Blog
Published on September 15, 2016
By Joe Jenkins
In North Texas, September 11th is not only a day of remembrance—it’s a time to rekindle the feeling of unity that swept the nation after that fateful day. For the past 15 years, Entrepreneurs for North Texas has hosted Freedom Day, which brings together local businesses, community leaders, and veterans as they perform a day of service and remind the nation that the best way forward is together.
This year, Veterans for American Ideals (VFAI) partnered with over 700 volunteers from across the Dallas metroplex to do just that. Scott Cooper, National Security Outreach Director at Human Rights first and the founder of VFAI, delivered the keynote speech to kick off the event and dispatch an army of citizens eager to give back to the community.
“Thousands of Americans enlisted in the military in the aftermath of the horrific event that occurred fifteen years ago today,” said Cooper. “Other Americans sought to serve their country and help their fellow citizens in other ways. Entire cities, the entire country, felt like my hometown in Wyoming. We had each other’s backs.”
Cooper also welcomed the participation of refugees that have found a new home in the Lone Star State. In Freedom Day’s first-ever discussion panel event, Cooper moderated a forum that brought together refugees from Burma, Burundi, and Iraq with veteran community leaders Brandi Baxter, Jeff Hensley, and Joe Jenkins.
Shortly after the panel, the team deployed to 15 project sites where they worked alongside veterans and volunteers alike to improve Dallas neighborhoods, including Vickery Meadow—an area with a high concentration of newly resettled refugees.
On this year’s Freedom Day, Cooper, the North Texas community, and area veterans prove that bonds that unified us after 9/11 are stronger than the differences that divide us.
