HandsOn River Region:9/11 Tribute and Remembrance Events

September 07, 2011

Sept. 11, 2011, marks the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that shocked and changed this nation. In the days and weeks that followed, the nation came together in an unprecedented spirit of community and commitment.

To commemorate this historic time and pay tribute to those killed and those who rose to service on 9/11, HandsOn River Region, a program of the Volunteer and Information Center, has organized community service and remembrance projects throughout Montgomery, including projects designed for families and children at the Union Station Train Shed.

HandsOn River Region, in partnership with the City of Montgomery and the River Region United Way, has planned a powerful weekend of events, beginning Friday with projects that benefit area non-profit organizations and the people they service, and culminating Sunday with a Tribute organized by the City of Montgomery.

More than 1,000 volunteers are expected to volunteer throughout the weekend and join more than 1 million nationwide on this historic weekend. National sponsors of this national day of service include American Express, JP Morgan Chase, Glaxo Smith Kline and Best Buy.

Corporate Day of Service

River Region United Way and HandsOn River Region

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH

8:00 a.m. Kick-Off Breakfast at American Red Cross for Corporate Volunteers

9:00 – 12 Noon Corporate Volunteers Disperse to Service Remembrance Project

(Locations throughout the City)

Weekend events will kick off with a breakfast at the American Red Cross for corporate volunteers serving on Friday’s Corporate Day of Service. Breakfast will be at 8 a.m. After breakfast, volunteers will go to their service sites and work from 9 a.m. – noon. Area businesses and government organizations are encouraged to adopt service projects and grant their employees a 3- hour leave to work on various projects that benefit our community’s most vulnerable populations. Individuals and college students will be encouraged to participate as well.

Businesses should contact Regina Walker at River Region United Way (264-7318) to adopt a project. First come…first serve! Individuals and groups may call 264-3335 for more information.

Projects for adoption include: reading to and playing with children, assembling frozen meals for the elderly and homebound, making home repairs, making and preparing raised beds for fall planting, donating blood, and more. These projects will assist Montgomery Public Schools, Montgomery Area Council on Aging, Montgomery Area Food Bank, MANE, Montgomery Clean City Commission, Sav-a- Life, Central Alabama Veterans Health Care, Brantwood Children’s Home, the American Red Cross, and many more.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10th

6:30 a.m. – noon Big Brothers Big Sisters Family Fitness Walk/Run

The Shoppes at East Chase

Family Guidance Center’s Big Brothers Big Sisters Family Fitness Walk/Run. Program provides one-to-one mentoring for children between the ages of 5 and 14. Registration begins at 6:30 a.m. Opening ceremonies are between 7:30-8AM and include a color guard, National Anthem, and a moment of silence to remember those lost on 9/11, military members and first responders who rose to service. Call Wendy Littles at 270-4100 for more information.

9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance

City of Montgomery and HandsOn River Region

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11th

HandsOn River Region is proud to join the City of Montgomery in providing a full afternoon and evening of family-friendly volunteer service activities, disaster preparedness information and training, and an evening tribute to the victims of 9/11 and those who rose in service following that fateful day.

Union Station Train Shed

2:30 – 4:30 p.m.

SPECIAL ENTERTAINMENT PROVIDED BY

ED PICKETT

ALABAMA FULL GOSPEL BAPTIST CHOIR, GULF SOUTH DISTRICT

Family-friendly service projects and activities for families and children:

HEROES AMONG US – by the Cloverdale Playhouse. Writers, actors, local community leaders, and creative writing students will share stories of heroes and service from 9/11. After listening to stories about the heroic response of 9/11 firefighters, police, EMA and other responders, youth can write short stories of their own heroes with help from community volunteers.

HYGIENE KITS: Assemble hygiene kits to be distributed to homeless veterans

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PACKETS: assemble disaster awareness and preparation information kits for distribution to the homebound and event participants

9/11 REMEMBRANCE QUILT: decorate cloth squares that will be made into a 9/11 commemorative quilt and hung at the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care Hospital

FIRST AID TRAINING: certified trainer will provide information and fun, interactive training sessions

OPERATION HONOR CARDS: create cards and letters of appreciation and encouragement for deployed military troops and their families

BLANKETS FOR WARMTH: create small no-sew lap blankets for VA hospital patients

POTTED PLANTS FOR SENIORS: in decorated pots for area elderly in nursing homes

BOY SCOUT TROOPS will distribute over 2,500 flags to volunteers and those in attendance

Disaster awareness and safety training activities:

GOVERNORS OFFICE OF FAITH BASED & COMMUNITY INITIATIVES will promote its "Be Ready Day" and include activities, games and information on preparing for a disaster.

SOUTHERN BAPTIST DISASTER RELIEF TEAM will provide Disaster Preparedness Training and Debris Clean-up and Recovery Safety Demonstration. Special disaster response equipment and vehicles will be on display. Pre-registration requested for training. To register, dial 2-1-1 or 1-888-421-1266

AMERICAN RED CROSS will display their Emergency Response Vehicle and disaster preparedness information

MONTGOMERY FIRE AND POLICE DEPARTMENTS will display their emergency response vehicles and have emergency response information available. The departments will also hold demonstrations on the river showcasing their dive team skills and fire boat response.

MONTGOMERY CITY/COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY and CERT members will provide training information for anyone interested in being part of a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

Riverwalk Amphitheater

5 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Tribute

The 9/11 signature event is a tribute to the victims and heroes of 9/11, the victims and heroes of recent tornadoes, our area’s first responders and all branches of the military who work diligently to keep us safe. The tribute will include a 21-gun salute, music from the Montgomery Chorale and inspirational remarks from special dignitaries.

At the 9/11 Signature Event at the Riverwalk Am­phitheater on Sunday, Chief Lawrence Schultz, who coor­dinated the DCFD response efforts to the Pentagon at­tack on Sept. 11, will be the keynote speaker.

The event is a tribute to the victims and heroes of 9/11 and of recent tornadoes, as well as the area's first re­sponders and all branches of the military.

Schultz has 25 years expe­rience as a firefighter and has worked with the District of Columbia Fire and Emer­gency Medical Services for 26 years. He is the assistant fire chief of operations and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the 2,200-person department.

He spent the prior four years as the Deputy Chief and Battalion Chief for the Department of Homeland Security/Special Operations Division, which includes oversight of the Office of Special Operations, Office of Domestic Preparedness and Counter-Terrorism and the Office of Special Events.

Schultz is a graduate of the George Washington Uni­versity Center for Excel­lence, attended the Nation War College, and is a gradu­ate of the Naval Post Gradu­ate School's Executive Lead­ership Program. Schultz serves as an Incident Com­mander and Operations Sec­tion Chief on the National Capital Region Incident Man­agement Team.