The Joliet Job Corps Center celebrated the dedication on May 18 of the Y2Y Peace Garden.

“It is our hope that this garden will be a place of peace and serenity for all who enter it,” said Quentin Sanders, one of the Y2Y Ambassadors. “May it be a place of unity for those who are committed to combatting violence on our Center.”

Student Brooklynn Willett dedicated the garden’s wind chimes. “Each bar in the wind chimes represents a different person,” she said. “Though each bar is different, they produce a great sound when they work together.”

During the ceremony, other students told personal stories of how violence had affected their lives. Kenneth Hannah talked about his cousin’s murder and his family’s reaction. “My cousin wasn’t even the intended target. However she lost her life because of someone else’s actions. That was 10 years ago and it still hurts today,” he said.

The ceremony concluded with the dedication of the Y2Y Peace Flags. “These flags represent our pledge that there will be no violence in our class-rooms, on our dorms, and on our Center as a whole,” student Veronica Pugh said. “Today we make the declaration that violence has no place on our Center! And we will do everything within our power to stand against it.”