The 200 Club of Burlington County invites residents to attend this year’s 9/11 Prayer Service at the Community House of Moorestown on Sept. 12.
“The prayer service is really a way to remind everyone of who we lost on that day, not just firefighters and police officers, but the civilians and everybody,” said Pete Clifford, chairman of the prayer service and 43-year member of the Moorestown Fire Department.
“It’s not just what happened in New York,” he added. “It’s (what happened) in Pennsylvania and what happened in D.C. at the Pentagon. It’s that whole day that we’re remembering.”
The 200 Club of Burlington County is a nonprofit comprised entirely of dedicated volunteers, with a primary mission of providing financial assistance to the families of fallen or injured members of the state police, county and municipal police, or fire or emergency medical services serving Burlington County.
The club’s support includes the awarding of scholarships, advanced training awards and recognition at an annual dinner.
“In 2007, the president of the 200 Club of Burlington County – I was vice president – came to me and said that we ought to do something in remembrance of 9/11 – and the prayer service was born,” said Clifford, who added that a special guest speaker from the Tunnel to Towers Foundation will be on hand at the service.
“ … What I try to do as chairman is to bring someone to speak who had an impact or was impacted on that day,” Clifford explained. “ … The Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s mission mirrors almost the 200 Club … I thought it would be something that the audience members would find very compelling.”
Clifford encourages attendance by the community at the service.
“ … I welcome anybody and everybody to come,” he noted. “ … It is not just the emergency services. I welcome townspeople and whoever else wants to come … Whatever way I can get the message out to remember those Americans who died on that day is very, very important to me.”
“Being a firefighter … I feel it’s important, because you hear a lot about the brotherhood of police and fire, and people have learned since 9/11 what that means,” he added.
“ … There were a lot of firemen – there were 343 firefighters that died that day– but it’s not just about that. It was a horrific day that I don’t want ever to happen again, and again, if we don’t remember it, it will relive.
“It will be born again.”
For more information on the 9/11 Prayer Service, visit https://www.200clubbc.org or the club’s Facebook page.
