Community members are coming together to raise money to build a September 11 Memorial in Decatur, using one of the steel beams from one of the Twin Towers in New York.
The Pounds For Pride event raised a total of over $10,000 surpassing the original goal of $5,000 needed to build the concrete platform for the 9/11 Memorial.
The additional money raised goes toward the $45,000 needed to start construction. The entire project will cost $250,000, including making sure the steel beams are in place, plus the pavers and benches around it.
The memorial will include a 13 and a half foot I beam from the World Trade Center given to Decatur by the Port Authority.
The liaison for the remembrance site, Lauren Axe, says the project means so much to the Decatur community.
"This has been a humbling experience to see people and their stories," says Axe, "to see people bring out what looks like their last dollar, but they helped create something that's going to be here for years so we won't forget. It's a bad event, but from this we can bring something good."
Decatur Police Lieutenant, Jason Walker, believes the memorial means a lot for Decatur, but also our nation.
"I believe this represents our nation in a time that was extremely tragic," says Walker, "I'm hoping when this memorial is erected, and I'm confident we'll raise the funds by the September deadline, once it's erected, I'm hoping people will not only reflect on the tragedy, but also a time when all Americans came together for a greater cause."
The 9/11 Memorial will be built near the Beach House Restaurant on Lake Decatur. Axe says she hopes it's built by September 11 of this year.
