Church bells will ring across Belmont Shore Friday night as community members call for peace in Ukraine following the war that began nearly two months ago.

The Long Beach Peace Vigil for Ukraine, organized by Justin Rudd, will take place Friday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. on the front lawn of Bay Shore Church. The event will feature poetry readings, a long list of speakers and attendees will be encouraged to spread messages of peace for Ukraine on poster boards.

Rudd began planning the vigil nearly 10 days ago to honor the country and has since received support from Representative Alan Lowenthal and Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell, both of whom will speak at the event. The list of speakers also includes Mayor Robert Garcia, Councilmember Suzie Price and Police Chief Wally Hebeish. Ukrainian-American Long Beach residents Yevgeniya Pokhylko, Anna Lugo and Ukrainian CSULB student Ivan Prokopenko will also speak at the event.

“I think we should come together to show our community and our world that we won’t tolerate violence—that we stand for peace, democracy and freedom,” said Rudd.

The event will kick off with the ringing of church bells and the Ukrainian National Anthem, followed by messages from the speakers and a poem recital by Alhambra resident, Terence Sampson. The winner of Rudd’s student peace poetry contest, Zoe Asis, a junior at Valley Christian High School, will recite her original poem “A Star for Peace” and 15-year-old Long Beach resident, Kaleya Ervin, will also sing a special rendition of “Let There Be Peace on Earth” by Vince Gill.

Event flyer courtesy of Justin Rudd.

Attendees can RSVP for the event here.

The Long Beach community has shown solidarity for Ukraine following the Russian invasion on Feb. 24. Last month, Long Beach resident Sara O’Connor hosted a 5K run for Ukraine and raised $5,500 for organizations that provide food, water, hygiene kits, cash assistance, psychological and social support and first-aid supplies for paramedics and doctors on the front lines of the war.

Event flyer courtesy of James Kao.

Next week, on Sunday, April 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m, Long Beach resident James Kao will gather the local paddling community to host the event Paddle for Peace. The group will paddle around Naples Island to show solidarity and support for Ukraine and participants are encouraged to donate to Global Giving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund.

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