Paying tribute to the victims

By Staff
Sept. 15, 2001
Residents, businesses and others across East Central Mississippi continue to show their support for the country and to aid victims of last week's terrorist attack. Here are some examples:
Shoppers at Bonita Lakes Mall signed two 800-foot-long sympathy cards on Friday that will be sent to Washington and New York. Radio stations Q101, Kiss 104, Y95 and Oldies 97.9 hosted the event.
Meridian Community College closed at 11 a.m. Friday so students and staff could attend church services to honor those killed in the terrorist attacks. Classes resume today.
Angel Flight of Georgia Inc., a group of pilot volunteers that serve health care providers, flew blood samples from Meridian donors on Friday to a Texas lab for testing a necessary step before the blood can be made available to New York and Washington hospitals.
U.S. flags flew from businesses, cars and homes Friday but they couldn't be found in stores. Wal-Mart on Bonita Drive and Kmart on South Frontage Road sold out; workers didn't know when they'll get more.
The local Veterans of Foreign Wars post also was out of U.S. flags Friday, after sending some of their stock to Marvin's Building Materials and Home Centers on Highway 19 North when the store sold out.
The East Mississippi Electric Power Association flew a flag in front of its Highway 39 North office on Friday. The flag was so large that two bucket trucks had to hold it up.
Another large U.S. flag flew Friday from the top of Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center.
Oakland Heights Elementary School students hung a large sign on a fence outside the Mississippi Air National Guard unit at Key Field, thanking guardsmen for their service.
Oakland Heights Elementary students also created a "Pennies and Prayers" initiative, in which they are collecting pennies and loose change for the American Red Cross.
American Red Cross volunteers will man most major Meridian interchanges today from 8 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.-7 p.m., asking drivers for donations to aid victims of the terrorist attacks. People also can mail donations to P.O. Box 205, Meridian MS 39302.
Laurel and Jones County will honor firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians killed in the terrorist attack at a memorial service 2 p.m. Sunday at the Jones County War Memorial.