Senator's wife tries to raise final Flight 93 funds

About $5 million is needed to complete the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stonycreek Township.

 

On Tuesday Kris Toomey, wife of Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, is holding an event for congressional spouses in Washington, D.C., to bring awareness to the capital campaign.

 

Toomey said that after attending the 10th anniversary service with her two older children, she approached the National Park Foundation about helping to raise the additional funds.

 

"The National Park Foundation has a policy that they will not start a phase until it is fully funded," she said. "They want to finish it in 2014, so they need to get started after the first of the year. They need this money to get going."

 

The event will be held at the Capitol's visitor center. It is believed that Flight 93 was headed to the Capitol building when the passengers fought back against the terrorists and the plane crashed in Stonycreek Township.

 

Gordon Felt, brother of passenger Edward Felt, and Jeff Reinbold, memorial superintendent, will offer remarks. There will also be a video featuring Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who was a member of Congress in 2001, former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and Sergeant at Arms Bill Livingood. Congress was in session on Sept. 11, 2001.

 

"They are all on camera speaking about the joint session and if it had impacted what the devastation would be," she said.

 

Educating people about Flight 93 is important to Toomey, whose husband was serving in the House of Representatives in 2001. The final $5 million will be used for the learning center and Tower of Voices.

 

"I think that is very important," she said. "One of the park rangers told me that the school groups  going there now have no recollection of what happened that day."

 

Two of Toomey's three children were a year old or younger in 2001.