Our Roots

History

World Peace Parents Foundation evolved from a community service project sponsored by the Garrettsville-Hiram, Ohio Rotary Club. Organized in 1926, the Club's membership had dwindled to 10 members with lagging enthusiasm for Rotary. Club officers learned from a membership drive that community residents had limited awareness or understanding of Rotary, the Club and its mission of community service. Something had to be done.

Amy Crawford, Club President at the time (2001-2002), expressed the challenge this way:

"As a club, we had done many service projects. In addition to local projects like supporting the Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls State, the People Tree, and similar, we had participated in Rotary International's PolioPlus Project, we had hosted and sponsored exchange students, we provided funds for ambulances and medical equipment in other countries, but none of these projects had a lasting, meaningful influence in our community."

Matthew Ryser, Club Secretary and a past president, agreed,

"Our club was really looking for something that would identify it and its members within the community."

As president, Crawford decided the Club needed to do something to better connect with its community and to increase awareness and understanding of Rotary. And, she wanted a service project that would have a lasting, ongoing influence.

"The idea that caught fire with club members was to recognize and celebrate the benefits that strong families offer our community. As the natural and fundamental group unit of society, the family is universal. Everyone belongs to a family. If we did something for families we had the potential of reaching every person in the community."

In the spring of 2003, the Garrettsville-Hiram, Ohio Rotary Club sponsored a Family Week Celebration in its community giving birth to this annual service project. The mission adopted for this project had two objectives:

  • First, to strengthen the Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary Club by connecting with the community through the family and the other primary community organizations of the schools, churches, businesses, local government and the media.
  • Second, to strengthen family as an institution within the community and to provide educational materials for parents and children to strengthen family at home. The Rotary Club of Garrettsville-Hiram, Ohio and its community celebrated its 7th annual Family Week in 2009.

Foundation Organization

Vibert Kesler, Chair of the first Family Week Celebration for the Garrettsville-Hiram, Ohio Rotary Club, recognized the potential this project had for other communities. He organized World Peace Parents Foundation as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity to refine and adapt the Ohio project for other communities. This process led to the development of its Empower the Family® projects: Family Week Celebration™ and Begin with the Children™. The Foundation owns four trademarks registered with the U.S. Parent and Trademark office. They are: World Peace Parents®; Put Family First®; Empower the Family®; and Family Hour®.