Members of the community gathered at the West Shore Theatre on Wednesday, September 11, to commemorate and celebrate heroes as part of the Rotary Club of West Shore's Flags for Heroes event. Though in its fifth year, this is the fourth year that the event has been held in conjunction with Patriot Day which honors those lost during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. ABC27's Dennis Owens reminded attendees that we must never forget the courage and sacrifice that our nation saw that day. Speaker Rev. Dr. Dilip Abayasekara shared about the heroes among us whether they're instant heroes, heroes for the long run, or purposeful heroes. Baritone Matthew A. Robinson gave us goosebumps as he sang the Star Spangled Banner and God Bless America, and Dr. William Stowman, Chair of the Department of Music at Messiah University, sent chills up and down spines with his haunting rendition of Taps.
The Rotary Club of West Shore extends its thanks to ABC27 for its news coverage and Rep. Sheryl Delozier for attending the event. Additionally, the RCWS thanks all of our flag sponsors including corporate sponsors Members 1st Federal Credit Union, The Mailey Family, AmeriChoice Federal Credit Union, The Hall Foundation, West Shore Home, F&M Trust, Homeland Center, Questmont, Select Asset Management & Trust, and UPMC. We are grateful to the Penn Harris Hotel for providing the site and to Johnson Imaging for their excellent support.