Posted: 03/05/2010 02:07:10 PM EST
GROTON - Groton-Dunstable students building the biggest book in the world, whose topic is peace, will welcome the first responders who arrived at the scene of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, on April 16 and 17 at the middle school. Special ceremonies are being planned during the school day on Friday, April 16 for students and a community event and parade will be held on Saturday, April 17. The New York-based group, representing the FealGood Foundation, will present letters they have written and collected from many first responders for inclusion in the students' giant book.
The community event will start with an assembly at the Groton-Dunstable Regional Middle School Performing Arts Center at 10 a.m. The parade will follow the assembly and will form at the middle school with starting time at noon. First responders from around the region are invited to participate. Among the first responders attending will be two retired New York City firemen, two retired New York City police officers, two construction workers, a NYFD 9/11 widow and surviving teenage child of a NYFD 9/11 victim.
The parade will march down Main St. to Town Field behind the Groton Town Library and will culminate with a brief ceremony at the Hanson Family 9/11 Memorial. Speaking at the ceremony will be Lee Hanson, who will attend with his wife Eunice. The Hanson's son Peter, his wife Sue Kim and their three-year old daughter Christine, who were Groton residents, were aboard United
Flight 175 that struck the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
Following the brief ceremony at the Hanson Family 9/11 Memorial, refreshments will be available and local entertainment will be ongoing at Town Field until 3 p.m. According to parade organizer Don Black, first responders from Groton, Dunstable, Ayer, Pepperell and Townsend have announced their participation to date and parade organizers are welcoming first responders from communities throughout the region. Several bands will also participate in the parade including the Groton Minutemen, the Chowder Band and the Groton-Dunstable Regional High School Band. Community organizations are also encouraged to participate in the parade.
The Pages for Peace Project was initiated in 2004 when a group of fifth grade students joined an after school club whose purpose was to build the biggest book in the world. Following months of research, the students decided that in order to break the Guinness World Book of Records entry for largest book, their tome had to be 10 feet wide by 12 feet tall, contain 500-double sided pages and weigh one ton. They felt such a big book deserved an important topic and agreed to focus on peace. Since that time they have received letters from people all over the world including Nobel Laureates President Jimmy Carter, the Dalai Lama, Helen Caldecott, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace, the late Senator Edward Kennedy, Senator John Kerry and celebrities such as folk singer Pete Seeger and skateboarder Tony Hawk.
Students have been invited to the United Nations in 2008 and 2009 to tell the story of their remarkable project as part of the UN's annual celebration of the International Day of Peace.
For further information regarding the day's events or parade participation, contact teacher/advisor Betsy Sawyer at 978-424-5066 or e-mail pagesforpeaceparade @yahoo.com. For additional information about the Big Book: Pages for Peace Project or to contribute a letter to the giant book visit our Web site at http://www.pagesforpeace.org/ and become a fan on Facebook at Big Book: Pages for Peace Foundation.
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