Oconee 9/11 Memorial Foundation

09/19/2017

NEVER FORGET

03/03/2017

09/11/2016

12/25/2015

Merry Christmas all

09/11/2015

Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children.
– President George W. Bush

08/28/2015

9/11 stories from our Veterans.

My name is Cassie Wyllie and I am a former Captain in the Army. I am 31 years old now but was just 17 the day the two towers fell and America was forever changed. Living in the Pacific Time Zone, I was not yet awake when the first tower was hit. I was awaken by a phone call from my mother telling me…

06/12/2015

Seneca Elks Donation - THANK YOU

05/19/2015

Where were you? Never Forget.

Alan Jackson - Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning

04/25/2015

Tourney raises funds for 9/11 memorial

Sunny skies and near-perfect conditions on Thursday greeted nearly 70 golfers in the first annual Oconee 9/11 Memorial Golf Tournament at Falcons Lair Golf Club.

Seventeen teams competed for prizes in two flights and every golfer went home with a door prize through the courtesy of nearly 20 businesses and organizations that supported the event.

Principal sponsors were the Oconee Memorial Hospital campus of Greenville Health System, Oconee Federal Savings and Loan and Oconee County.

The team of Richard Blackwell, Wesley Crum, Mac Johnson and Paul Caine took top honors in the first flight with a 15-under-par score of 57. Second place went to the squad of Bill Stevenson, Chip Browning, Bobby Brewer and Russ Calicut, also with a 57, while third place was claimed by the foursome of Jim Charbonneau, Stacy Satterfield, Bob Dubose and Layne Morgan with an 18-hole total of 59.

Second flight honors were won by Jimmy Watt, Jeff Underwood, Chuck Hunter and Adam Poole with a score of 66. Second place went to Tim Harrison, Tim Floyd, Chad Call and Bob Jones, while the team of Chris and Michael Smith, Rory Jones and Dan Awalt claimed third place.

Sponsor contributions and donations from businesses such as Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative and Bi-Lo made it possible for paid and volunteer firefighters to play on several teams.

All proceeds from the event will go toward the construction of a 9/11 memorial on SC Highway 11, across from Falcons Lair.

Volunteers who have planned a memorial to honor those who died on 9/11 and the subsequent War on Terror, as well as active first responders and military personnel, said they expect site preparation to begin soon with completion expected by Sept. 11, 2016. The site will also provide educational information on the events and outcomes of 9/11 to children throughout the Upstate.

Anyone wishing more information or to make a donation can visit the memorial website at:

mountainlakes9/11memorial.com

04/16/2015

Seneca Elks Lodge receives 9/11 presentation

The South Carolina Foothills Elks Lodge No. 2811 recently received a presentation on the proposed 9/11 Memorial to be built in Oconee County. Shown is Brett McLaughlin of the 9/11 Memorial Committee speaking to the Elks members.

03/12/2015

9/11 memorial receives $10K matching grant

Fundraising for a 9/11 memorial in Oconee County took a major step forward this week when organizers of the project announced a
$10,000 matching grant has been obtained.

“We couldn’t be happier that an anonymous donor has stepped forward and challenged us to raise $10,000, which will be matched dollar-for-dollar,” 9/11 Memorial Committee chairman Brandon Shirley said. “With the community’s help and by meeting this challenge, we will be able to begin actual construction of the memorial.”

A small group of volunteers has been raising funds for the past several months and, according to Shirley, the donation and the matching funds will put the group very near the financing goal it established to begin work at the S.C. Highway 11 site.

The memorial will feature steel from the World Trade Center, sandstone blocks from the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon and soil from Shanksville, Pa., the site of the crash of Flight 93. It will be built on a parcel of land adjacent to the new Walhalla High School donated by the School District of Oconee County. Organizers have said they expect the memorial to be the finest remembrance of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in the Southeast.

“We remain as committed to this project now as we were when planning began,” said Shirley, who is assistant chief of the Keowee Fire Department. “Our passion for honoring those who died on 9/11, as well as those who continue to serve as first responders and active military, has never waned. “With the community’s support to match this latest grant, we will be able to begin erecting a memorial that will speak to the strength and resolve of America. We continue to fight the War on Terror that began so tragically with 9/11, and our committee is determined to see that what began 14 years ago is not forgotten.”

Those interested in learning more about the memorial or making an online donation can do so by visiting

mountainlakes911memorial.com. You can also see the memorial by visiting www.facebook.com/pages/Oconee-911-Memorial-

Foundation. Tax-deductible donations to 9/11 Memorial Oconee SC can also be mailed to 115 Maintenance Road, Salem, SC 29676.

“We need the community’s help to match this latest donation and turn a wonderful design plan into a reality,” Shirley said. “If there are

organizations that would like to receive a presentation or individuals who would like to host a small group community meeting, they can just give us a call at (864) 985-2446. new Walhalla High School. (Special to The Journal)

“We have several naming opportunities built into the design and would love to share those with anyone who is interested. We are very excited about this matching grant and need everyone’s help to make it a reality.”

02/06/2015

Schneider Electric plant manager Larry Smith, right, and materials manager Rob Brewer, left, present 9/11 Committee member Jim Alexander with a $5,000 donation from the Schneider Electric Foundation.