History of the John Denver Kid's Peace Cloth
Tuesday, April 20, 1999, was a day that probably changed the lives
of teachers, students and parents all over the country, forever. At approximately
11:30 am, two young men opened fire on Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado,
killing twelve students and one teacher. Two years later, in the wake of Columbine
and multiple copycat incidents at other schools, educators found themselves looking
to find ways to support the self-esteem of their students and hopefully show them
that violence is never a solution to their problems. One such teacher, Geri Delevich
from Buckingham Elementary School in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, began a program
called "Care By Celebrating Children Day"
(http://www.celebratekids.org).
Ms. Delevich was
disheartened by the negative media coverage that accompanied the first anniversary
of the tragedy at Columbine High and, with the help of a parent, decided to create
a day that focused on the good things kids accomplish.
The idea was to invite people from the community to visit the school and view student
work on display. Visitors could go into classrooms, ask questions and find out what
the children learned from their efforts. The kids felt great having adults come in
and share their world and they were able to show off all their varied accomplishments:
music, art, scholarship, etc.
In April 2001, the John Denver Memorial Peace Cloth was invited to Buckingham Elementary
to be a part of the festivities. Through the hard work of Eileen Donofrio, the parent
of one of Buckingham's students, eleven classes made panels depicting their visions
of peace (click here to see photographs of the students' work). Again and again, we were touched
by the children's wisdom. Many times that day, we found ourselves saying "Out
of the mouths of babes..." And because of this, we decided to begin the John
Denver Kid's Peace Cloth so that when this Cloth goes to other schools,
the students there will be inspired by "what one child can do". We hope
this Cloth will eventually be as long as the original.
The students also got a special treat. They were able to present their panels to
Ron Deutschendorf, who accompanied us to the school. We were thrilled beyond belief
to have him be a part of this event and for so generously giving us his time -- thank
you SO much, Ron! To see the student's letters to Ron, please click here.
Instructions for Donating to the Kid's Cloth
Your child's donation can be any length but no wider than 36". It can be
any type of material so long as it is an expression of their hopes and dreams for
peace in the world.
Send your cloth to:
Peace Cloth
c/o Debra Chilton
2817 NE 48th Street
Vancouver, WA 98663
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