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.
As my colleagues and I crossed the Williamsburg Bridge, we talked to each other and to total strangers, trying to make sense of events. It was a hot day. When we got to the Brooklyn side of the 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. This simple gesture brought relief to many and even tears to some. As I approached the impromptu aid station I remembered how 10 years before there had been serious racial tensions and violence not far from that spot. A lot had changed since 1991 and it was heartening to see residents from every part of the neighborhood working together to distribute water to the diverse and ragtag river of people walking by. Everyone seemed to feel a sense of togetherness about the experience. It made a world of difference to those of us with long walks still ahead and helped us put one foot in front of the other and keep going.
By the next day one thing was clear, the spontaneous goodwill of handing out water was not an anomaly. New Yorkers and people around the country – and the world – were responding to 9/11 by asking “what can I do to help.” New York Cares’ phones rang off the hook. 
Thousands of people came to us to volunteer—saying over and over that they wanted to find a way to do something positive in response to the tragedy. Many thousands of New Yorkers offered to help, as did people from California and Texas, and even Australia and Brazil.
In the days and weeks that followed we coordinated tens of thousands of volunteers around the city. They packed donated supplies for relief workers, prepared food at aid stations, and stood cheering at
“Point Thank You”—a place just north of Ground Zero where volunteers let weary relief workers coming off their shifts know how grateful we were for their extraordinary efforts. In fact, it seemed everyone involved kept thanking each other—volunteers thanked first responders—first responders thanked volunteers. In the midst of unfathomable sadness, countless acts of generosity gave us strength.
I still work for New York Cares. I love working at an organization that makes it possible for New Yorkers to volunteer, to care for each other, and to make the city stronger. I am so proud that one of our first and strongest reactions to that tragic day was to help each other. It’s something I hope we never forget.
The power of that unity has become The 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, a day for people to rekindle the energy, passion and connectivity experienced after the attacks. The day is spearheaded by 
by Jay S. Winuk, Co-founder, Vice President, MyGoodDeed, 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, President, Winuk Communications, Inc.
My life changed forever on that sunny September 11 morning in 2001. My brother Glenn Winuk, a partner at the large law firm Holland & Knight LLP, was murdered by the terrorists who attacked our nation by flying planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York. Situated just a block and a half from the site, Glenn helped evacuate his law offices, then raced toward the South Tower to participate in the rescue effort. He died when that building collapsed. Glenn’s partial remains were recovered about six months later, a borrowed medic bag by his side.
or almost 20 years Glenn was a volunteer firefighter and EMT in our home town of Jericho, NY. He had also served as a fire commissioner and as an officer of Engine Company 2, and was highly decorated. Specially certified in building collapse rescue training, no one was more prepared to race into those towering infernos than my kid brother, dead at 40.
When my friend and colleague David Paine called from California a few months after the attacks to tell me about his idea, it was as if it was scripted. “Let’s work together to make 9/11 a national day of service,” David suggested, so that people will never forget how good people of the world responded when our nation was wounded. And off we were.
Engaging in service or good deeds on the anniversary each year in honor of those who perished or rose to help is truly an extraordinary phenomenon. Millions of people from all 50 states and countries all over the world now mark September 11 in service to others, with acts small and large. The ways that people participate are countless, creative and meaningful. All who visit our web site at 
Using A Blog
