Neshaminy students and locals gathered together  Oct. 1. in remembrance of  Sept. 11, 2001 and in salute to those who serve and have served the community. Held by the Healing Hearts Foundation, Neshaminy hosted a “A Day We Remember” walk and 5k run.

“[After the attacks,] there was a sense of unity in this country that I’ve never seen in my lifetime, and it kind of dissipated because time moves on, and people go their own way, and they have their different ideas. But we really honored, valued, and paid a tremendous amount of respect to the police, first responders, and firefighters because they were the guys on the ground Sept. 11 that really helped make the effort after the trade centers went down,” Mike Barnes, executive director of the foundation said. “We were all together and that’s what we’re trying to do with this particular event–remind people to stay together and support our local heroes.”

A great portion of the walk’s earnings were given to a gold star family as a surprise. Heather Baum and her three children lost Sergeant Mark Baum seven years ago while he was serving in Iraq. With the money raised from the walk, the Baum family will directly receive financial assistance.

“The class of 2019’s officers are always looking for ways to help promote Neshaminy High School in a positive light and to help bring new and exciting events to NHS.  The added bonus of this event was taking an event beyond our high school walls and connecting our students with members of the community,” class of 2019 officer Cate Romano said.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ mascot Swoop and Phillies’ mascot the Phanatic made an appearance at the event, along with former Eagles safety Brian Dawkins and Comcast SportsNET host, anchor, reporter, and co-host of the “Mike and Ike” show, Michael Barkann.

Dawkins has been a part of the foundation since its start four years ago. He has participated in many of its charities along with other charities in the Delaware County. “He’s known as a great football player, but we’ve gotten to know him as a dad and as a husband and as a great man off the field,” Barnes said.  

With the school board and Dr. Robert McGee’s approval, the Healing Hearts Foundation intends to partner with Neshaminy each year to host this event annually and participate in it’s growth.