The International Day of Peace, sometimes unofficially known as World Peace Day, is a holiday observed annually on September 21. It is dedicated to world peace, and specifically the absence of war and violence, such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in a combat zone for humanitarian aid access. The day was first celebrated in 1982, and is kept by many nations, political groups, and people. In 2013 the day was dedicated by the Secretary General of the United Nations to peace education, the key preventative means to reduce war sustainably.”

In the Resolution that was unanimously signed by the Urbana City Council and the Mayor in September of 2016, Urbana became the 145th International City of Peace. As a part of that proclamation, Urbana will observe and celebrate September 21 “International Day of Peace.” The Alicia Titus Memorial Peace Fund, which is housed at Urbana University in memory of Alicia Titus who was killed on September 11, 2001 in the terrorist attack on the United States, will be sponsoring two events to help celebrate Urbana’s commitment to peace. This coincides with international events from over 150 cities of peace around the world. They are as follows:

-Feast for Peace: Urbana University a branch campus of Franklin University, the City of Urbana and Champaign County community members will gather in their homes, parks, churches, community centers, offices and schools for a “Feast for Peace.” Community members will share a meal and join in conversations about “peace” and what it means to live a life of peace in the midst of challenging and tumultuous times. This event will begin at 6 a.m. and continue until 10 p.m.

-Peace Day Challenge: Urbana University a branch campus of Franklin University, Urbana City Schools and the Champaign County School District, as a preview of The Great Kindness Challenge and in honor of the International Day of Peace, will have a day devoted to performing as many acts of kindness as possible. It is our hope that this day will inspire a lifelong commitment to service and kindness.

Anyone can participate in the Great Kindness Challenge. To be a part of this special, world-changing event, all you need to do is download The Great Kindness Challenge Checklist and choose how you would like to honor and celebrate this special day. You don’t need to spend any money, provide any personal information or make a commitment beyond this event. We just want you and many others around the world to enjoy giving and receiving acts of kindness.

Together we can raise awareness of the power we all have to make our world a better place, each day, with even the simplest acts.

We invite and encourage groups of all types, for example, families, clubs, teams, religious groups…to honor and celebrate a “day of peace” together.