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The Class that Never Graduated - 20th Reunion

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I remember it. And I know you do, too.
 
Millville, New Jersey. 2002. Most of us had already put on our caps and gowns. We were lining up, ready to end one phase of our lives and enter the next. And yeah, I know—some of us weren’t nearly as excited for the ceremony as we were about whatever comes next.
 
But even then, there’s no denying it felt important. Like a rite of passage. The closure of our lives as children. Our last few moments before becoming adults.
 
We were finally graduating. And we were doing it together.
 
But the world had other plans.
 
It wasn’t the first time that year the world had made decisions for us. In the fall of our senior year, the world changed forever.
 
September 11th was a school day. It inspired many of our classmates to serve this great country. And while that seemed insurmountable in the moment, we made it through. Together.
 
We were the graduating class of 2002. And we were ready to start something new.
 
But the Millville Senior High School graduating class of 2002 never graduated.
 
As we lined up together, the sky grew dark. The clouds swirled above our heads. It honestly felt a little spooky; ominous, even. Just as the ceremony was about to begin, the sky opened up. The rain fell heavy and hard, wind swept chairs and umbrellas through the field, and lightning and thunder echoed through the air without abandon. We were told to leave the field, as fast as we could. And that is what we did.
 
We left that day in soaking caps and gowns. There was no pomp and circumstance. No walking in front of the stage to get our diplomas. No happy pictures with friends and family to celebrate this important moment in our lives. This was the only graduation of our lives, for many of us. For the Millville Senior Class of 2002, there was no happy ending.
 
20 years later, we’re all a little older. We’ve been through a lot. And most of us are again moving from one phase of life to another. To do so, we want the closure we never got that day in 2002. And once again, the world is trying its hardest to interrupt us.
 
But this time, we won’t let it.
 
That’s why we want to throw the best reunion we possibly can.
 
We want to get together at a beautiful venue. Eat together. Drink together. We want as many of us to be there as we can track down and honor those that we have tragically lost. We’ll do whatever it takes to put us all back into the same room together so we can share stories, memories, and friendship.
 
But all of this comes at a cost. That’s why we created this campaign.
 
The only way to have the best reunion possible is for us to work together. We’re asking for your help because we know you all want this to happen just as badly as we do. Every donation we receive takes us one step further toward creating the reunion of our collective dreams.
 
As we all begin the next phases of our life, it feels like we’re graduating again. Our school couldn’t give us the graduation we deserved 20 years ago. But this year, we can give ourselves the best graduation party we never got.
 
Let’s celebrate our shared history. Let’s catch up and share the lives we’ve lived in the two decades since then. Let’s smile. And laugh. And sing along to our favorite songs—I’m certain we still remember all words!
 
If you’re as excited about that idea as we are, please consider pitching in. And don’t worry about amounts—whatever you can afford is the perfect amount! A little bit of help from all of us is all we need.
 
I know we can do it. We’re the Millville Senior High School class of 2002! The class that never graduated. The class that made it through 9/11.  And we’re ready to get together. To be together. And to move on. From then; from now; and on to whatever’s next.
 
Together.

Organizer

Jocelyn Bermudez
Organizer
Hanahan, SC

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