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Thanks also to J & D Tube Benders, Graphics plus, Akram Ahmed, Rob Benton, David Biundo, Thomas Lee, Chet Suski and Mahmoud Reda.

Our T-shirt fundraiser was successful thanks to the crew that silk-screened the shirts at St. Michael’s Krasowski Hall, the NTC Book Store, Evolutions in Design, Janke Book Store, Wausau Events, Wausau Kayak/Canoe Corporation, the Downtown Grocery, Yao’s Grand Dragon, the tremendous sales efforts of Saleh and Reed and the use of Plunkett’s table top model.

One of the pleasures of living in Wausau is the fact that members of our community are so willing to help with a good cause like this one. we can all be proud of our local traditions of philanthropy and volunteerism.

The Peace Sculpture project is being noticed far beyond Wausau. The Facebook page for the sculpture has almost 1,400 “friends,” including a Saudi prince and the President of Dubai!

The Dedication ceremony has also attracted a surprising amount of attention. at the invitation of Mayor Jim Tipple, Mona Seoudy, the consul general from the Egyptian Consulate in Chicago is planning to attend, as well as Richard Riley, the Deputy Director of the Office for Egypt and the Levant Affairs from the US Department of State. we are confident that these visitors will find that Wausau is a welcoming community with many international interests, just as Moustafa and the other international students have found.

As his mentor family, we’re very proud of Moustafa. He has worked tirelessly to realize his dream. we will miss him and the other Egyptian CCI-D students who return to Egypt on December 18. They now have many friends in Wausau. They will return home knowing that most Americans are generous, kind people who want a peaceful life for themselves and others. The people here in the Wausau area have taught them this.

Additional funds are needed to cover all the expenses of this project. If you can help, your tax deductible contribution may be sent to the Peace Sculpture Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin, 500 First Street, Suite 2600, Wausau, WI 54403, or go to cfoncw.org and click “online giving.” your help will be very much appreciated. for more information, contact us at peacesculpture@gmail.com and we’ll answer your inquires.

Charles and Peggy MacCarthy live in Wausau and have been part of the peace sculpture committee. They also operate the Good News Project, a charity that sends volunteers to the West Indies.