04/28/2026
The Ela Peace Project appreciates the support we have received recently in light of the news that the future of the Ela Peace Pole is being challenged.
We’ve been asked some questions. We hope this clears things up.
--We have always been a grassroots group of five women who take on community projects. We don’t get paid. We don’t get accolades. We use our voices to speak up. We planted Illinois' tallest peace pole in Ela Township.
--We raised the money to create the peace pole. It was entirely funded by 58 GoFundMe donations and a number of checks (we could not verify how many at this time). Individuals and organizations also gave us their time and expertise. No taxpayer money was used to create or build it whatsoever.
--We worked with the township (and the Village of Lake Zurich regarding the building permit) through the entire process. We sat in on meetings. We shared our drawings. We were transparent about our process.
--We are not a 501(c)3 organization. We have never stated we were such an organization. We were never asked if we were such an organization by the Ela Township Board nor asked to show articles of incorporation. We did not mislead anyone into believing we were anything other than a grassroots group.
--The Ela Peace Project handled the collection of donations through a GoFundMe account that went directly into a checking account managed by Ela Township. All checks made out to Ela Township to fund the Ela Peace Pole were turned over to the township. We did not handle the banking, taxing or any portion of those transactions. We have donation receipts and a paper trail for payouts to all contractors. There is not a discrepancy over where the money went.
--The Attorney General or State’s Attorney (we are unsure which entity looked into the matter) determined there was no criminality in the township’s financial handlings since no one financially profited from the peace pole.
--The Ela Township Board did not ask us or provide us any type of future planning agreement prior to voting on the installation of the peace pole. It was a gift and all who voted understood it was Ela Township’s responsibility once it was dedicated. We are no longer responsible for its care. It is the people’s peace pole in a public park.
Regarding our decision to hold a vigil and peaceful protest:
--Our grassroots project believes in justice. Without justice, there is no peace. We felt it within our grassroots mission to hold a vigil for Renee Good and a peaceful protest against the inhumane actions of ICE.
--We chose the location of the peace pole to hold the vigil and peaceful protest because it is a central meeting place in a public park. The peace pole includes the word peace in more than 60 languages. People who speak those languages in our community have been affected by ICE. We want those people to know that there are others in our community who will stand up for them.
--In our original communications with Supervisor Laurie Wilhoit we did not state that it was our intention to hold a peaceful protest. We named it a vigil. For this, we have apologized. We called Supervisor Wilhoit to discuss this with her promptly after we realized that it was causing a disruption within the community. However, we chose to stand by our choice to gather in protest, well within our First Amendment rights.
--We communicated with the Lake Zurich Chief of Police as well as the Village of Lake Zurich Mayor of our intentions to hold a vigil and peaceful protest.
--No safety issues or need for police intervention occurred during the vigil and peaceful protest.
The current events regarding the peace pole:
--Last week we received word that Trustee Bowman was bringing a discussion to the Park and Highway Committee meeting regarding the peace pole. One of us attended that meeting.
--Since then, it has been communicated to us that Trustee Bowman would like our grassroots group to incorporate to become a 501(c)(3) and to take ownership of the peace pole in order to pay for the insurance, lighting, and maintenance of the peace pole.
--We decline that request and have no interest in becoming a 501(c)(3).
--It was also communicated to us that Trustee Bowman did not want the Ela Township to be associated with a politicized event such as the vigil and peaceful protest that our grassroots group held at the Ela Peace Pole.
--We understand that 501(c)(3)s have to request for a permit to gather on Ela Township property; individuals typically do not.
--We support peace in the way that resonates for us and those who stand with us. Other groups approach it differently. There are many ways to interpret and achieve peace.
--Our hope is for years to come that the Ela Peace Pole remains an enduring symbol and legacy of our community’s commitment to finding peaceful ways for us all to live together with the many cultures, colors, opinions, ideologies and beliefs within our township.
