Remembering 9/11 With A Ceremony And Blood Drives

By Shannon Hicks

Howard Lasher welcomed members of the American Red Cross Connecticut Blood Services Region and the Newtown High School Chamber Choir and Singers for a brief ceremony on September 8, in front of the six maple trees Mr Lasher turned into a living memorial following the events of September 11, 2001.

The special program was held to commemorate those whose lives were lost on 9/11 as well as to encourage those who are eligible to give the gift of life by donating blood. The American Red Cross has scheduled 13 “Remembering 9/11” blood drives on Friday and Saturday, September 10 and 11.

“This Saturday marks an important day for all of us to take stock, to remember those we lost and to continue to give back to our communities,” Paul Sullivan, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross Connecticut Blood Services Region, said Wednesday afternoon. Mr Sullivan addressed those who attended, which included the high school singers and their new director, Jane Matson; firefighters from Dodgingtown Volunteer Fire Company and Bethel Fire & Rescue; Chief Michael Kehoe, Captain Joseph Rios and members of Newtown Police Department; First Selectman Pat Llodra, Mr Lasher, and David Merrill, who painted the maple trees for Mr Lasher back in October 2001.

Ms Llodra commended the Red Cross for always being available whether one needs physical or emotional support in times of emergency.

“The Connecticut Red Cross has been part of our community of towns for generations,” she said. “We turn to our Red Cross when we need life safety training and information, when we need to contact a family member serving in the military, when we need lifesaving blood, and when we or our neighbors need help and emotional support if disaster or emergencies cause us to be forced from our homes.

“Our Red Cross is the cadre of local volunteers and instructors we rely on when in need,” she continued. “It is timely that we celebrate this kickoff of blood drives on the anniversary of 9/11. That single life-changing event that caused the death of nearly 3,000 people stands as a reminder of how fragile our world is and how much we as a caring community seek to ensure that the compassion, caring, and gifts of support offered through the Red Cross continue for generations to come.”

In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the United States, Howard Lasher, now a retired executive and floor trader at the American Stock Exchange on Wall Street, sought a way to memorialize the friends, colleagues, and thousands of others who had perished that day. With the help of Mr Merrill, he was able to do so, and the grove of six maple trees painted to depict the American flag on his Route 302 property has since become a landmark.

It took ten days, with Mr Merrill painting from sunup to sundown, for the memorial to be completed.

“I am honored to have met David Merrill, who painted this living memorial behind me, as I wanted this site to be an inspiring reminder not only to the town and state, but to the world, that our country will never forget our dead and never stop living,” Mr Lasher said Wednesday afternoon.

“The terrorists who attacked our nation on September 11, 2001, did so because of what America represents to the rest of the world,” he said. “We are a nation where people can pursue, within a democratic society, the right to worship and support religious freedom, education, and freedom of speech.

“The carnage of 9/11 claimed the loves of over 3,000 people at the World Trade Center, the field in Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon, as well as over 400 first responders of every uniform who lost their lives in attempting to rescue the men and women trapped in the Twin Towers,” he continued. “The American flag represents the values these people lived and died for in our country, as well as those brave men and women who have given their lives in Iraq, Afghanistan, and in all the wars which they have fought in defense of the United States and its allies.”

The Newtown High School Chamber Choir and Singers, who perform a variety of music from doo-wops to spirituals and classical choral pieces, performed three songs following Mr Lasher’s remarks. Ms Matson, who credited the students with selecting the afternoon’s offerings, directed the singers through the national anthem, Joshua Shank’s contemporary work Musica animam tangens, and what Ms Matson called “a farewell song,” J. Jerome Williams’s adaptation of an Irish blessing, “A Parting Song.”

Remembering 9/11 Blood Drives

The American Red Cross has been a primary supplier of lifesaving blood products in the United States for more than 50 years. The American Red Cross Blood Services Connecticut Region must distribute approximately 650 units of blood each day just to meet the basic needs of Connecticut patients. According to the Red Cross, only five percent of those eligible to donate blood actually do so.

To donate blood and platelets through the American Red Cross, individuals must be at least 17 years of age, weigh at least 110 pounds and in generally good health. High school students and donors age 18 and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

American Red Cross blood drives have been planned in 13 locations to honor 9/11.

While none have been scheduled in Newtown, there will be one on Friday at the Stony Hill Inn, Route 6 in Bethel, from 12:45 to 6:15 pm.

Others on September 10 are planned for Greenwich, Milford, two in New Haven, Orange, Stratford, Washington, and Waterford.

The closest blood drives to Newtown on Saturday, September 11, will be at Miracle Faith Outreach, 750 Main Street in Monroe, from 8 am until 12:45 pm; and Trumbull Firehouse, 860 White Plains Road in Trumbull, from 8 am until 1:30 pm.

Additional blood drives on Saturday will also be conducted in Norwalk and Stamford.

Visit RedCrossBlood.org for details on those and other upcoming blood drives.