10th Anniversary Inspirational Messages of Peace Celebration of Student Voices
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Overview
(STOCKTON, CA) MARKING A DECADE OF TRANSFORMATION THROUGH CELEBRATION! The 10th Anniversary Inspirational Messages of Peace, Celebration of Student Voices will take place on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 11:30 A.M. at the University Park World Peace Rose Garden (UPWPRG) in Stockton. This year’s theme is “Courage”, and the event is free and open to the public as we connect youth and community leaders.
Hundreds of students, representing Health Careers Academy, Pittman Charter, and KIPP University Park Elementary and Middle Schools, are currently developing original Peace Messages for this year’s contest. The winners will be announced on March 30th and will be placed on plaques throughout the Rose Garden that will be unveiled by the students during the celebration. The winners will also receive gift boxes containing a commemorative T-shirt, a certificate of achievement, and a medal of honor. The Stockton Symphony, celebrating its upcoming 100th season, will help us mark this special occasion with a musical performance by a brass quintet.
The public is invited to listen as the top 12 winners deliver their Inspirational Messages of Peace to the community. Attendees will also hear from special guest speakers: Lee Herrick, California Poet Laureate; Stockton’s Poet Laureate Emerita, Tama Brisbane; Stockton Police Department Chief, Stanley McFadden, and Grupe Huber Company President/CEO, Kevin Huber. The Director of the University Park World Peace Rose Garden, Sandy Huber, will be the Mistress of the Ceremony with a rose petal toss concluding the event. One lucky winner will be chosen by the co-founders of the International World Peace Rose Gardens for a sponsored trip to the Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream” World Peace Rose Garden in Atlanta, Georgia and read their message of peace at the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once preached. Join us for an inspiring event that showcases peace in our community! Donations are now being accepted to support the student winner, their chaperone, and our local community Peace Advocates as they travel to our Sister Garden in Atlanta, Georgia, to attend the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Event on May 14th. Details Here
About the Garden: The University Park World Peace Rose Garden is one of a series of 10 International World Peace Rose Gardens. These gardens have become magnets for positive community interactions. As one of these honored rose gardens around the world, we serve as a place of beauty and peace. The University Park World Peace Rose Garden features a variety of roses specifically chosen for our region. Our garden shares affiliate gardens at the Stockton Police Department Ambassador Rose Garden and the sister garden at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “I Have a Dream” World Peace Rose Garden in Atlanta, Georgia.
