Eastern Kentucky University will mark the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy with two stair climbs, two memorial ceremonies and a blood drive.
The day’s activities on get underway at 8:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 11, with a community memorial service at Powell Plaza. Campus officials and Richmond Mayor Jim Barnes will be among the speakers. EKU ROTC is sponsoring the morning service, which will also include a moment of silence.
EKU students, faculty, staff and community members, many cloaked in full fire department or military attire, will be joined by first responders from surrounding counties in two stair climbs at Keene Hall: 3-4:30 p.m. and again that evening at approximately 9 p.m., at the conclusion of a 9/11 memorial ceremony at 7:45 p.m. in the adjacent Center for the Arts.
The featured speaker for the evening ceremony is Dennis Reilly, retired battalion chief from Cherry Hill, N.J., who served as a rescue squad officer at Ground Zero after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
Registration for the first stair climb will be from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Center for the Arts. Registration for the second climb will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Center. Approximately 500 participated in the two 110-flight climbs last year.
The stair climbs and the evening ceremony are sponsored by the College of Justice and Safety, EKU Housing and the EKU Center for the Arts.
Also, the University is hosting a blood drive, sponsored by the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Kennamer Room of the Powell Building as part of the One Day Blood Drive Project. EKU is the only One Day Blood Drive Project site in Kentucky. Last year, the University community contributed more than 100 units of blood, and the goal this year is 110 units. To sign up for the blood drive, visit https://www.membersforlife.org/ckbc/RecruitTrak/Donor/scheduling/drive/schedule?id=48581&procedure=14.
All events are free and open to the public.