We departed the beautiful island of Galiano this morning.
Pristine waters surrounding the long coastlines.
The Peace Run team enjoys a moment with the torch held by Captain Dale Romagnoli on the deck of the Ferry Boat Howe Sound Queen.
Captain Romagnoli sounds the bugle most powerfully and sweetly for us as we approach Vancouver.
At the helm of the Howe Sound Queen Ferry there were some very competent personel to get us to the other shore.
A few friendly passengers share the torch with some of our team members.
We start a 5 KM run at the lovely White Rock, B.C. pier.
Some of our team enjoys the scenic run to the border of Canada and the U.S.
It is a beautiful route with many trees, flowers and waterways.
Our team is joined by a group of young local scouts and their scout master as we wait to run to the Peace Arch.
We start our run to the Peace Arch where we will meet another team of Peace Runners running to the Arch from the U.S. side of the border.
On the way to the Peace Arch we passed by a huge Canadian flag arrangement in a flower garden in this spectacular Peace Park.
The U.S. runners run towards the Peace Arch led by Christina Alexander, founder of the United States-Canada Peace Anniversary Association.
Over 12 countries were represented here with runners from around the world.
Mc Kenzie, from the Scouts, proudly holds aloft the Peace Torch.
Agraha serves as the Master of Ceremonies for the large crowd of runners and participants.
Mayor Wayne Baldwin of from White Rock, Canada offers inspiring words about peace and oneness between Canada and the U.S.
Mayor Harry Robinson of Blaine, Washington, offers his kind remarks.
The runners sing the Peace Run Song composed by the Founder of the Peace Run, Sri Chinmoy.
Daulot from Seattle helped to organize the team running in from the U.S. side.
Harita enjoys her last moments with the Peace Run for now, until we see her again in Ottawa. Thanks so much for your heartfelt contribution.
The Peace Torch gets passed to everyone present, offering their wishes, hopes, prayers and dreams for peace in the world.
Devon, one of the scouts, holds the torch high during the ceremony.
Mayors of White Rock and Blaine jointly read a Proclamation celebrating the friendship between our two neighboring nations.
Blaine Boys and Girls Club receive a Certificate of Appreciation for their enthusiastic participation in the Peace Run.
Christina Alexander, a recipient of our Torch-Bearer Award last year, joins us in the ceremony under the Arch. We are so grateful to her for her tremendous efforts to establish peace locally and globally. She sang a beautiful song for us as well. She also gave a wonderful introduction to one of the Torch Bearers, Richard Clark, who unfortunately passed away in 2012.
Richard Clark (1930-2012), Writer and Historian, was a tireless supporter of the Peace Arch, the Park and Peace Arch City. He dovoted much of his life to his community. Christina stated that ,"When it came to understanding the Peace Arch he was a virtuoso ahead of his time."
Bob Hines spent 18 years as a volunteer Board Member of the 'Hands Across the Border' organization. According to many people involved, 'No one worked harder than Bob during his time with Hands Across the Border.'
Jason Snow, Peace Arch State Park Manager, receives the Torch Bearer Award. Jason has worked with many diverse groups that utilize the park every year. He also is an advocate for the Peace Arch and its heritage and perservation, helping to advance the unique role of the International Peace Park.
Award winning photographer Jerry Gay receives the Torch-Bearer Award. Jerry has documented the lives of many people across America through his touching photos. He states,"These pictures are symbolic of each human being as a unique and equal soul, peacefully living out their days on the Earth. It is this sacred humanness that I look for in my own life and in the lives of my photographic subjects."
Salil, on his first day with the North American Peace Run, presents Certificates of Appreciation to the Mayors of White Rock and Blaine.
Agraha offers closing remarks after a moment of silence for Peace.
'May The Gates Never Be Closed.'
The Peace Arch Park is strikingly beautiful and is accessible by walking from both the U.S.A. and Canada.
The whole group comes together to enjoy this wonderful day under the Peace Arch.
Colorful gardens everywhere.
These border markers are symbolic of the hundreds of years of peaceful friendship between Canada and the U.S.
The Sri Chinmoy Peace Tree which was planted on June 25, 1991. It grows beautifully among a sea of colorful Begonia plants.
Some of our team spending a moment at the Peace Tree.
Most of the Peace Run men's team enjoy a moment together before splitting up and moving on to our new adventures through Western Canada.
Next was a visit to the Vancouver Sri Chinmoy Centre.
Soon we were off to lunch and the Vancouver Montessori School.
We are so grateful to the Centre for feeding us with a fantastic meal at the school.
Prasanata, the Founder of the Vancouver Montessori School, very kindly took time to show us around this remarkable school which she started in 1972.
Prapti tries a balance exercise that the children use to improve their motor skills.
Sailing in the wooden 'Golden Boat'.
Vancouver City Hall was next on our visit.
Here we are outside Vancouver City Hall where our Peace Run flags were proudly flying in honour of our coming to the city. They are the white ones just behind the team. When the wind blows it is quite an impressive sight to see the Peace Run in full 'bloom'.
An eternal flame outside of City Hall reminds us of our aspirations for Peace, just as our Peace Torches do.
Granville Island Hotel was the location for our next event.
Vilupti Barrineau created this wonderful event to recognize, celebrate and honour some remarkable citizens of Vancouver.
Salil Wilson, Peace Run Executive Director, shared some history about the run as well as the spirit behind our Torch-Bearer Award. The Award was created to acknowledge the remarkable people we have the good fortune to come into contact with as we carry our Peace Torch around the world. We see these Torch-Bearer recipients as pioneers, whose life and actions serve as an inspiration and guide post for all of us in our life journey.
Our Peace Run team then sang our Peace Run song - but this time we had some very able reinforcements - in the form of the Vancouvr Peace Choir. This group of singers very graciously learned the Peace Run song just a few minutes before we formally began and the did a phenomenal job.
Vilupti. organizer of this special event, introduces the Torch-Bearer Award recipients.
Our first recipient was Margo Kane, who read two of Sri Chinmoy's poems, The Golden Flute and Immortality. Margo is a leading figure in Aboriginal performing arts. Over the past forty years she has been recognized as a storyteller, dancer, singer, animator, director, producer, writer and teacher.
Our next recipient was Olga Kotelko for her partipation to the Masters Track and Field Community. Olga established 9 world records at a recent Track and Field meet in Hungary in her age category. Over her career Olga broke 26 world records in track and field and earned over 500 medals.
Sadly, Olga passed away a few days before our event.
Olga's daughter Linda Rabson very kindly came to represent Olga and share with us Olga's spirit. Olga had even written an acceptance speech which Linda read to us.
Richard Peter, a Paralympian Gold Medalist, began playing basketball at 15 after a wheelchair sports team came to his school and introduced him to wheel chair sports.
In 2000 Peter received the Tom Longboat National Award for Aboriginal Male Athlete of the Year. In 2008 he was named Wheelchair Basketball Canada's Male Athlete of the Year. In 2010, he was inducted into the BC Hall of Fame and in 2012, he received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award for his outstanding athletic accomplishments.
Local musician Ranjeet Singh performed one of his compositions "Peace" which was really hauntingly beautiful.
Heather Deal, City Councillor, has been offering her life to public service in various capacities since she was elected to the Vancouver Park Board in 2002 and served as its chair in 2003.
Heather read out the Vancouver Mayor's Proclamation and presented it to the team.
Vilupti then shared with us two recipients who were unable to attend for personal reasons. Wade Davis, Explorer, Environmentalst and Ethnologist and Charlie Denard Musical Director of Totem, Cirque du Soleil.
Our final Torch-Bearer recipient was the Vancouver Peace Choir. The choir pursues inner and outer expressions of peace through music. Founded in 2009 by Juno-nominated composer and irector Timothy Corlis the choir's performances focus on peacemaking, intercultural dialogue collaboration with First Nation performers, environmental issues and expressions of freedom.
The Choir performed a number of pieces including "Peace God's Beauty in His Oneness-Home" by Sri Chinmoy.
In closing we invited everyone to hold the torch and make a wish for peace which we will carry in our hearts and in our torch as we begin a journey east across Canada.
Tonight's Torch-Bearer recipients.
Finally, a birthday celebration for Baliyan, Vilupti's husband. Congratulations and thank you greatly, Baliyan, for your kind support of the Peace Run.
