Mercer’s Service and Civic Engagement office hosted its first Climb to Remember on Friday, Sept. 11. This remembrance honored first responders on the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Students and staff were invited to climb the University Center steps to pay tribute by simulating what first responders endured as they rescued people from the World Trade Center, said Margaret Rooyakkers, Assistant Director of Service and Civic Engagement at Mercer.
“There were some amazing people who lost their lives and were affected greatly by this event. And so just honoring their memory and their lives by doing this is a really wonderful way to kind of give back and remember them,” Rooyakkers explained.
Students had the option to make various numbers of trips up the stairs, depending on their ability, with 61 trips being equivalent to the 110 flights first responders made during the rescue.
Hannah Daly, who completed the 110 flight climb said the climb allowed her to reflect on first responders’ roles during the attack.
“I think it’s super important to remember the sacrifice that the men and women, the firefighters, made for our country. And so I think that what better way to honor them than to put ourselves in their shoes for a little bit, and just feel the pain that they went through.” She also shared that as she endured the ascent, she prayed for the families who lost loved ones and for continued freedom in the United States.
The remembrance event also provided an opportunity for students to learn more about the attacks and their impact. Several other students stopped to ask questions about the event throughout the day.
Rooyakkers considered student engagement one of the most important and necessary parts of the event. “I’m just happy that we are able to engage in conversations, especially because most students maybe weren’t alive when it happened,” Rooyakkers said.
One student, Christopher Connolly stopped to ask about the event and shared that his dad was a first responder at the World Trade Center during the attacks. Connolly said he recognizes that some people have lost sight of the impact of the attack.
“There’s still things going on too, like a lot of the firefighters and first responders have ongoing health problems because of that, and that’s not always remembered,” he said.
In addition to honoring first responders, Mercer’s Office of Service and Civic Engagement used the event to highlight the importance of community even during crisis.
“Another big thing that came out of 9/11 was the community coming together, and so we wanted to share some upcoming service opportunities,” Rooyakkers explained to a student. “As well as challenge you all to do acts of kindness and service in the Mercer and Macon communities.”
Rooyakkers expects the Climb to Remember to become an annual event and hopes participation will grow in future years.
Joslyn Hicks ‘29 is a Journalism major at Mercer University. She is excited for her first year as a staff writer for The Cluster. In her free time, you can find her reading a book or singing along to Taylor Swift songs.
