Media

“For years, David Paine and Jay Winuk have wanted to turn 9/11 into something positive, as counterintuitive as that might sound. The two co-founders of 9/11 Day, who successfully lobbied the government to officially rename the day September 11 National Day of Service & Remembrance, have encouraged millions to commemorate the day with volunteerism. To mark the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, whose victims included Winuk’s brother Glenn, Paine and Winuk are expanding their efforts with a CNN special, “Shine a Light,” airing on Sept. 11.”

Op-ed by Jay Winuk: “I think the differences which make up the fabric of America, whether they are political, religious, racial, sexual orientation or any number of others, and when we peacefully and reasonably address those differences, are all part of what makes America great. More voices. More perspectives. More ideas. More experiences. More collaboration. To me, that has always been America’s not-so-secret sauce.”

“For the seventh year, 9/11 Day is staging what it calls a ‘meal pack’ day in New York City over the course of two days, Monday and Tuesday, at which an expected 4,500 volunteers from across the region from 120 companies will be packing nonperishable food to be given to two city food banks for distribution to needy families. It is one of 18 cities across the country conducting meal packs sponsored by 9/11 Day, Winuk said.”

Report by WCBS Radio in NYC, interviewing Jay about the large-scale service project he and his colleagues produce annually aboard the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, which attracts thousands of volunteers and extensive media coverage.

Keynote speech by Jay Winuk delivered at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, at the PR News CSR & Nonprofit Awards event: "I’ve seen too many well-intentioned nonprofits either stall or fail because they did not do the marketing, did not have the fiscal acumen, did not staff properly, or did not do the sustained research to take a good idea, and optimize and mechanize it for the future to ensure success," he said.

“The founders of 9/11 Day, David Paine and Jay Winuk, helped build momentum in getting the day formally recognized as a national day of service. Along with Martin Luther King Day, it’s now one of only two.”

“What good deeds resonate with you? Do you want to make a donation? Do you want to go visit a nursing home and keep company with some elderly people? Do you want to clean up a local park?” Winuk asked. “Any good deed counts; the point is to take some action . . . ”

CNN op-ed by Jay Winuk, upon meeting with President Obama after the leader of the terrorist attacks was brought to justice:

“In his speech announcing the death of bin Laden, the president spoke of the ‘sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11’ and ‘the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people,’ and he noted ‘that America can do whatever we set our mind to.’ Those words capture how we stood up to evil after the attacks, how we rebuilt our nation, how we prevailed by focusing more on our similarities than on our differences.”

“It is a mix of employees of generous corporations that help us execute this. It is also faith-based organizations, first responders, military veterans, students, and so many others. It’s an extraordinarily diverse population,” said Winuk, “and just an army of people doing goodwill on 9/11 and that’s the case in all of the cities.”

“Public service has also been something of an antidote to the perception that we live in such a divided nation. ‘I’ve learned that most people I encounter believe as I do, that when it really matters, our differences don’t,’ says Winuk. ‘And I’ve learned and witnessed something I’ve always believed in—that each person has an opportunity to truly make a difference, and that most people embrace doing so when given the opportunity.’”