Peace Pole unveiled in Lansing for World Refugee Awareness week  

WEDNESDAY, June 19 — The Forest Community Health Center in association with St. Vincent Catholic Charities unveiled a peace pole with “May Peace Prevail On Earth” written in eight languages for World Refugee Awareness week.  

The location was chosen because it is a focal point for refugee health services in Lansing.  

“This small act of coming together with Forest Community Health Center to plant this peace pole is a symbolic representation of world peace and will remind us daily peace begins here, in our hearts and in our homes,” Andrea Seyka, CEO of St. Vincent Catholic Charities, said.  

St. Vincent’s resettled over 17,000 refugees since the ‘70s and is the leading refugee resettlement agency in Lansing.  

Ben Cabanaw, state refugee coordinator of Michigan, said the world is dealing with the worst refugee crisis in human history with 70 million people displaced around the world. 

“Over the last five years, the State of Michigan welcomed over 11,000 of these refugees. Ingham County has welcomed over 2,000,” he added.  

In 2018, the entire state was only able to welcome 648 refugees, Cabanaw said.  

“Ingham County, St. Vincent and so many more provided a network to assist refugees to build the best new life we can hope to offer,” Cabanaw said. “They provide so much more than we give in their cultural, social and economic returns, as well as their stories, their smiles and inspiration.”  

St. Vincent’s case manager Jorge Livermore, who also spoke, fled Cuba as a refugee in 1997 under a lottery-based special visa program. He has worked at St. Vincent’s since 2001.  

“It is a very rewarding experience to do the job we do, seeing our clients in the community as productive individuals. Many of them are pursuing their education and their kids are learning English very fast.”