For the past three years, September 11th has been designated as a National Day of Service. We use this as an opportunity to give back to New York City to remember those lost in the attacks.

In 2012 we are planning more than 150 volunteer opportunities at 8 locations throughout the city. New Yorkers will have the opportunity to give back by making donations, painting murals, stocking food pantries, and helping seniors prepare for emergencies as part of emergency preparedness month.

In the months after 9/11, New York Cares served an important role, giving New Yorkers an opportunity to give back and rebuild the city. We are now New York City’s lead organization for managing disaster volunteers. Our Disaster Preparedness and Recovery programs ensure that volunteers can be quickly and effectively mobilized in the event of a disaster. Each Fall, we plan volunteer opportunities to honor and remember all of those who served our city.

Sign up to give back on September 11th by searching using the code 9/11 Service.

Ten years ago, New York Cares and our volunteers took action immediately following 9/11 by bringing supplies to people working at Ground Zero. This week, we remember and pay tribute to all who were lost and everyone who helped. Join us in honoring that spirit of compassion and unity by making a pledge to volunteer in honor of the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. The images below are from our archive from 2001.

Read the rest of this entry »

All month, we’ve been bringing you stories from our staff and volunteers about how they helped the city rebuild on 9/11 and in the years afterwards. Today, our Executive Director, Gary Bagley, shares his thoughts on how important volunteer service is … now more than ever. 

When someone we know suffers loss, it’s human nature to try to express our grief and offer support. The greater the loss, the more inadequate words are to do that. When words fail us, we show our support by taking action – by helping those who suffer in whatever way we can. We visit; we feed; we rebuild. In helping others, we comfort ourselves. Volunteers tell us every day how much helping those in need also helps them.

September 11th was a terrible tragedy, but in working together to comfort those who suffered, we built a sense of unity across the nation and here at home in New York City. Ten years later, The 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance is a powerful vehicle for channeling into positive action some of the grief we still feel today. We continue to turn tragedy into triumph. Read the rest of this entry »

Volunteering takes on many forms. After the attacks on the World Trade Center, anyone who lent a hand made a big difference in our city. New York Cares’ volunteer, Beth Lehman, pitched in on the day of the attacks, in the days afterwards and on the first anniversary. Read on for her full story.

I started volunteering with New York Cares in August 2001. On 9/11, I was able to volunteer through Robin Hood Foundation/Safe Horizon by recommendations through New York Cares. I put in more than 300 hours at the Family Assistance Center. After the attacks, there were a lot of people who couldn’t return to their homes. So there was a lot of work to be done to make sure everyone was safe and would be able to get the help they needed. Read the rest of this entry »

Klade Wilson, one of our volunteers with New York Cares, knows the power a small group of people can have on our great city. Today, we reflect back on what Klade remembers from that day, and are reminded of how we can all give back to the city we love this year.

I’ll always remember where I was during the frightful terrorist attacks on New York City’s World Trade Center. I was sitting in my junior A.P. English classroom in Bayard Rustin H.S. for the Humanities panicking with my peers. Around 11:00 am, the announcement over the loudspeaker blew our minds, and our concentration on all our schoolwork was gone for that morning. We were notified that a plane had just hit one of the World Trade Center buildings. Everyone was worried about their loved ones and spent the morning trying to get a hold of them by using the school phones. We were just minutes away from the World Trade Center, the sky was gloomy and the city was very quiet. The city that never sleeps was very still that day – you could drop a penny in the streets and hear its echo. 

I wish to express my profound sorrow and regret for the families friends and co-workers who have lost their loved ones in this tragedy. I am urging everyone in New York to unite as a whole on the 10th anniversary and remember that when we work together as one, our city flourishes. I applaud the heroic members of the New York City Police Department, the Fire Department, volunteers and all other emergency service personnel who responded and who bravely risked or lost their lives, while trying to repair our city during this tragedy. New York City’s collective hat goes off to all of you. Join the 9/11 tribute movement, and lend a helping hand with New York Cares this upcoming September 11th.

By Klade M. Wilson

Last week, we shared our first employee post about 9/11. This week, we’re bringing you another story from a New York Cares employee who volunteered through us on that day almost 10 years ago. Sue Craine, our Community Programs Director, writes about what she was doing when the planes hit and how she felt about volunteering afterwards.

On September 11, 2001, I had to be at my office, which was 3 blocks north of the World Trade Center at 7 a.m. I was working at a voter help line New York Cares ran yearly on primary day. I was also slated to start team leading a children’s Urban Adventure project that following weekend. By this time, I had been a New York Cares volunteer for 2 years and had been on a waitlist to lead a Urban Adventure project for about six months, and I was so excited to finally meet with a staff member to plan and discuss a fun day for children living in a domestic violence shelter. 

Needless to say, everything changed for me in the next few hours. Read the rest of this entry »

They’re just two words, but this year, they carry extra meaning: “I will.” This year, MyGoodDeed and HandsOn Network are asking Americans to pledge their time to volunteer this September 11th. The goal? To organize the largest day of service in U.S. history in honor of the 10th anniversary of September 11th.

Today marks the launch of a new public service campaign created by the 9/11 Day of Service, featuring relatives of 9/11 victims, survivors of the attacks, celebrities and others, encouraging people everywhere to volunteer or do good deeds. See the “I will” campaign here and learn more in the press release.

You can honor the National Day of Service and Remembrance locally by volunteering with New York Cares.

Starting next week and running through to the middle of September, we’ll be sharing stories of volunteerism from our staff and volunteers who were there on the ground, volunteering and making a difference in our city, during the days following the attacks. Additionally, we will be sharing first-hand accounts from our staff, who remember what it was like the day they got the horrific news that New York City had been attacked and who are looking forward and working every day to ensure our city remains a safe and healthy place for all New Yorkers to live and work.

Today, we’re giving you a preview from our Volunteer Relations Manager, Heather McGreevy. Heather is a native New Yorker and her father helped in the recovery efforts. If you have a story you would like to share with us, send us an email.

Read the rest of this entry »

Every New Yorker remembers where they were and what they were doing on September 11th. With the 10th anniversary coming up this year, we’re looking back, and coming up with ways to serve our city so we can move forward.

Two years ago, 9/11 was established as a National Day of Service. Every year since 9/11, New York Cares has dispatched volunteers throughout the city to serve in honor of those affected by the attacks. Leading up to the day, we’re collecting stories about volunteerism. Did you donate blood, supplies or help out in some other way? Have you been involved in volunteer projects in memory of those we’ve lost? Even small gestures make a big difference, and we want to hear how you helped out your fellow New Yorkers and the city we all call home.

Send us pictures, stories or videos of you volunteering on 9/11, and we’ll post them on Facebook, Twitter and maybe even the home page. We can’t wait to hear about how you’ve made a difference in New York City.

By Meg Moloney
Senior Director, Programs, New York Cares

“I was at the New York Cares office in Union Square on the morning of 9/11. Like many others in NYC, as word spread we went outside to see what was going on. We looked down Broadway and saw people coming north as the second tower fell in the distance.

The subways were closed, downtown became a “frozen zone”, and there was nothing to do but break into groups and walk home. When we got across the Williamsburg Bridge, a small group of New Yorkers handed cups of water from the back of a pick-up truck to people trying to get home. By the next day one thing was clear – the spontaneous goodwill of handing out water was not an anomaly.”

Read more of Meg’s story about the spirit of goodwill that united New Yorkers after 9/11 on the HandsOn Network Blog.