At United Way of the Bluegrass, we are currently celebrating our centennial year of service to the Bluegrass community. Throughout the last century, we witnessed the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Today and every day we honor our local heroes, and all of the heroes and people who lost their lives as a result of the tragedies that occurred on September 11, 2001.
Through the years, United Way of the Bluegrass has worked to recognize and honor those who lost their lives, and those who continue to put their lives on the line each day.
United We Stand: September 11, 2002
In 2002, to commemorate the first anniversary of September 11th, United Way of the Bluegrass hosted United We Stand as a day of unity. The free community event held at the Red Mile in Lexington featured live entertainment and family activities sponsored by many of our longstanding partners, including Kentucky American Water, Fifth Third Bank, Valvoline, Toyota Kentucky, WKYT, and Lexington Herald-Leader.
As a tribute to the men and women who lost their lives on that day, a chair with the name of a person from the flights, Towers and Pentagon sat empty to represent the loss. Due to the amount of loss experienced on 9/11/2001, chairs had to be brought in from Cincinnati.
The event featured performances from the Lafayette Marching Band and Color Guard, a military flyover, music from local choruses, special messages from local and national officials, a tribute to local police, fire and military, and a headlining performance from country music star, Crystal Gayle.
Day of Service Project: September 11, 2021
The 9/11 Day of Service Project was designed to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the events of September 11th and occurs during Emergency Preparedness month. United Way of the Bluegrass (UWBG) was awarded a $2,000 grant from United Way Worldwide and AmeriCorps to execute the creation and packing of 600 Family Emergency Kits to be distributed to families in-need across the Bluegrass.
We extended the partnership by engaging Toyota Kentucky through a generous grant to increase the number of family emergency kits to 3,000. Last week, over 150 Toyota Kentucky employees packed kits, filled with items like thermal blankets, flashlights, batteries, non-perishable foods and more. Bags were distributed to 19 nonprofit partners, including 3 UWBG WayPoint Centers.
As the 20th anniversary of September 11th falls upon us, United Way of the Bluegrass encourages you to reflect, spend time with loved ones, and think about the heroes in our own Central Kentucky community. As we continue to honor local philanthropists as a part of our 100 Heroes Centennial project, today we honor and celebrate the contributions of all Central Kentuckians who show us what it’s like to be a hero every single day.
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