9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance

For millions of New Yorkers, Sept 11, 2001, will always be remembered as a day of great tragedy and immense heroism. The founders of 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance wanted to invert the sadness for service, choosing to honor the memories of fallen heroes by performing good deeds.

Now, 22 years after the terrorist attacks, millions in the city and nationwide also choose to volunteer or donate to charities every year.

The nonprofit 9/11 Day was founded by David Paine and Jay Winuk six months after the buildings collapsed. Winuk lost his brother, Glenn J. Winuk, an attorney and volunteer firefighter/EMT on Long Island who helped evacuate his law offices. His brother died going back to help others inside the World Trade Center South Tower. 

Winuk marveled at the way his brother and other people responded to the tragedy. He and Paine were inspired to put out a call of service. “We focused on common humanity, [and] put aside our differences. It didn’t matter what your background was or how much money you had or where you lived, what your race was or your religion,” said Winuk. “That, of course, dissipated over time, and it seemed like everybody went back to the way things were.”