UPDATE: Key Club raised $1,750 for the Wounded Warrior Project from Warrior Run. They would like to thank those who came to participate.
23 years ago a coordinated terrorist attack destroyed three American buildings, injuring nearly 6000 citizens and killing more than 3000 American lives. On Sept. 7, Key Club will host their annual Warrior Run to memorialize those who died and to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project.
“With 9/11 next week, it’s a good time to hold the fundraiser in memory of those we lost and to honor our veterans and first responders,” Ms. Abbigayle Marion, Key Club sponsor, said. “We’ll have lots of local first responders, we also invited veteran groups, so just remembering those we lost and those who protect us on a daily basis at home and abroad.”
Ms. Marion started the fundraiser three years ago, inspired by her sister in the Air Force. Most military branches hold a 9/11 memorial stair climber where participants climb the equivalent of 110 stories to remember the firefighters and other first responders who served.
“It was an idea I had, so she does that and some other events throughout the year and I wanted to give our community something that they can achieve because you can just walk around,” Ms. Marion said. “[It’s] a way they can honor those special people as well.”
Commemorating first responders and military members who took the call to help on Sept. 11, 2001, has a deeper value in Ms. Marion’s personal life. With a sister in the military, Ms. Marion has a better understanding of the emotions that the families of those who died on 9/11 went through.
“[Having a sister in the military] makes me grateful,” Ms. Marion said. “It makes it a lot more personal when you know people who are either going abroad and fighting or they’re putting their lives on the line every day at home.”
Junior Rainer Cheek, two-year member of Key Club and current Vice President, also has a familial connection to the military and shares the value of looking after veterans, one of the key points of the fundraiser.
“I would say that supporting veterans and giving to veterans is one of the most important values that I hold for myself,” Cheek said. “I feel like the veterans are the pillars of our community, and if we don’t support them, then what are we doing here?”
As his second year involved in the Warrior Run, Cheek hopes for some improvements and continuities from last year’s fundraiser but looks forward to it.
“Saturday, I expect everyone to have fun. I expect everyone to run or walk, whatever you want to do. I expect everyone to get a snow cone,” Cheek said. “And I hope that we are able to make enough money to donate a sizable donation to the Wounded Warrior Project and support our community veterans”
Ms. Marion awaits the event because it allows members to connect and reach the community, and given the growth of Key Club, she expects the event to be twice the size of last year. Most importantly, Ms. Marion looks forward to remembering and honoring the first responders who served on 9/11 as well as the ones in our lives today.
“We’ll have activities after the run too and I’m really excited about that because it’ll give Key Club members a good chance to have conversations with our community members,” Ms. Marion said. “That’s why I really want to do events like this, so we can see those [first-responder] faces on our campus, and our kids can have an opportunity to give back a little bit.”
