Moon Glow at the Peace Glow. Photo by Linda Hull
BY LINDA HULL
Vice President
Rotary Club of Los Alamos
“Hope is the one thing that can get us through the darkest of times. Los Alamos citizens gathered to encourage hope for the Ukrainian people,” remarked Rotary Club President Oliver Morris reflecting upon the April 16 evening fundraiser, Peace Glow, that raised over $4100 for Rotary International’s Ukraine Disaster Relief Fund. Gathering at Spirio soccer fields in White Rock, Rotary Club members and its enthusiastic high school organization, the Interact Club, sold blue and yellow glow sticks, the colors of the Ukrainian flag, to a crowd of at least 300.
As the sun set, supporters were asked to stand on the perimeter of a heart shape marked by traffic cones on the field. Yunseo Kim, a junior at Los Alamos High School and the President of the LAHS Interact Club, gave the opening words she had written for the occasion. Acknowledging that “we may all feel powerless right now, seeing war crimes and history being changed in our lifetime.” She continued, “Here today, we may not have the power to stop this war, but in some way your contribution tonight may have saved someone’s life, someone’s family, their parents, or their children.”
With the Beatles’s ‘Let It Be’ playing softly in the background and glow sticks shining, the Los Alamos Police Department flew two drones overhead to capture the message of hope. With the last colors of sunset fading behind the Jemez Mountains and the waning gibbous moon brightly cresting above the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, many in attendance expressed their sense of heartfelt meaning in the moments given for peace.
The Rotary Club of Los Alamos sincerely thanks all in the community who supported this disaster relief fundraiser for Ukraine and all those who helped in the many details of its planning, preparation, and implementation.
Supporters have been especially generous. If you would like to join the fundraising effort for Ukraine, please send checks payable to the LA Rotary 1312 Foundation, PO Box 986, Los Alamos, NM, 87544. Donations are tax-deductible; 100% of the money raised will go directly to Rotary International’s Ukraine Disaster Relief Fund. For more information, please contact Linda Hull, 505-662-7950.