A collection of more than 300 artifacts connected to the World Trade Center and Sept. 11, 2001, was displayed Friday as 9/11 witness Deirdre Kamber Todd brought her traveling exhibit to the community to educate visitors about the towers, the attacks and their lasting impact.

Todd’s collection, which she described as one of the largest World Trade Center collections used for exhibits, education and first responder support, includes items dating from the original design and construction of the towers through the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and their aftermath.

Addressing those in attendance, Todd reflected on the 25 years she has spent building the collection.

“It has been a real labor of love to collect items for 25 years,” Todd said. “The World Trade Center was a great place for all people to come together. When I began collecting WTC items, I started with my own, knowing many would be tossed out, to degrade, or never be released to the public.”

Todd said her goal has been to preserve both the history and the spirit of the World Trade Center.

“I focused on the beauty and message of World Trade; working together, building on strong foundations, and creating beauty out of ruin,” she said. “My collection is generally child friendly, so the next generation can learn from the past.”

She also spoke about the long-term health effects experienced by many people exposed to toxic dust and hazardous materials after the attacks.

“There are over 9,000 more dead due to contamination of the toxic dust and hazardous materials from that day,” Todd said. “Authorities assured the public it was safe to go back to work, businesses to open, Broadway to resume. They were wrong.” During the program, Todd lit four candles in remembrance of those affected by Sept. 11. She said the first candle honored those who died in the attacks, the second recognized survivors, the third was dedicated to first responders, and the fourth honored the many heroes who came together to help in the aftermath.

“This gets me through a lot, if I can give back to the first responders, because you are just heroes for a living,” Todd said. “It didn’t matter who you were, they all worked together from the ones who helped dig, got water for those who needed it, to the ones who helped in any way they could.”

Todd then asked attendees to observe a moment of silence.

Among those attending were Kevin Torres and Mike Concilio of the Slatington Police Department. Concilio thanked Todd for bringing the exhibit to the borough.

“We want to thank you for coming to our town to educate us about the World Trade Center and giving back to us,” Concilio said.

Artifacts and displays featured throughout the exhibit highlighted many aspects of World Trade Center history. One display included a Port Authority Police Department uniform. Port Authority officers were among the first responders at the World Trade Center, and hundreds of PAPD officers spent months at Ground Zero helping recover victims and clear debris.

Another exhibit featured the 1969 thriller novel “Thirty Seconds Over New York,” which depicts a commercial airliner near the Twin Towers decades before the attacks.

Visitors also viewed a display honoring Minoru Yamasaki, the architect who designed the Twin Towers.

The exhibit included information about retired Mark Edwards, a police captain from Plainfield, New Jersey, who was asked to lead a team assisting the New York Police Department at Ground Zero after the attacks.

“The reason for my pins, it was a healthy diversion trading and collecting from all of the first responders,” Edwards said. “We had tents in the streets to sleep.”

Through artifacts, personal stories and remembrance, Todd’s exhibit sought to preserve the history of Sept. 11 while honoring the victims, survivors and first responders whose lives were forever changed by the attacks.