Photo by: Nourish Peace at DU

In honor of Valentine’s Day, carnations will bloom on Driscoll Bridge not only to celebrate love but peace.

Nourish Peace, a student organization that promotes peace through education, has created Carnations for Peace to provide both a Valentine’s Day gift and an aspiration for peace among impoverished and developing countries.

Carnations for Peace was designed to allow students to personalize Valentine’s Day gifts for friends and loved ones while raising money for children in third world countries.

The concept is simple. Students can buy carnations from Nourish Peace for $1 each throughout the week for a friend or significant other.

A personalized card can be written for the recipient, which may be signed or anonymous. The first and last names of the recipient will be required at purchase.

After sales end, Nourish Peace will e-mail carnation recipients, giving them instructions to pick up their flower and written note on Valentine’s Day (Monday) or Tuesday.

On the pick-up days, recipients will need to provide ID to confirm they have a flower waiting for them before receiving their flower(s) as well as the original note written by the gift-giver.

All proceeds go towards building and establishing schools, orphanages and libraries in impoverished countries.

Nourish Peace often supports the Global Education Fund (GEF), a non-profit organization which supports scholars in Kenya, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Priya Amin, vice president of Nourish Peace, and Trishna Patel, the president of Nourish Peace, developed Carnations for Peace this year in hopes of getting other students involved in their efforts while benefiting underprivileged children.

“It’s a cute and cheap gift for Valentine’s Day, and at the same time you are supporting peace through education,” said Amin.

Nourish Peace also sends personally written encouragement letters and Colorado postcards to Kenyan scholars as well volunteers at GEF fundraising events.

Other future events Nourish Peace has organized include a movie night and selling Nourish Peace t-shirts periodically.

“Like our motto for the event, ‘One flower, one child, one hope,’ just buying even one carnation you are making a huge difference in a child’s life,” said Amin.

Carnations for Peace will be selling flowers Feb. 9-11 on Driscoll Bridge from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They will also be available for sales Feb. 7-10 in Centennial Halls from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Visit Nourish Peace at DU on Facebook for more information.