By Mark Hofmann
Tribune-Review
GREENSBURG, Pa. — On March 23, a group of teenagers from Bible clubs at Uniontown Area, Albert Gallatin and Laurel Highlands high schools gathered at Firemen’s Corner in Uniontown to begin their campaign to start “9/11 Sunday: First Responders Day,” a day honoring first-responders across the country.
That location was the starting point of a campaign for the U.S. Congress to proclaim a day honoring police, firefighters and EMS workers. It would not be a legal public holiday.
“Our petition asks congress and the president to proclaim the first Sunday after Sept. 11 -- unless Sept. 11 falls on a Sunday--to be 9/11 Sunday: First Responders Day,” said Peter Herman with the Laurel Highlands club.
The teens hope that the day would lead to communities holding dinners for first responders and their families and collecting money and presenting it to first responders for equipment.
“We see too many volunteer fire departments struggle with fundraisers to buy the equipment they need,” said Tara Grimm, with the Laurel Highlands High School Bible Club.
They hope that churches and other places of worship would pray for and commend first responders in a service that would reflect Jesus Christ’s words in John 15:13: “Greater love has no man than this, that a man would lay down his life for his friends.”
People from all 50 states are being asked to download and circulate petitions from their website www.911sunday.com to begin collecting names that must be sent back to the bible clubs by Aug. 31.
“These dedicated young Christians are some of the finest students we’ve ever had the honor to work with,” said Rev. Travis Deans, the co-director of Penn Highlands Teens For Christ. “They’re not only busy at school, but in their churches as well, so they really need all of us to get behind this effort and promote it.”
The website will stay updated with how many signatures come and where they are from.
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