BENTON HARBOR,Mich. — According to a press release the American Red Cross of Berrien and Van Buren Counties and AmeriCorps members are partnering to recognize a National Day of Service and Patriot Day by preparing a permanent site for a World Trade Center artifact.
About 25 AmeriCorps members will be cleaning up and landscaping at the Benton Harbor Public Library beginning at 9:30 a.m. on September 11, where an artifact from the World Trade Center will also be on display for part of the morning.
The service project is a collaboration between the American Red Cross of Berrien and Van Buren Counties, AmeriCorps, Benton Harbor Public Library, City of Benton Harbor, and landscaping company Clifford’s Perennial and Vine. The landscaping company owners, Ken and Connie Clifford, are donating a significant amount of materials as well as labor and landscape design for the project.
The work is all being done in preparation for the World Trade Center artifact, which will soon have a permanent home outside of the Benton Harbor Public Library. The public display has been a long-term project with benefactor Peter Colovos of Prairie Real Estate Group, LLC., which will be spearheading a campaign to raise funds for the development and ongoing maintenance for the memorial site.
“It is a tremendous honor to have such an iconic artifact reside in the City of Benton Harbor,” Colovos said. “The piece is the ultimate symbol of our nation’s resolve to triumph over adversity and rebuild; a spirit that is very much felt in Benton Harbor as the City continues its own renaissance.”
