This year a local institution, a couple, and two individuals will receive the International Council for Peace & Justice (ICJP) 2026 Peacemaker Awards. The ceremony will be held on Monday, May 11, at 7 p.m., in Valentine Hall at United Lutheran Seminary. The ICPJ board chose to give two Lifetime of Peacemaking Awards this year: one to Vida Charter School and one to Kay and Brad Hollabaugh. The Youth Peacemaker Award will be given to Muso Nyiwul. Rosie Bolen will receive the William J. Collinge Award for service to the ICPJ.
Vida Charter School was founded in 2010 by a team led by Dr. April Yetsko, with the aim “to unite Gettysburg’s diverse community through public education.” Vida Charter School is a public, tuition-free school serving students throughout the region in kindergarten through sixth grade that has been led by Executive Director Christine Miller for almost a decade. It offers a dual-language immersion model where students receive instruction in all fields equally in English and Spanish, helping them develop fluency and biliteracy in both languages. Vida students often earn the Global Seal of Biliteracy, and the school works in the community to help students broaden their community and embrace multicultural differences.
Kay and Brad Hollabaugh are retired from the operation of Hollabaugh Bros. fruit and vegetable farm, Biglerville, which was founded by Brad’s father in 1955. In nominating them, Anne Bucher Lane wrote, “It’s difficult to overstate the role and impact both Kay and Brad have had on the areas of local agriculture, land stewardship, support and advocacy for seasonal farmworkers, public education, and the general well-being and building of community across political, ethnic, social, generational, and educational divides.” Both have long advocated land preservation and environmentally healthy farming practices. Ten years ago, Kay received the Amigos de la Comunidad award from Manos Unidas for her work in elevating the dignity and honor of Hispanic/Latino farmworkers. Brad served on the Upper Adams School Board for twelve years, and Kay has served on it since 2022.
Muso Nyiwul, who will receive the Youth Peacemaker Award, is thirteen years old. Since she was nine, she has volunteered at the Adams County Farmers Market. In nominating her, Farmers Market manager Reza Djalal wrote that she serves “with unwavering enthusiasm, often spending full 5–6-hour market days assisting with tent setup, customer service, administration of the market’s food programs, assisting vendors, and contributing to the Farmers Market’s spirit of community nearly every weekend. . . . She has found something that she is passionate about and clearly sticks to it. Volunteering isn’t just something she does, it is a core part of how she identifies herself.” He concluded, “Muso Nyiwul exemplifies the spirit of peacemaking through service and leads through consistent action, thoughtfulness, and commitment, which sets a powerful example for both kids and adults alike.”
Rosie Bolen will receive the William J. Collinge Award for service to ICPJ. She joined the ICPJ board at the end of 2003 and served through 2025. She became treasurer at the end of 2005 and held that role for nineteen years, through 2024. Shortly after joining the board, she took the lead in setting up ICPJ’s website and email communications, helping to expand the organization’s capacity to connect with the community. Committed to anti-racism, she played leadership roles in organizing community responses to Ku Klux Klan rallies in 2006 and 2013 and an Aryan Nations rally in 2010. In 2025, Rosie became co-chair of the Adams County Heritage Festival planning committee and assumed the role of chair in 2026. A biology professor at Mount St. Mary’s, she has shown a special commitment to environmental justice throughout her career.
The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.