August 08, 2011
Several
commemorative events are taking place to honor the victims of the
9/11 terrorist attacks this coming September to mark the
10th anniversary, and St. John's University again will
host the United in Memory 9/11 Victims Memorial Quilt at its Staten
Island Campus from September 10-12, 2011.
"We are honored
to once again be chosen as the host site for the United in Memory
9/11 Memorial Quilt Exhibit," said Joseph Sciame, Vice President
for Community Relations at St. John’s University. "It will be an
emotional weekend and we wanted to once again offer this moving
tribute to Staten Island community members (which suffered a great
loss due to the tragedy). All observers will be able to experience
the lives of these great people who lost their lives on that tragic
day, 10 years ago."
The weekend of
festivities partners with the United in Memory Foundation
(organizers of the quilt from Long Beach, CA) and Where-To-Turn, an
organization based in Staten Island. Family members and friends of
9/11 victims will gather for a private reception and viewing of the
quilt on Friday evening, September 9. The exhibit will be open to
the public free of charge on Saturday through Monday.
Corey Gammel,
CEO and founder of United in Memory was so compelled by the events
of 9/11 that he felt the need to do something to commemorate those
lost on that fateful day. His idea of the United in Memory 9/11
Victims Memorial Quilt Exhibit was born and it has toured the
country since its inception.
The quilt
measures 16,000 square feet in length and was made by more than
3,000 volunteers from 17 countries who all participated in making
memorial blocks for the victims. Each victim killed in the 9/11
tragedy has their own personalized memorial block dedicated to
them.
The Where to
Turn organization's purpose is to provide crisis relief services
for victims of any kind of tragedy by aiding them in obtaining the
help they need during the recovery process.
Dennis McKeon,
Director of the Where to Turn Foundation, said that the
organization’s purpose is to provide updated information on
relevant support organizations, including deadline information for
certain applications and filings; assigning project managers to
support organizations and governmental agencies so as to assure
victim awareness of and participation in all relevant programs;
serving as a voice for victims to ensure that appropriate officials
are aware of victims’ needs and concerns; and create and/or support
projects that foster community participation and interaction.
St.
John'sUniversityhas devoted an entire web site to its commemorative
9/11 events. The link can be found at www.stjohns.edu/academics/provost/911/911.stj.
For more information about the United in Memory 9/11 Victims
Memorial Quilt, please visit www.unitedinmemory.net.
For information about the Where-to-Turn Foundation, visit www.where-to-turn.org or
call (718) 619-2371.
Media
representatives interested in covering the event or requesting
interviews may do so by contacting Dominic Scianna, Director of
Media Relations, St. John’s University at 718-990-6185 or email
inquiries to sciannad@stjohns.edu.