OTHER MIP PROJECTS

Central Square Peace Pole

A group of local citizens, members from both the Keene Rotary clubs and MIP have been working with the City of Keene for some time to install a “Peace Pole” monument on Central Square.  

One face of the monument will read, “May Peace Prevail on Earth” and the other three sides will show the word ‘peace’ translated into over 30 languages and including braille.

As of 12/2025, The Keene City Council has approved this project!

According to the world peace project, “Peace poles are now the most recognized monument dedicated to peace on earth. They represent the highest aspirations of peace and goodwill inherent in the human heart, transcending race, religion and creed.” The Peace Pole movement began in Japan in 1955. Our Keene Peace Pole will join the estimated  more than 200,000 Peace Poles around the world.   

This enduring symbol of the vital importance of peace in our world will be a gift to our wonderful community. Funding for the purchase, engraving, installation and maintenance of the monument will come from private donations by individuals, groups and local businesses. Donations to this effort can be forwarded to the:

Rotary Club of Keene
P.O. Box 126
Keene, NH 03431 

Please make checks payable to Rotary Club of Keene and write “Peace Pole” on the memo line.

Public Restrooms in Keene, NH

In 2019 MIP held a Make a Difference Leadership Series for low-income individuals in conjunction with The Community Kitchen of Keene. The participants in that training identified public restroom access as an issue for residents and visitors to Keene. MIP’s advocacy in local media and with city officials resulted in the Keene City Council including plans for public restrooms in the city improvement plan.

Craig Dallas Rice’s song We All Gotta Go is his creative effort inspired by the Make a Difference workshops and subsequent MIP public toilet advocacy.

 

MIP applauds Keene City Hall for opening its restrooms to the public during business hours, 2022.

MIP Community Pandemic Response

In 2020 – 2022, MIP responded to the isolation of the pandemic with community wellness checks and dissemination of resource information across past and current connections, and with government resources. In May-June 2021 MIP:

  • Conducted one-to-one wellness calls to all people on the MIP contact list
  • Held a Zoom Coffee Hour with the MIP community and State Senator Jay Kahn
  • Distributed COVID resource information and posted the information prominently on the MIP website

Throughout the pandemic, MIP continued reaching out and talking to social service leaders to discover, facilitate, and disseminate information on safety nets and resources for seniors and those on the economic margins.

Community Training

MIP, alone and in partnership with peer organizations, delivers useful training to leaders in our community.

  • Trauma-Informed Service Workshop: a workshop for volunteers with The Community Kitchen, Hundred Nights, MIP and other places where we are likely to encounter people whose lives are impacted by past and/or ongoing trauma (2024, with The Community Kitchen)
  • Make A Difference workshop series for leadership development (2017, with The Community Kitchen)

The participants above received certificates from Keene Mayor, Kendall Lane, for successful completion of the MIP/Make a Difference workshops series.