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Mission StatementLauras Angels is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the memory of those lost on September 11, 2001 through tribute and in memoriam.Laura Marie Ragonese-Snik AON Consultants WTC South Tower 101st Floor. The Story of Lauras AngelsThe First AngelsThe first sign of angels came to us less than 24 hours after the terrorists attacked our country on September 11, 2001. That evening, I emailed our closest family members and friends, to tell them that my sister in law, and life-long friend, Laura, was missing at the World Trade Center. The “angel” came via one of my closest friends, Betty, who knew Laura from the time she was 13 years old. And the comforting message she sent out to us was simply a prayer to Laura: “If you could not be a miracle; you must be an angel”. Two weeks later, we printed this saying on the Mass cards we handed out at Laura’s Memorial Service. Ever since that day, angels have walked with us.The first angel tree was born on Christmas Eve 2001. It was a 2ft. tree that sat on a credenza in my living room, bearing angels that my dearest friend, Diane DeWitt had created to comfort our family on that, the first, of many difficult holidays ahead. The idea was that each one of our family members would take an angel and tell of a special memory they had of Laura. Then, they could place the angel on their own Christmas tree as a way of making Laura more present at a time when we missed her most. Thus, our journey began. Operation AngelBy the next Christmas, 2002, not only did our family members look for the angels again, but everyone who subsequently heard about Lauras Angels wanted one. They shared the angels with others they knew who had been affected by the events of 9/11 or had suffered the personal loss of a loved one.In the same year, we heard about a Victims Tree being erected in New York by the Carpenters Union, Local 608. Diane and I had the same idea: We wanted Lauras Angels on that tree Not only in memory of our loved ones, but for every life lost on that fateful day. Our vision came true on December 11, 2003 when 3,000 of Lauras Angels adorned a 40ft. Evergreen Tree outside of the USS Intrepid Air/Space Museum in New York City. Angels at the MallIn 2004 our goal was to bring the Angel Tree into our own community. It was displayed at the Stroud Mall in Stroudsburg, PA on November 6th, and remained decorated throughout the Christmas Holidays. We wanted the residents of our state, and all visitors passing through, to experience this unique tree and the healing power of these special angels. The response to the tree was overwhelming connecting us to over 150 people who were affected by the events of 9/11, as well as people who were interested in joining our efforts to remember the victims of September 11, 2001. Now we had to decide exactly what Lauras Angels was to become in a broad sense. All we knew was that an angel tree had to be at the center of it all; a tree where our angels will always be displayed to honor the 9-11 victims. Other than that, we were not sure what it was we wanted to create.The Future of Lauras AngelsWe visited many memorials to see what others had done, and as beautiful as they all were, I didnt think any one structure or idea could capture what Lauras Angels was all about. Our angels were more about the human connection to this tragedy. They were simple, hand-made angels made by people coming together in love for a common cause (as the country did in the early weeks following the attacks). What we were really feeling was that this memorial needed to be a place where people could come to express their own visions, and experience the visions of others.Lauras Angels find a HomeIn September 2005, the community of Dingmans Ferry in the Delaware Township gave Lauras Angels a permanent home. In a beautiful ceremony, they dedicated a Blue Spruce tree, and gave us a place to begin the building blocks of this vision.Our vision is simple: Each year we would like to select a memorial project which the community, local organizations and area schools can work on together, and which can be displayed as part of our yearly Anniversary Ceremony. By using simple ideas we hope to keep the projects handmade and homemadevisions that will touch the heart. A poignant reminder of how people came together in the aftermath and did whatever they could to bring comfort and healing to those affected. (See our web pages on Information and Events to learn about the 9-11 projects). In time, it is our hope to bring some of the traveling memorials like the Healing Filed www.healingfield.org, the Rolling Memorial www.rollingmemorial.org, and the United in Memory Quilt www.unitedinmemory.net to our field in Pennsylvania to be experienced by the general public. We hope that our vision will create a legacy for Laura, and all the victims of September 11th, that will live on forever. Maria & Michael Ragonese, Diane DeWitt & The Family and Friends of Laura Marie Ragonese-Snik / WTC South Tower 101st Floor. AcknowledgmentsWe wish to acknowledge the following organizations for their support. Each played an integral part in the making of Lauras Angels and for this, we are most thankful:
He dedicates this song to all the victims of 9-11-01. |
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