September 11th is remembered as one of the darkest days in history as thousands of people lost their lives to terror attacks in 2001. To honor those who were injured, lost their lives or lost loved ones, the college will have the 9/11 Veterans and First Responders Appreciation event at Unity Park, right across from Truax off the bike path.

Running from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Volunteer Center and the Veterans Club will be serving burgers and brats and providing live music in the form of the Prairie Bayou band.

“We’ve done something every year, but this year we wanted to do something different. We wanted to focus on giving thanks,” said Patty Hawkins, executive director of the Volunteer Center.

This year will feature information posters about the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. It will also be about the heroics of those who responded whether it was police officers, firefighters, EMTs, doctors and others.

“Some of those people willingly sacrificed their own lives on that day, giving up their own lives and their futures with their families and loved ones,” said Lt. Jim McFarlane of Madison College Public Safety and retired Marine.

One thing that has been echoed by members of the college is this event is about remembering the heroism of first responders in the aftermath of the attacks.

“We came together as a country.” Hawkins said. “I think this will be one of the top 10 most important events that (the Volunteer Center) will be involved in.”

When hit with a loss or tragic event in life, people tend to try to “move on.” However, McFarlane said moving on is the wrong the way to put it.

“I don’t think we as a nation should ever ‘move on’ from this experience,” Steffen said. “I think we have grieved properly and for an appropriate period of time, but I don’t think we should ever forget the excruciating but essential lessons offered to us by this horrible event.“

Jennifer Edens, the organizer of the event and senior program coordinator at Student Life, acknowledges this in a subtle yet profound way. At noon on Wednesday, there will be a moment of silence to remember those who lost their lives on that day and the sacrifices that have come since.

The 9/11 Veterans and First Responders Appreciation event is being sponsored by the Volunteer Center and the Veterans Club.