Camp Peaceprints continues Sister Karen Klimczak’s crusade

Vicky Ross joined forces with the Sister Karen Center to put on this year's Camp Peaceprints. If you drive around Buffalo you will see the signs of Sister Karen's legacy of struggling against violence in the community. The signs are on the front lawns, in the windows of homes, on bumperstickers and on peoples clothing. Year after year, long after she died working to make a difference, they continue to pop up everywhere. Here's the coverage of the camp on YNN:

By: Nicki Mayo / YNN
A summer camp strives for non-violence in the memory of Sister Karen Klimczak, a Buffalo nun killed while caring for ex-cons. YNN’s Nicki Mayo has details on Camp “Peace Prints.”

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Thirty summer campers are living peaceprints in memory of Sister Karen Klimczak.

“Sister Karen is known pretty well in Buffalo as someone who worked pretty hard for peace and ended up dying for peace,” said Camp Peaceprints' counselor Vicki Ross.

Sister Karen Klimczak was a St. Joseph’s nun. She was killed by a parolee at the Bissonette House on Good Friday 2006. Four years later these children are celebrating Sister Karen’s peaceful crusade at Camp Peaceprints.

“If you grow up being a violent person, you won’t get anywhere in your life,” said 10 year old camper Darnell Bell.

“They don’t do the right thing and they can get in trouble and go to jail,” added nine year old camper Elizabeth Mahanay.

The two week camp brings together youths ages eight to 13 from all over the Queen City.

They visit historic landmarks like the Colored Musicians Club and question Buffalo leaders, like Mayor Byron Brown, about what’s being done to improve safety in the streets.

From practicing peace to training tomorrow’s leaders. Camp Peaceprints wraps up Friday, but many of the campers will continue on to the Tomorrow’s Leaders Camp at St. Lawrence.”

This is 12year old Naja White’s second year with Camp Peaceprints. She says you’re never too young to promote peace in the streets.

“A lot of us lost family members to shootings so we just come together and ask everybody to just be friends for once,” said White.

“When you see the peaceprints all over Buffalo, we’re trying to leave peaceprints individually and collectively,” said Vicki Ross.

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