Annual event offers chance to remember, opportunities to serve
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The 9/11 Day of Service in Riverside will provide a forum for the community to gather and remember the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks while honoring our first responders and giving Riverside residents an opportunity to participate in community service projects.
[ecko_quote source=”City of Riverside”]Connect with the event at RiversideCA.gov/SocialMedia and share photos with the hashtags #Riverside911DayofService and #ILoveRiverside.[/ecko_quote]
“The 9/11 Day of Service has become a Riverside tradition,” Mayor Rusty Bailey said. “I’m proud of the way our government, our business community and our non-profit organizations come together throughout the year to plan what is a very inspirational event. We really are better together.”
The annual event kicks off at 8:30 a.m. in the Ronald O. Loveridge Plaza at City Hall with music from the UC Riverside Pipe Band. The ceremony begins at 9:11 a.m. with the presentation of the colors from the Riverside Police and Fire Honor Guard and welcoming remarks from Mayor Bailey.
Following renditions of the Star-Spangled Banner and God Bless America by local vocalists, participants will be able to browse booths featuring information from local non-profit organizations like the Riverside Arts Academy and Habitat for Humanity.
“The ability to show appreciation to our first responders makes this event very special,” Mayor Pro Tem Andy Melendrez said. “The fact that we have such strong involvement of our local non-profits is a real bonus for the community.”
A “Brunch with Our Heroes” fundraiser at 10 a.m., presented by 88 Impact and AT&T, will raise money for the Riverside Police and Fire Foundations. Music will be provided by the King High School Saxophone Ensemble. Tickets can be purchased at 88impact.org and anyone with questions can call 909-786-1071 or email at 88impact@gmail.com.
First Responder Luncheons are scheduled at participating restaurants and food outlets around the city during the noon hour. A First Responders Appreciation Event, hosted by City Council members Mike Gardner and Jim Perry, is scheduled in the afternoon for personnel that have Sunday off.
A major part of the event is the service component. LifeStream will be set up at Riverside City Hall, 3900 Main Street, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. so people can give blood. The American Red Cross will demonstrate how to perform CPR at Riverside Community Hospital, 4445 Magnolia Avenue, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. For details, visit RedCrossBlood.org and use the code RCH. To make an appointment to give blood, contact LifeStream at 800-879-4484 or LStream.org.
Other service opportunities include helping the American Red Cross to install smoke alarms at the Riverside Meadows Mobile Home Park, 4000 Pierce Street. Register to volunteer at TinyURL.com/2016HomeFireSept11 or by calling 888-831-0031, ext. 2013.
“The great thing about this event is that there are opportunities to honor our first responders while also providing service to the community,” said Councilman Gardner, who sits on the organizing committee with Councilman Perry. “I encourage all residents of Riverside to get involved with this community event.”
Volunteer clean-up teams are encouraged to organize an hour of service with friends and co-workers, then connect with the event at RiversideCA.gov/SocialMedia and share photos with the hashtags #Riverside911DayofService and #ILoveRiverside.
The event will conclude at 4 p.m. with a closing ceremony at La Sierra University with musical performances by the university’s Music Department and the Alvord Unified School District. Event partners and sponsors will be recognized, and the event will close with reflections on the day.
“Having the closing ceremonies on the west end of town really demonstrates what a unifying event this is each year,” Councilman Perry said. “By the end of the day, the spirit of this event will have reached from one end of the city to the other, and that’s a real tribute to the many organizations, like Kleinfelder and Bank of America, that work all year to make this event happen.”