Clinton, Illinois

Introduction | Background | News & Photos

As the newest Play for Peace region, Play for Peace - Illinois has the support of Clinton city officials, community residents, and the nearby university.

Play for Peace in Clinton< Illinois

The impetus that led to the creation of Play for Peace - Illinois stems from two death penalty cases that were pending in Clinton, Illinois during 2006. State prosecutors sought the death penalty for a Clinton mother and her former boyfriend in the drowning deaths of her three children. A group of people formed the Coalition for Nonviolent Communities to hold a town meeting on the death penalty.

After the February 2006 town meeting, coalition members began to talk about creating a model for a community of nonviolence that could be replicated around the state. They understood the root causes of violence in their community, among them joblessness, rising poverty, increased substance abuse and lack of early childhood intervention programs.

In September of 2006, Michael Terrien, Play for Peace co-founder, was invited to speak to community officials, including the superintendent of schools and a representative of Illinois State University (ISU) in Bloomington, Illinois. ISU later became the organizational hub for Play for Peace - Illinois, and the Play for Peace program was officially launched into Clinton schools in December of 2007.