Our Mission

Greater Anderson Promotes Peace (GAPP) affirms the dignity and value of all people. As a coalition of concerned citizens, we are committed to the ongoing work of peacebuilding as essential for community life. We believe it is critical not to react to acts of intolerance with silent disagreement, but rather, to transform silence and lethargy into visible acceptance of others by actively confronting intolerance and replacing it with acts which promote peace.

–Mission Statement, January 2000

Our Goals

• Promote education, especially about various faiths and cultures, to develop a better understanding of our commonalities and differences.
• Promote dialogue, particularly with an interfaith or multicultural context, in order to foster respect in the midst of diversity.
• Raise awareness of tensions within our community.
• Monitor hate incidents and hate crimes in our community and help to develop effective responses to these incidents.
• Build a Peace Pole as a focal point of community celebrations of our commitment to peacebuilding.
• Strive to create a community atmosphere which is welcoming to all people.