Flight 93 Memorial Funding Finishes

The campaign to raise money for the Flight 93 National Memorial is over, the National Park Foundation said Monday.

The foundation, which is the official charity for America's national parks, said that $40 million in private funds has been raised for the memorial in Pennsylvania, from more than 110,000 individuals as well as foundations and corporations. Additional funds to purchase land and create the memorial came from federal and state grants.

The memorial honors the 33 passengers and seven crew members killed when the plane crashed into a field on Sept. 11, 2001, after passengers fought back against hijackers. United Flight 93 was traveling from Newark, N.J., to San Francisco when it was diverted with the likely goal of crashing it into the White House or Capitol.

The Flight 93 National Memorial is in Shanksville, about 75 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Nearly 350,000 visitors came to the site in 2012.

Several events this week will commemorate the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. A groundbreaking for the 6,800-square-foot visitor center is scheduled for Tuesday at 3 p.m., and at 7 p.m. an array of 40 candle lanterns will be lit at the memorial wall to honor each victim. The visitor center is expected to open in late 2015.

On Wednesday at 10:03 a.m., the time Flight 93 crashed, the names of the passengers and crew members will be read.

The memorial is open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. May 1-Oct. 31 and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 1-May 1. Admission is free.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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