The Patriot Week Foundation debuted their first local Patriot Gathering this week at the Fork ‘N’ Pint in Lake Orion, Michigan.
The Patriot Week Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to renewing the spirit of America through civic holidays, turns 10 this year.
Event promotions held to the underlying premise for Patriot Week, that celebration is essential to human thriving.
“As the Sons and Daughters of Liberty once did, we will gather together to toast Patriotism and honor the 1st public reading of the Declaration of Independence,” promotional materials for the event stated.
Besides talking history and patriotism, attendees welcomed new member Tamara Zora.
“As an immigrant to the United States, the American ideals emphasized by the Patriot Week Foundation are dear to my heart,” said the Cornerstone Health and Technology High School teacher. “The Patriot Week Foundation and its resources have helped me inspire and embed the American spirit into my students.”
The foundation lists board members from multiple states and across the political spectrum.
Its co-founder, Judge Michael Warren, Jr., has served in the Circuit Court of Oakland County, Michigan since 2002.
“I had this burning desire to save the country, make sure that this country stays true to its Constitution, and the founding First Principles for the Declaration of Independence,” he stated in a July 9 interview posted to social media. “I do that every day in the courtroom, but this is why I have all these extra-curricular activities.”
He chairs the Oakland County Bicentennial Project, and will begin teaching the Constitution at Western Michigan University this fall.
“Patriot Week Foundation is a superb organization and the event should be recognized in all states,” said Deb O’Hagan, an area resident who has attended several events.
“Our patriotic holidays and remembrances have become lost in ‘sales’ events and have lost their meaning. Patriot Week brings us back to who we are as a country and how to instill that in future generations!”
Schools and civic groups use the foundation’s template to host their own Patriot Week events. The site assigns an American First Principle to each day of the week. Rule of Law, Equality of Gender and Race, Unalienable Rights, Limited Government, and other themes are accompanied by flags, founding fathers, memorable quotes, related documents and historic events.
Since beginning in 2009, the Patriot Week movement has grown to thirteen participating states. Membership includes pins and educational benefits.
Patriot Week begins each year on September 11 in memory of those lost in the terrorist attacks of 2001. It concludes on September 17, the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution.
The next Patriot Gathering is scheduled for October 10, at Lockhart’s BBQ in Royal Oak, Michigan. Events are free and open to the public.
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Abigail Nobel is a reporter at Battleground State News and The Ohio Star.
