"There wasn't a dry eye in the place," says Diana Oestreich of the inaugural Duluth Peace Hero Awards hosted by the Waging Peace Project at the Lincoln Park Middle School Auditorium. The idea of a collaborative effort to create peace began when founder Diana Oestreich returned from Iraq as a combat medic.
The nonprofit organization asked people to submit stories of everyday people making a positive impact in their community. There were seven finalists and over 104 nominations this year. Along with recognition, the Duluth Peace Hero Award is couple with a $1000 prize.
The ceremony was intentionally scheduled for the night before the November elections. "With this election, I was watching violence... telling us to fear or demonize our neighbors." For Oestreich, the Waging Peace Project is a way for people to lift each other up during a high-tension time of the year when groups of different demographics or ideologies are pitted against each other. Instead, the project encourages people to come together.
You can read all the stories submitted to the Waging Peace Project on their website and learn how you can be a peace hero, too.
You can hear Community Connection every Tuesday and Thursday at 8am on Northland Morning.
