Ames residents will be marching this Sunday to promote peace, justice and freedom of religion. Demonstrators will meet at 3 p.m. at Brookside Park on April 29 and march to nearby Bandshell Park, a distance just over one mile.

The demonstration has been organized by more than a dozen local organizations and congregations.

“We have been dealing with a culture that is becoming less welcoming to people of other faiths and cultures,” said Nancy Heideman, a parishioner with St. Cecilia’s Catholic church.

St. Cecilia’s is one organizer of the demonstration. Other groups include Ames Jewish Congregation, the Ames Progressive Alliance, Collegiate United Methodist and many others.

Heideman said that now is an ideal time to stage the march.

“This march is a way of celebrating our differences and letting everybody know that we welcome them,” she said.

Volunteers from the sponsoring organizations will be in attendance, but everyone is invited to participate in the march.

“We encourage all students to come and be a part of this,” Heideman said. “It’s the first time we’ve organized something like this.”