Bringing Hope on Sept 11th

STUART—The artwork now adorning the commission chambers at Stuart City Hall memorializes an occasion most of us will never forget. But for some of the artists who created it, the project was their introduction to the topic.

About 150 kids with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County (BGCMC) created artwork to honor the heroes of Sept. 11. The 7- to 10-year-olds fashioned a heart composed of their handprints in red, white and blue—each one bearing messages of gratitude for law enforcement, firefighters and military.

The creation will hang at city hall through the month of September.

“We were honored to again commemorate this tragic occasion with kids from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County and we’re heartened by the lessons of courage and words of kindness they draw from the event,” says David Dyess, Stuart city manager. “Even though our chambers see less foot traffic than usual these days, everyone who comes in and looks up at the heart of hands honoring the fallen—and reads the words children wrote—will surely be touched.”

The project was part of BGCMC’s H.E.R.O. Helping Each Other Realize Opportunities, a mentoring/prevention program funded by Children’s Services Council of Martin County that uses fun group activities to foster social competence and self-confidence. In undertaking the task, BGCMC staff carefully navigated difficult subject matter in shedding light on the details of that fated day 19 years ago. While many of the kids had some familiarity with Sept. 11, others knew nothing of the occasion.

Even as they addressed the significance of such a tragedy in which the nation was attacked and many innocent American lives were lost, staff emphasized the heroism, courage and sacrifice of the firefighters, EMTs and police in their response—as well as the role military plays in protecting the nation.

“Each day at every Boys & Girls Club we emphasize the importance of good citizenship and character but these virtues are given even greater voice in the days leading up to the anniversary of Sept. 11,” says Keith “Fletch” Fletcher, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County. “As adults, we can instantly recall every detail of where we were and how we felt that terrible day. I’m regularly amazed at the skill and tenderness with which our professional staff—through honesty and sensitivity—turn that memory into a powerful lesson of hope, unity, patriotism, and the importance of serving our country and each other.”