Unity Project
Posted by Gary O'Rielly on Sep 04, 2016
Our Club's Lake Stevens Rotary Charitable Foundation Board endorsed supporting the Unity Project and agreed to partner with the Being Neighborly which is a Lake Stevens online Facebook community page made up of Lake Stevens residents. Although the Unity Project is a state registered non-profit, federal designation has not been completed. Our Club's Foundation will accept contributions to the Lake Stevens Rotary Charitable Foundation earmarked for the Unity Project and disburse the funds to the Unity Project for their on-going activities with the capabilities of purchasing supplies and keeping the project going.
The purpose of the Unity Project is to participate in a movement to promote human flourishing. The Unity project is a response to the divisiveness we're seeing around the world. Nancy Belmont is the CEO of the Vessence Corporation formerly Belmont, Inc and leader of the WeLiveBig community. Nancy Belmont felt compelled to create a community project that promotes human connection, an appreciation of diversity and a realization that we all have something in common.
In Lake Stevens, one of the goals currently underway is utilizing Lundeen Park's open field to host a temporary art installation. The organization would like to construct Unity in a day, preferably during a weekend to take advantage of the park's traffic flow and interest from curious observers as well as to increase the interactive experience of the entire community. Sharing the event, promoting it throughout the community postings among the various local Facebook groups as well as the Visitor Center Facebook page and promoting it through the Artist's Facebook page.
Most importantly, the Unity public art project examines how labels both help and hinder our ability to build unity as a nation and as a human race.
Unity is a circular arrangement of 32 poles in a large field. Each pole is labeled with an identifier. For example, "I'm a parent" or " I speak English as a Second Language" etc. With yarn, participants tie to each pole with which they identify. A canopy of interconnectedness forms as more people participate. In the end, we see that we are all connected by something. This project celebrates the uniqueness of individuals and raises awareness of how labels impact our perception of and interactions with the world. View this video to learn more about Unity Pole.
