KEWASKUM, Wis. (September 10th, 2026) – Twenty-five years after the September 11th terrorist attacks, the Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial & Education Center is launching a $4 million capital campaign to build a permanent, indoor Education Center dedicated to ensuring future generations understand what happened on 9/11 and the extraordinary courage, sacrifice and spirit of service that followed.

The planned 4,500-square-foot facility will transform the existing outdoor Memorial in Kewaskum into a year-round destination for students, families, educators, veterans, first responders and visitors from throughout the Midwest. Plans include interactive exhibits and educational stations, space for school groups and community programs, and facilities that will allow educational programming regardless of Wisconsin weather. 

This campaign comes at a critical moment.  An entire generation of Americans has now grown up with little or no personal memory of September 11th. For millions of young people throughout the Midwest, visiting the National Memorial & Museum in New York City, the Pentagon, or the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania may never be possible.

The need to bring 9/11 education to young people is increasingly being recognized even in New York. This month, the New York City Council announced a $1 million investment to provide free field trips to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum for New York City students, with a particular focus on eighth graders, as well as expanded educational programming. 

“We are reaching a point where nearly every student who walks through our Memorial was born after September 11th,” said Dr. Mark Bazata, Board President of the Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial & Education Center. “They shouldn’t have to travel a thousand miles to understand what happened that day, who we lost, how Americans responded and why those lessons still matter. We want to build a place here in Wisconsin where young people from across the Midwest can experience those stories and carry them forward.”

The Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial & Education Center wants to provide that opportunity closer to home for students throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest.

More Than Remembering What Happened

The Education Center’s mission will extend beyond teaching the facts and history of September 11. Visitors will learn about the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks, including the 18 victims with Wisconsin ties, and about the first responders, military personnel and ordinary Americans who answered an extraordinary moment with courage and sacrifice. The Memorial has a particularly personal connection to Wisconsin through Andrea Haberman, a Kewaskum High School graduate who was killed in the North Tower while in New York on her first business trip. 

“‘Never Forget’ has to mean more than remembering a date,” Gordon Haberman said. “We want young people to leave here asking themselves a question: ‘How can I serve?’ Maybe that’s joining the military. Maybe it’s becoming a firefighter or EMT. Maybe it’s volunteering for a nonprofit, coaching a youth team or helping a neighbor. Service beyond self has always been part of the American story, and one of the most important lessons of September 11th is what ordinary people are capable of when they choose to serve others.”

Remembering what happened is only part of the mission. The Education Center will also tell the story of how America responded: the firefighters, police officers and EMS personnel who ran toward danger; the men and women who volunteered to serve in the military; the communities that came together to help strangers; and the countless Americans who found new ways to serve their country and their neighbors.

Building a Midwest Destination

The Memorial has already demonstrated growing demand for 9/11 education. In 2024 alone, thousands of people visited the Memorial, including more than 850 students from eight Wisconsin counties. The organization currently provides grade-specific educational resources, field-trip programming, and transportation grants to help schools and youth organizations visit. 

The indoor Education Center will dramatically expand that work by allowing students and visitors to participate in programming throughout the year, regardless of weather.

The planned facility will include a central exhibit area with interactive displays and educational stations, a multifunctional room for school groups and community events, indoor/outdoor access, climate-controlled artifact storage and other visitor amenities. Its architectural design incorporates elements inspired by the Twin Towers, with a prominent “NEVER FORGET” feature welcoming visitors. 

“Twenty-five years ago, Americans promised that we would never forget,” Bazata said. “Keeping that promise now means teaching people who weren’t there. This Education Center is how we pass the responsibility of remembrance and the responsibility of service from one generation to the next.”

Individuals, businesses, foundations, and organizations interested in supporting the capital campaign can learn more at the Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial & Education Center website.