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The Exchange Club of the San Ramon Valley is set to host its annual Sept. 11 ceremony aimed at recognizing first responders who were at the scene of the World Trade Center attacks 23 years ago and reminding younger generations of the significance of that day.
Set for the All Wars Memorial at Oak Hill Park in Danville, the event is set to kick off Wednesday evening with an honor guard procession of 50 young people, followed by a performance by the Monte Vista Youth Choir.
An essay contest is also open to all San Ramon Valley students, with cash prizes for elementary students ranging from $50 for third place to $100 for second place entries. Middle school prizes range from $100 to $300, with high school prizes ranging from $200 to $500.
The essay topic this year, along with the upcoming event, are both aimed at centering on the efforts of first responders as well as their families.
“The 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks on our country were not the first or last time our first responders (police, fire, EMT, military personnel) responded to disasters to help their fellow citizens,” Exchange club organizers wrote in the essay contest prompt. “Every day our first responders put their lives on the line to protect ours. We thank them in many different ways. But, what about the family members of first responders?”
Students are asked to reflect in the essay contest on what meaningful local and national efforts could be implemented to express gratitude for the families of first responders.
The event will also feature remarks from keynote speaker Lance Cpl. Brian Vargas, a member of the San Ramon Valley-based nonprofit Sentinels of Freedom, which seeks to support severely injured veterans of the wars that followed the 9/11 attacks.
Vargas was shot in a sniper attack in Iraq, in the war that kicked off less than two years after the 9/11 attacks in 2003 and officially continued for eight more years. He went on to study social welfare at UC Berkeley after returning home, now serving as a social worker focused on veterans’ issues at San Francisco State University.
Gold Star mom Roxanne Langevin, whose son died in the War in Afghanistan that began weeks after the World Trade Center attacks, will also offer remarks on behalf of Gold Star families as part of a wreath ceremony.
The event is scheduled from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 11) at 3005 Stone Valley Road in Danville.Â
