The Winchester Rotary Club has dedicated Peace Gardens at the Rotary Pavilion in Jim Barnett Park in Nov. 2025 and at Winchester Day Preschool in April 2026.  The latest Rotary Peace Garden will be dedicated on November. 12, 2026 at 1:30 pm at the Winchester Rescue Mission’s new facility at 2655 Valley Avenue in Winchester.

The Rotary Peace Garden consists of a Rotary Peace Pole which is an internationally recognized symbol of peace and a Trex Bench made from recycled plastic.  It will serve as a place for people to gather to unwind and discuss their differences in a peaceful, serene and non-threatening environment.  There are currently Rotary Peace Gardens at the Jim Barnett Park Rotary Pavilion and Winchester Day Preschool and we plan to put Peace Gardens at Daniel Morgan Middle School and Shenandoah University in the future.

Winchester Rescue Mission achieves the Positive Peace goal of  providing people the opportunity to develop and attain their full potential. The Winchester Rescue Mission Rotary Peace Garden is an area where their residents and community guests can gather before meals and it will serve as a reminder of the power of positive peace. Additionally, since the Trex Bench is made from recycled plastic, this project also addresses the Positive Peace Goal of protecting the environment.