After years of effort, the Riverhead Rotary Peace Pole Project came to fruition with a Ceremony of Dedication, Wednesday, October 21, 2026. The Project, initially spearheaded by Dawn Vogel during her tenure as Club President, was finalized by George Dupree during and after his presidential term.
With thanks to the help of our current Town Supervisor and Town Council, who attended the ceremony, a site was secured for the pole on the riverwalk, two blocks west of the Aquarium by what will be the new Town Square. Prior to the dedication, the pole was planted by Rotarians Dariia Protsiuk and Peter Guardino and club friend Dmytro Pomianovskyi. Wednesday's ceremony was led by Club President Rob Stromski and PP George Dupree who read the dedication and offered a prayer.
Riverhead's Peace Pole reads, "May Peace Prevail on Earth," in English, Spanish, Polish and Ukrainian and is dedicated in loving memory of Mary Ellen Ellwood, who had her mother and a sister in attendance.
The Rotary Peace Pole Project is a global partnership between Rotary International and May Peace Prevail On Earth International where clubs plant handcrafted monuments carrying the message "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in the languages of their region.