Roots of Peace and Rotary Club of San Francisco Alliance

Heidi Kuhn, CEO & Founder, Roots of Peace

The President of the Rotary of San Francisco #2, John Hoch, and The President of the Rotary Club of Zadar, Branislav Brkic, joined forces with Roots of Peace to establish a partnership to DEMINE/REPLANT/REBUILD  along the panoramic Dalmatian Coastline of Croatia.  Through the generous donation of $50,000 provided by Croatian-born Miljenko Grgich, owner, Grgrich Hills Cellar, Roots of Peace was able to replace the scourge of landmines with bountiful vineyards in the village of Bastiza which literally translated means “Little Garden.”  The funds were matched by the International Trust Fund (ITF) funded by the U.S. Department of State which empowers our team of deminers to fund $100,000 worth of viable vineyard lands which was previously held hostage by landmines.

 Our trip to the Rotary Club of Zadar took us “full circle” as we initially visited this same club in January 2000, where Ms. Ann Laurence, Rotary Club of San Rafael, presented a check for $1000 to begin our partnership which ultimately helped to demine the village of Bibijne—again, through funds raised by Miljenko Grgich following the 25th Anniversary of the Paris Tasting in the Napa Valley. The U.S. Department of State joined us on this initial mission introducing Rotary.

As we visited this same Rotary Club of Zadar in April 2008, we witnessed the many changes as their war-torn shoreline evolved into a tourist destination with repaired highways leading to first class resort hotels. The spirit of hope filled the air, as the tragedy of war along the coastline was replace by vibrant smiles and toasts of “Zivili!” 

 Our fellow Rotarians introduced us to the University of Zadar, where the Dean of Agriculture spoke of the need to rejuvenate the wine industry—especially where the zinfandel grape originated.

Through the generous sponsorship of our Roots of Peace Board Member, Miho Glavic, a professional videographer was hired to take us inside of the “eggshell” which envelops Croatia, as the great need for demining the interior landscape remains a top priority to bring these fertile lands back to fruition.  Together, we traveled through war-torn lands where homes remain devastated as remnants of war.

The sunshine of the coastline faded as the raindrops began to fall, as we entered these mine riddled fields which were virtual ghost-towns held hostage by the planting of landmines.  As we approached the Roots of Peace site funded by Grgich, we were astounded to see that it was adjacent to the University of Zadar demonstration field—a living tribute to our vision of MINES TO VINES—as there was a living library of grape varietals planted on former minefields!   Rows of newly established varietals of merlot, shiraz, sauvignon, cabernet, mali plavic, posnic, and other small sprouts of grapevines were visibly emerging from the trellis vines, as they were planted just one year ago.  It was at this moment that we realized that our partnership between Roots of Peace, The Rotary Club of San Francisco, The Rotary Club of Zadar had now grown to a new level of excellence, as the University of Zadar (UOZ) would oversee the professional development of our Grgich/ITF funded MINES TO VINES vineyard located adjacent to the land.  We pledged the support of Rotarians to help build the UOZ agricultural field operation site.  Suddenly, “hope” was in the air as a ray of sunshine permeated the clouds…

 As we walked down the country road to see the new Roots of Peace vineyard, we were once again greeted with shadow amidst the glimpse of sunshine.  The flowers surrounding the gravesite of a young man walking home two days after Christmas in 2005 who wandered onto an unforeseen landmine buried in the snow and was instantly killed - proof of the perserverance of landmines until they are removed.  President John Hoch joined me, as we got down on our knees and quietly prayed for all of the landmine victims who suffer from these hidden killers worldwide—fathers, mothers, farmers, and children—seeds of hatred lurking beneath the snow awaiting the wayward footsteps of the innocent.  Our deep commitment to find innovative ways to remove these landmines from the earth both as Rotarians and global citizens was further etched in our hearts.

 

Continuing our walk, we met the farmer who owned the newly established Roots of Peace field, Mr. Mario Susic, who gleamed with joy at the prospect of returning to his land without the fear of mines. Again, through the generous donation by Napa Valley vintner Mike Grgich and the ITF, an estimated 4.6 hectars will be demined and 16, 000 grapevines will be planted as a living example of turning “swords into plowshares.”  This Croatian farmer was overjoyed at the prospect of becoming a proud vintner on a former minefield and extended his sincere gratitude in his native Croatian language.

 Driving down the panoramic Croatian coastline, we were invited to attend the United Nations Mine Action Service demonstration located near the coastal village of Sibinek.  Once again, remote areas outside of the tourist destination deserve the attention of global citizens to raise the necessary funds to make Croatia the first mine-safe country in the world—a vision which is possible if the world comes together.  The various demining machines were on display in the fields, as we witness their remote controlled devices with the slogan from Do-king “Place a machine in the field, not a man.”

Through the tools of technology, these highly engineered devices were able to rapidly remove landmines from wide-open fields where the tedious hand-held devices may be used in hillside fields. The image of the Rotary Wheel came to mind, as we envision a program where the “wheels” may move forward as we share the vision of Rotary International President Wilf Wilkinson to create peace on earth and “share” in the bounty of the land.

The personal stories captured on camera from brave Croatian leaders such as Dr. Dijana Plestina, wife of the former Prime Minister to Croatia, Ivan Racan, Ambassador Bradtke, U.S. Ambassador to Croatia, General Marko Ratcic, CROMAC, UNMAS, ITF, The Rotary Club of Sibinek, The Rotary Club of Zadar and many other ordinary citizens who inspired us to keep the Rotary Wheel going forward, as we strive to plant the roots of peace on earth…

 

 

 Rotary of San Francisco