Invitation to attend:
911 – Lunch for 225 to 400 First Responders and Firefighters – Sponsored by The Gary Sinise Foundation
Charleston, SC Fire Department servicing 150,000 people.
Station 11 – Savannah Highway. At the Charleston 9 Memorial 9 (from a 2007 fire that took the lives of 9 local fireman)
Volunteer Staffing: 25 high school youth from Crown Leadership Academy, Honor Society, with 5 teachers and local volunteers, adults to stand behind the youth at the serving line, assisting. While waiting for the ceremony to start, the youth visited the Memorial Park to gather the story of the Charleston 9, 2007 local firefighters who died in a furniture company fire at that location.
Meal: Home Team – Chicken Wings, mac and cheese (gouda), Collard greens and Callie’s Biscuits.
A group of youth prepared and served the drinks and desserts (Byrd’s Cookies, St. Philips Church chocolate chip cookies). They also handled the trash removal.
Crown Leadership Academy has two locations: N. Charleston and Mt. Pleasant, SC.
Mrs. Lisa Harrell is the Science teacher and organized their participation. Her husband is Captain Harrell, Station 6, Fire station in Summerville, SC, 30 miles away. Captain Harrell spent time with the student’s answering questions about the responsibility of the first responders. Mrs. Harrell supervised their teams of youth, and made sure that they had a full experience, along with Linda Dennis, the Volunteer Coordinator for The A Backpack Journalist and The Gary Sinise Foundation.
Photos and short Videos are found in Linda Dennis/A Backpack Journalist DROP BOX, and have been submitted to The Gary Sinise Foundation. Also, www.abackpackjournalist.com Facebook.com/backpackjournalist and Linda Dennis and Instagram.
Poster below found on the walls of the Crown Academy!
Within the Crown Academy locations Mrs. Harrell provided several posters commemorating the day and have been sent to the foundation.
The students are completing now a short video about the story of the Charleston.
The blessing and prayer: Prayer for 911 Event in Charleston, SC 9/11/2024
One of the highlight of the ceremony was the prayer offered by Fr. Bill Christian from St. Philips Church, where Linda Dennis attends. The prayer is included here as so many found it inspirational, including the Charleston Fire Chief.
Almighty God, we come before You this day to thank You for all those who serve the people of our nation, our state, and the City of Charleston! We thank You especially our local Firefighters and First Responders who so faithfully serve this community. We also commend to Your gracious care and keeping, all the men and women of our armed forces, both at home and abroad. Defend all these Your servant’s day by day with Your heavenly grace and protection, and give them the sure and certain knowledge of Your abiding presence with them, wherever they may be, and especially at those times when they find themselves in harm’s way.
We thank you for all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives in seeking to protect the lives of others, especially the Charleston 9, and the 343 brave firefighters, police officers, first responders, and emergency medical personnel who died in New York City in the World Trade Center, 23 years ago today.
Help us to always remember and to give thanks for those whose work entails risking their very lives to rescue others, or to keep them safe. Help us, we pray, never to forget the terrible disaster, and the loss of life, that occurred here on these sacred grounds, and on the grounds of the twin towers in Manhattan.
Most merciful God, whose wisdom is beyond our understanding, deal graciously, we pray, with all those who mourn. Comfort and console those who continue to grieve the loss of their loved ones. Surround them with Your love so that they may not be overwhelmed by their loss; and give us all confidence and faith in your goodness to believe that through the resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ, life is not ended, but the gate to a new and everlasting life has begun with those we love who have gone before.
All this we ask in the strong, loving and compassionate name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen.