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Exhange Club delivers Freedom Shrine to EMS
11.15 EMS freedom shrine
Beth Helmly, principal of Ebenezer Middle School, along with Exchange Club president Reggie Loper and Pete Lancaster of the Exchange Club present the Freedom Shrine at the school installed by the club. - photo by Photo submitted

The Veterans Day commemoration at Ebenezer Middle School included the formal acceptance and dedication of the Freedom Shrine that has been installed at the school by the Effingham Exchange Club. The presentation of the exhibit was made by Reggie Loper, president of the Exchange Club, and received by EMS Principal Beth Helmly.

The Freedom Shrine consists of 31 plaques on which replicas of important national documents reflecting the history of the nation have been mounted.

Documents included in the collection are the Declaration of Independence, the inaugural and farewell address of George Washington, the Gettysburg Address and both surrender documents ending World War II.

The Freedom Shrine is a project of the Exchange Club of America. They are installed by local clubs that provide the funding for the purchase and installation. The Effingham Exchange Club has had a program to install at least one of these Freedom Shrines annually for several years.

“It is our goal that every school in our county will have this collection of these important documents,” Loper said. “It is important that our children become aware of the documents and understand their importance to our nation and our freedom.”