By Keily Alfonzo, Interning Correspondent for The Apopka Voice
September 11th, 2001, will forever remain in America's memory.
On that day, 19 Al-Qaeda members hijacked four commercial airplanes with the sole intention of attacking the United States. Two of them deliberately crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, causing the twin towers to collapse. A third plane crashed into the Pentagon. Passengers on the fourth plane managed to take control and eventually crashed into an empty field in Pennsylvania.
Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives on that day, including first responders who risked their lives trying to save others. Twenty-three years have passed, but what happened that day will forever be remembered.
In Apopka, the city remembers the sacrifices made on 9/11 with a memorial service on the steps of City Hall and then a 5k charitable memorial run in honor of a former Apopka firefighter.
The Apopka Fire Department and Apopka Police Department invite Apopka residents to attend this year's 9/11 Memorial Ceremony. It's in honor and remembrance of those who perished in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
The service will start at 8:30 AM near the front steps of Apopka City Hall, according to the City website.
The flag will be lowered to half-staff.
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For several years, the Armando Borjas Jr. Scholarship Foundation has organized a 5k memorial run to help raise scholarship money for young kids.
Armando Borjas was a decorated firefighter and US veteran who died of cancer in 2013. In his honor, the Armando Borjas Jr. Scholarship Foundation was created to raise money to help send young people to Fire and EMT schools.
However, organizing such a big event requires a lot of planning and organization.
Caitlin Kasheta, a board member of the Armando Borjas Jr. Scholarship Foundation, said they coordinated with the Apopka Route Club, which pre-ran the route several times to see if it was right. They also contacted the Apopka Police Department to ensure that the road they were going to block didn’t interfere with traffic.
Other safety measures were put in motion to prevent possible incidents.
“We will have the fire department, the police, and some EMTs and paramedics ready, just in case we need that little extra health support, as well as water stations posted throughout the racecourse,” Kasheta said.
She also said the APD would implement a “rolling closing of streets” process, which involves officers following the race and opening the roads as they become available.
Kasheta said the event's main goal is to raise enough money to send at least one person to the Fire or EMT school.
The Foundation is projecting about 225 and 250 participants this year.
The run will commence after the memorial event concludes.
“This event has grown every year since it's not just to have a bunch of racers, but it's also cool to see the families come out and support them as well,” Kasheta said. “It's always a good event, well attended, and the money raised is really helpful to the organization.”
