America's Heroes of Freedom | www.americasheroes.us

The Freedom Center Vision

America's Heroes of Freedom has initiated an endeavor to establish a Freedom Center in the Washington, D.C. / Arlington, VA area. The location is ideal according to AHOF's founder and president Susan Brewer who believes the nation needs a place that captures the American spirit in the face of adversity and traces the experience that makes us the land of the free and the home of the brave.

This America's Heroes of Freedom Center would be an interactive site that would include three main functions:

First, the Center would include museum-quality displays on National tragedy recovery, with a particular focus on September 11th and an educational facility that promotes understanding of public tragedies and opportunities for healing, recovery, and growth. The goal would be to offer visitors the opportunity to learn how different organizations have responded to public tragedies and how they came together in an effort to heal or give comfort to others. Art and artifacts would reflect human resiliency and heroism.

Second, The Education Center within the facility would assist various responders in improving their capabilities and share lessons learned from other disasters and acts of terrorism and support Homeland Security. Children's programs would also be offered on site.

Finally, the Freedom Center would act as a national clearinghouse for coordination and communication capabilities and we hope to use information technology capabilities to coordinate resources in communities after a public crisis.

The Freedom Center would house the following:

Museum Displays - museum-quality items would reflect the response Americans have had to the September 11th attacks and other instances of National Tragedy. It will profile individuals whose acts are instrumental in rescuing others from harm's way, acting selflessly in the face of danger, and who provide comfort to many suffering after a public tragedy. There will also be temporary exhibit space devoted to how trauma survivors heal and other artistic expressions. We are already in the process of working with the Pentagon, New York Historical Society, and the Oklahoma City Museum and the Smithsonian.

Learning Center/ Conference Facility - This space will be uzed for conferences and other meetings that focus on response and recovery from public tragedy and other disasters. Priority will be given to programs that deal with issues that face the Armed Forces, Homeland Security, law enforcement, fire/EMS and rescue services, FEMA, and professional mental health associations involved in trauma response and treatment. This space would be available for organizations to book for their own events.

Production Studio - This would allow organizations to rent space to create education programs, public service announcements (PSA), and broadcast information. AHOF products could also be created for distribution on emergency preparedness and response for the general public.

Reference Library - There will be space for a reference library that will house a collection of books, journals, newsletters, videos, tapes, etc. that deal with all aspects of trauma and disaster for visitors to do research.

Auditorium - An additional auditorium could be used for film festivals that highlight healing and recovery from trauma, grief, and loss. Lecture series can be run from this location and guest speakers can be brought in and sponsored by different organizations. Commemorative, remembrance, and memorial programs would be held at this site. This space would also be available for booking. 200 person capacity.

Chapel/Meditation Room - This space would allow visitors the opportunity to reflect on the hardships that have befallen this nation and their own personal struggles. This space would be used for smaller memorial and commemorative services. 100 person capacity.

Children's Exhibit - Children are uniquely affected by trauma, and AHOF recognizes that they need specialized programs that are age-appropriate and offer healing and understanding. This section of the center would be devoted to school-aged children who have had many questions about school violence, terrorism, war, and abuse. Interactive areas would allow the children to record their own reflections on tragedy and offer wishes of hope for the nation.

AHOF hopes to be able to help children by matching them up with role models from their communities or celebrities during programs that help the children express their fears and find comfort and guidance.

Café and Restaurant - Since a goal of the center would be to present the healing aspects from tragedy, it would be important to encourage visitors to relax after visiting the site and dine from a menu that offered healthy food selections and beverages. Funds generated from the café would help support the center.

Reception Area - This would be basic space that welcomed visitors to the site and provided information on the Freedom Center and emergency preparedness materials.

Gift Shop/Book Store - Items made available for sale would include books on trauma recovery, commemoratives, and AHOF promotional items that would generate funding for the center.