World Harmony Run participant Rabinadh de Lange from the Netherlands takes a jog around the block with children from the Boys & Girls Club of Southwestern Oregon on Thursday. World Photo by Alex powers.

COOS BAY — One by one, kids at the Boys & Girls Club of Southwestern Oregon had a chance to hold up a flaming torch Thursday afternoon.

In the process, they joined an international effort striving for peace.

The World Harmony Run took a break on the South Coast during its trip through the continental United States. While several men taking part in the run stopped to talk to children in Coos Bay, a similar group of women stopped at the Boys & Girls Club of Florence.

“The central message of the World Harmony Run is that harmony begins with me,” said Lee Berube, the United States coordinator for the run, as he took questions from the boys and girls. “The flame represents the burning aspiration in our heart.

“It’s a symbol of carrying harmony from one country to the next and one person to the next.”

The World Harmony Run was founded in 1987 by Sri Chinmoy in a spirit of love, peace and oneness. Since then, it has been held every two years, except one time when it was held in back-to-back years. The torch has been carried by star athletes and political and religious leaders, and by thousands of youths around the globe.

“We’ve been running for several days along the coast and we haven’t seen any boys and girls clubs,” said Jitavrata Jacobs, of Seattle, to the children. “It’s great to be here.

“This has been quite a voyage for me. I’m grateful to share it with you guys.”

Jacobs is among the runners who started with the torch on April 15 in New York. He’ll leave the run when it gets to Seattle next week, but will have lasting memories of his experience.

“The idea of promoting harmony within myself was important to me, and at the same time promoting peace and harmony with others,” he said. “And you get to see the whole country by foot. It’s amazing.”

While Jacobs joined the World Harmony Run for the first time, Rabinadh de Lange from Holland has participated seven times in different countries.

“I helped organize the run in Holland,” he said. “I think it’s a beautiful thing.”

This is de Lange’s first trip to the United States.

Bansidhar Medeiros of Hawaii has been in “at least seven” of the runs in the United States and other countries.

“It’s one of the greatest experiences of my life,” he said. “You meet people at their best, with enthusiasm and joy. Plus, you get to see this country one step at a time.”

Medeiros explained the run to the children in Hawaiian concepts they were familiar with. Aloha, he said, means hello, but also refers to peace and harmony.

Medeiros also told the children about the word “ohana,” which means family and was used in the movie “Lilo and Stitch.”

“In Hawaii, we believe every one that comes to visit with us is part of our ohana,” he said. “We are all brothers and sisters, and that’s why we treat each other kindly.”

Along the same theme, Berube told the children he has “6 billion brothers and sisters.”

“We’re all one big family,” he said.

Madison Siebrasse, a 10-year-old Coos Bay student, was excited after getting to carry the torch.

“It’s fun holding the torch,” she said, adding that she was also touched by the message.

“It’s cool that they’re running for harmony,” she said. “They’re going around and sharing with people.”

Joe Zemke, an 8-year-old North Bend student, enjoyed the sharing aspect of the World Harmony Run.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for everybody to run and be part of the community,” he said.

The torch is making a four-month, nearly 5,000-mile journey that includes running in all 48 states on the continent. A portion of the group ran in Alaska in May, and another will run in Hawaii in December.

Another 49-country tour is going on in Europe, and similar runs are planned in Australia and Canada.

The runners heading up the coast travel about 100 miles a day, handing off the torch about every two miles. Each team member runs with the torch about 9 to 10 miles a day.

There are exceptions, though. Berube ran for 21 straight miles Thursday morning — from Port Orford to Bandon.

“It was beautiful,” he said.

The group camps most nights, though sometimes hotels donate rooms for the runners.

“We get a lot of private donations — a lot of our personal expenses are covered,” Berube said.

To learn more about the World Harmony Run, those interested can check out the organization’s Web page at www.worldharmonyrun.org.