The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s longstanding tradition of remembering Sept. 11 through service is providing a foundation for a month of expanded service opportunities surrounding the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
Andrew Brown, assistant director of community engagement in the Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement Office, identified an opportunity to bring several of Nebraska’s existing Sept. 11 traditions together through a $10,000 grant from 9/11 Day and AmeriCorps.
The grant proposal incorporates the university’s annual Memorial Stadium stair climb, flag remembrance and Engage Lincoln volunteer opportunities, while also making possible new service projects.
“We already had these pieces in place,” Brown said. “The grant gave us an opportunity to bring them together, add some resources and invite more people into the work.”
The $10,000 grant was the maximum amount available to individual institutions. Rather than create an entirely new slate of programs, Brown said the proposal was designed to strengthen Nebraska’s existing efforts and connect them with additional service opportunities throughout September.
“This was really about looking at what we already do and asking how we could make it bigger and have a greater impact,” said Veronica Riepe, director of SLICE. “Andrew found a way to connect those efforts to an opportunity that could bring additional resources to campus and the community.”
One of the grant’s biggest additions is a hygiene kit project. SLICE will purchase supplies for about 700 kits, which volunteers will assemble Sept. 16 and 17. The kits will be distributed through Project Connect Lincoln, a United Way-led event Sept. 30 that connects people experiencing or at risk of homelessness with organizations providing essential services.
The project would not have been possible using student fee dollars, Riepe said. The grant provided funding for a community need that aligned with Nebraska’s existing service efforts.
“It was a really good fit,” Riepe said. “We could support something that was already happening in Lincoln, give our students an opportunity to serve and use grant funding to do something we otherwise couldn't do.”
The grant also provides additional resources for Nebraska’s annual Sept. 11 remembrance activities. On Sept. 11, students and staff will place American flags and informational signs around campus.
The Memorial Stadium stair climb will again bring together ROTC cadets, first responders and members of the public for a symbolic climb equivalent to the 110 stories of the World Trade Center towers.
SLICE is encouraging additional students, faculty and staff to participate in the stair climb and other service opportunities. The office expects 350 to 500 volunteers to participate throughout the month.
A complete list of Sept. 11-related events and outreach projects is available on the SLICE website. All events are open with sign-up closing 48 hours prior to each.
For Brown, the grant application was an opportunity to demonstrate how Nebraska’s existing service programs could work together around a national initiative.
“The exciting part is that we're not starting from scratch,” Brown said. “We're taking things Nebraska already cares about and already does, and we're creating more opportunities for people to be part of them.”
