream began with the complete transformation and revitalization of a then-abandoned water tower on the edge of Balboa Park in the heart of downtown. Complete with colorful murals, art galleries, and peaceful gardens, the Center has since become one of the most important multicultural art and event centers in San Diego.
Since the Center’s founding, Makeda has produced hundreds of programs and presented artists from wide cultural genres represented within the cultural center. Makeda has received numerous awards for her service to the community, and in 2012, she was inducted into the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame.
We introduced the Peace Run to a very enthusiastic audience!
The Mission Statement of WorldBeat Center:
The WorldBeat Center is a nonprofit multi-cultural arts organization that is dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the African Diaspora & Indigenous cultures of the world. Through consciousness raising, we strive to promote peace within our San Diego community by providing ongoing programs and services that nurture the spirit of children, the elderly, and everything in between.
We moved out to the Peace Pole at the Healing Peace Garden, "an urban oasis featuring countless rare edible and medicinal plants that hold cultural significance. The garden was designed as a special place to help teach our community about the healing role of plants in society".
Makeda has been a great admirer of Sri Chinmoy for many years, and spoke of his service to humanity with great reverence, love and enthusiasm
Makeda's goodness radiates from her entire being and it is a great joy to be in her presence! She welcomed us and gave an in depth introduction to the Torch-Bearer recipients and the people who presented the awards.
The first recipient of the Torch-Bearer Award was Marlissa Herring, the CEO/Co-Founder and President of Fit Black and Educated Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing communities of the African diaspora with the tools and guidance to combat obesity and health issues and become more mentally resilient and knowledgeable about black history to thrive financially.
Congratulations Marlissa and thank you for all you are doing!
Peter Comiskey was our next Torch-Bearer recipient to be introduced. He is the Executive Director of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership (BPCP). Under Peters leadership, diverse organisations have united on a common mission to brand and promote Balboa Park as a world class destination for arts and culture. He has inspired many organizations in the park to work collaboratively. Thank you Peter for all you are doing for oneness-peace!
Aditi Chawla received the Torch-Bearer Award on behalf of Sri Sri Ravishankar, who was not able to attend today.
Sri Sri Ravishankar is a humanitarian, spiritual leader and an ambassador of peace and human values. Through his life and work, he has inspired millions around the world with a vision of a stress-free, violence-free world. He has designed programs that provide techniques and tools to live a deeper, more joyous life and has established nonprofit organizations that recognize the human identity beyond the boundaries of gender, race, nationality, and religion.
Lama Lhanang Rinpoche was the final recipient and was held up at the airport during the ceremony...
Lama Lhanang Rinpoche is an accomplished instructor of meditation, Anu Yoga, art, Feng-shui, cultural and historical studies as well as a skilled practitioner of Tibetan medicine. Congratulations, and thank you for all you are doing!
Makeda and Manorath both thanked each other for success of the event today!
We offered the WorldBeat Centre our Certificate of Appreeciation and an artwork by Sri Chinmoy entitled "Inspiration Bird".
A hole was dug for the future planting of a Peace Tree. The tree is beside Makeda in this picture. It is a Loquat Fruit Tree, which has a delicious edible fruit and thrives in this local environment. A Peace Tree plaque will also be installed with the tree.
We enjoyed eating the fruit of a closeby loquat tree. This is what our tree will look like in a few years!
Makeda with a photo of Sri Chinmoy with Nelson Mandela that is on display in the Center.
One WorldBeat Cafe is located inside the Centre and offers a delicious variety of African Diaspora inspired vegan cuisine. Our team was very generously offered a complimentary lunch which we all thoroughly enjoyed- a big thank you to Makeda and all the staff!
Thank you Makeda and everyone at WorldBeat Center for a most inspiring and memorable end to our 2023 San Diego Peace Run!
O peace-dreamers of the world, O peace-lovers of the world, Do not hesitate. Unite and unite and unite!
-Sri Chinmoy
