Peace Bridge

Craig Foltos had a dream some twenty years ago to place 12′ “PEACE ON EARTH” letters on the bicycle-pedestrian bridge in downtown Batavia, IL. That dream came true through his efforts alongside volunteers, who donated resources and time to build the letters. In partnership with the Batavia Park District, the message of hope has been proudly hung annually on the “Peace Bridge” during the Christmas season. The Batavia Parks Foundation teamed up with Foltos, who had already raised $4,000 through donations and merchandise sales toward the permanent art. The Batavia Parks Foundation launched a community campaign in May of 2022, securing letter sponsors, selling “Play it Forward” raffle tickets, accepting donations, and selling merchandise that all added up to $50,000 on December 21, 2022. Any funds raised above the actual final costs of the project will be placed in a Batavia Parks Foundation dedicated fund to pay for future maintenance expenses for the artwork and lighting.

After community fundraising wrapped up, construction planning for the permanent PEACE ON EARTH artwork was underway. A familiar name to the Batavia community project, Dennis Kintop, was the volunteer construction manager. Dennis is worked with the Batavia Park District, Batavia Parks Foundation, and community volunteers to get the metal letters fabricated, install permanent electricity and lighting, and leverage in-kind donations wherever possible. Kluber Architects + Engineers’ in-kind donation of structural and electrical plans for the permanent artwork is already underway. Project installation was completed in November 2023.

Thank you to all the donors big and small for your support. Contributing to the “Peace on Earth” campaign were the following generous major donors:

Anonymous

Barco Products

Batavia Rotary Club

Batavia Woman’s Club

Boyce Body Werks, Inc.

In Memory of Dan Brace

Drendel & Jansons Law Group

Dunham Foundation

Earthmover Credit Union

Foltos & Friends

Richard & Joanne Hansen

Rob & Karen Hollis

Kluber Architects + Engineers

Alice Bonifas Lee

Marconi Family in Memory of Joseph Marconi

Steven & Britta McKenna

The Matt Novak Family

Lezlee S. Nuesca

Maureen O’Brien

Stan & Carolyn Oke

Premium Waterproofing

The Matt Rowe Foundation

Weaver Partners, Inc.

Sarah J. Ryerson

Steve Hopkins & Associates.