The flag display included an effort to raise funds for the 9/11 Memorial at the site of the former World Trade Center twin towers.
One by one, up to 1,000 small U.S. flags were placed on Young Commons this weekend as the campus paid tribute to those who died and were injured 15 years ago in the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The U.S. flags were joined by flags of the home countries of the thousands killed in the terrorist attacks, with the bells in Alamance building to ring four times on Sunday — once for each plane that was used in the attacks.
“We wanted a cause where people would know where the money was going,” said Heather Lamb ’17, who co-chairs the SGA’s Special Events Committee with Spencer Wagner ’18. “Because people know the memorial is a tangible place and a tangible thing, people are more willing to donate.”
Starting with a table at Tuesday’s College Coffee, the SGA solicited sponsorships of flags through donations the the 9/11 Memorial of at least a dollar. During the first two years, the fundraiser generated hundreds of dollars for the memorial, Lamb said.
“Each year, we’ve gotten a lot of people saying ‘thank you,'” Lamb said. “This is something that has personally affected so many people.”
Along with the SGA efforts to commemorate the 9/11 attacks, the Sacred Space in the Numen Lumen will host an interfaith gathering that is being organized by the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life. The service, scheduled for 2 p.m., will include religious leaders from the local area, with the goal of remembering those who lost their lives, praying for those affected by the events of 9/11, acknowledging the work of first responders and standing together for peace and unity.