CHEER to Host 25th Anniversary September 11th Commemoration Event in Georgetown
September 11, 2001, remains a defining moment in American history — a date where most remember exactly where they were and the profound shock felt across the nation. Twenty-five years later, CHEER invites the public to come together to honor the strength, unity, and courage that emerged in the face of tragedy.
CHEER will host a special 25th Anniversary Commemoration of September 11th on Thursday, September 17, at 10:00 AM at the CHEER Community Center, located at 20520 Sand Hill Road in Georgetown.
The remembrance event will feature guest speakers who were directly impacted by the tragic events in New York and Washington, D.C. Attendees will hear powerful, first-hand accounts highlighting the resilience, heroism, and endurance of everyday Americans who continue to inspire the nation today followed by a brief Question and Answer segment.
Community leaders and members of the public are encouraged to attend to honor the fallen heroes, support survivors, and remember our shared history.
Featured Speakers
Debra Burlingame
Debra Burlingame is the sister of Captain Charles F. “Chic” Burlingame, pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, which was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
Burlingame was formerly a producer at Court TV, where she covered dozens of civil and criminal legal proceedings ranging from the OJ Simpson trial and the Clinton impeachment hearings to the Microsoft anti-trust case.
Burlingame is a graduate of New York University, Cardozo School of Law, and is a founding board member/trustee on the World Trade Center Memorial & Museum Foundation in New York City.
Claudia Matteo
Claudia Matteo was the IBM Project Manager for a network upgrade at American Express on the 25th floor of 3 World Financial Center (WFC) that quickly turned into a year-long disaster recovery effort on 9/11.
This led her eventually to transition from a 25-year corporate IT career at IBM to answer the calling to fulfill her purpose and passion in supporting health and wellbeing. She started as a mental fitness coach before adding personal training, nutrition coaching, group exercise instructor, martial arts instructor, and soon-to-be yoga instructor.
Claudia is a graduate of Brooklyn Polytechnic University, which is now NYU School of Engineering, with a BS in Computer Science and Technical Communications and Walden University with an MS in Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
She has served on multiple boards, most recently as Vice Chair of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Northern Virginia where she was also governance and development committee chair, a family support group facilitator, and lead presenter of Ending the Silence to teach youth, families, and staff on warning signs of suicide and mental health conditions.