9/11 Never Forget Project
One of the most powerful and valuable projects that I have ever participated in throughout my years in college is the 9/11 Never Forget Project. This program, which is sponsored by the Young America’s Foundation, centers around a memorial created to remember all of those who perished on September 11th, 2001. The memorial involves a display of 2,977 flags, one for every person who died that day. It is important to note that this project, even though it is commonly sponsored by College Republican groups, is not a political event in nature; anyone is welcome to participate in this event.
As the President of the Robert Morris University College Republicans, I headed up this project on our campus. We brought together volunteers of every political belief and spent three hours on Monday, September 10th, 2007, creating the tribute on the front lawn of our student center. On Tuesday, September 11th, all of the students, faculty, and staff were asked to participate in a moment of silence (which was voluntary) as the bells on campus chimed at 9:11am. We left the memorial up until the afternoon of Friday the 14th to give the campus community a time to reflect. We received several wonderful comments (from individuals of various political beliefs) and it is something that we look forward to doing again this year.
As I stated before, this IS NOT a political event. Those that try to make this project out to be a political event are missing the point. The point is to make light of a major event that happened in the lives of college students today. My parents can remember where they were when they heard that John F. Kennedy, Jr. had been assassinated; our generation can remember where they were when we heard that the Twin Towers had fallen. I have found that this particular event brings people of all beliefs together, regardless of what anyone may say.
If you are interested in hosting this event at your school, please contact Patrick Coyle from the Young America’s Foundation at 1-800-USA-1776.