Pruitt Campus Hosts DYGAR Freedom Fest and Memorial Ruck, Honors 9/11 Heroes

Pruitt Campus Hosts DYGAR Freedom Fest and Memorial Ruck, Honors 9/11 Heroes

September 11, 2023 Robert Lane

Indian River State College (IRSC) partnered with the #DoYouGiveARuck (DYGAR) organization for the Freedom Festival and Memorial Ruck in honor of 9/11, held on Saturday, September 9 at the College’s Pruitt Campus in Port St. Lucie. 

The event brought together hundreds of participants who participated in a family-friendly 1-mile march around the IRSC Pruitt Campus to support veterans and military service members and a 3.43-mile ruck in remembrance of the 343 firefighters that perished on 9/11. St. Lucie County Fire Department Battalion Chief Donny Stefani offered remarks honoring those lost on 9/11 and helped motivate those making the rucks.

The run took participants through Clover Park and back to the IRSC Pruitt Campus. The 1-mile fun ruck joined the last mile of the 3.43 run, and all participants of both rucks finished at the Pruitt Campus together. There, guests enjoyed live entertainment, food trucks, vendors, bounce houses, and complimentary beverages from Hop Life Brewing, as well as a K-9 demo by the Port St. Lucie Police Department. 

New to this year’s event was a JROTC competition among five area high school JROTC programs. Fort Pierce Central High School earned recognition as the inaugural competition winner. 

Event participants collected an estimated two metric tons of supplies and non-perishable food items to donate to CareBag—which provides mobile showers and proper hygiene care to homeless men, women, and children on the Treasure Coast to restore their dignity. Additionally, the DYGAR event donated $15,000 to IRSC Military and Veteran Services to support student veterans.