20 Years Ago St. Cloud Residents Give Generously For 9/11 Victims
This weekend marks 20 years since the attack on 9/11 that brought down the World Trade Towers. Anyone who was old enough to know what was going on remembers where they were and what were the events of the day, and the days following that fateful and tragic day.
The attack happened on a Tuesday. It's a very vivid memory. I do remember hearing about the event after the first tower was hit. We, in the studio, like everyone else turned on the TV and watched. Glued to what was happening in New York City. I do remember thinking that something had happened to the pilots, or that the aircraft had malfunctioned in some way... I didn't think it was a terrorist attack...at first. By the time the second tower was hit, I knew, as did everyone else without a doubt, that this was definitely an attack on the United States.
The days that followed included so much coverage, it was wall to wall on basically every channel. Social Media wasn't what it is today. In some ways I'm glad for that. I don't think I need to go into why, but I am glad that it wasn't so prevelant as it is now. Although it might have been easier to find out if loved ones were ok or not for families and friends of people who were in the area during the attack.
By the end of the week, we decided to stay on the air for as long as we could to raise money for the Red Cross relief effort for the victims and families. We stayed on the air for a total of 36 hours. We suggested that people call in and donate what they wanted to towards the Red Cross. There was just an outpouring of generosity from the residents of St. Cloud and surrounding area. We all came together as one, at least for a time. Never before or since has that happened to that degree. We even had a couple of the Vikings Cheerleaders who were in the area for another event stop into the station and took pictures with fans for a donation to the effort.
All in all St. Cloud and surrounding area residents helped raise over $70,000 that we sent to the Red Cross to help with the victims and families of the 9/11 attack. I am still both proud and overwhelmed by the generosity of the people in this community. Thank you again.
I believe there are over a thousand people that are still unaccounted for from the towers coming down.
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