Americans to Mark September 11th Anniversary by Volunteering to Make a Difference in Their Communities

Nonprofit, business, faith-based, and government organizations unite as part of National Day of Service and Remembrance

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) today released an overview of how volunteers across the country will pay tribute to and honor the victims and heroes of September 11th.

The projects associated with the National Day of Service and Remembrance include building affordable housing for veterans and military families, educating citizens on disaster preparedness and organizing food drives.

“In the aftermath of September 11th, we came together as a country to show that we are there for each other,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of CNCS. “The National Day of Service and Remembrance is an opportunity to rekindle that same sense of compassion for the victims and heroes of that day. Volunteering can be a life-changing experience that reminds each of us of the power we have to help out our neighbors and improve our communities.”

CNCS joins in marking the commemoration with MyGoodDeed, the nonprofit which began the 9/11 Day observance ten years ago, and hundreds of nonprofit groups, faith-based organizations, schools, and businesses.

”Each year on 9/11, we are reminded about the passion Americans bring to volunteerism and service, and about how our collective differences are minimal compared to the core values we all share,” said David Paine, president and co-founder of MyGoodDeed. “CNCS does terrific work in helping us to energize the nation behind this growing, forward-looking observance to benefit people and communities in need across our great country.”

Below is a snapshot of service projects being organized around the country, including 17 projects that received funding from CNCS.Additional opportunities can be found by visiting serve.gov.

• Alabama: HandsOn South Alabama volunteers will provide disaster preparedness trainings to 3,500 individuals in Mobile and Baldwin counties on Wednesday, September 6 and Friday, September 14.
• Alaska: Children's books, provided by First Book and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and personal finance guides will be distributed to military families on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on Wednesday, September 12.
• Arizona: The Islamic Networks Group, with the help of local organizations, such as charter schools and churches, will organize volunteers in Tucson to collect non-perishable items for local food banks on Sunday, September 9.
• Arkansas: The South Arkansas Community College Foundation will lead the community in remembrance activities at the SouthArk Outdoor Expo on Saturday, September 15.
• California: Volunteers will work tending the orchards at Full Circle Farm, an organic educational farm that produces fresh food for the Santa Clara United School District. This event will take place on September 9.
• Connecticut: Volunteers with Hands on Hartford will prepare for the grand opening of the MANNA Community Pantry, helping to stock, clean, and decorate the Community Pantry on September 11.
• Colorado: The Colorado Charity Alliance will be staging the 2^nd Annual 9/11 Freedom Rally, a public festival to raise awareness and funds for Colorado's military and first responder communities, in Aurora from September 7- September 9.
• Delaware: HOPE worldwide and the American Red Cross will provide fire safety education to residents in Wilmington's high-risk neighborhoods on September 8.
• District of Columbia: On September 11, Serve DC andHandsOn Greater DC Careswill commemorateSeptember 11th and National Preparedness Month with hands-on service projects, emergency preparedness trainings, and a volunteer-recruitment fair.
• Florida: In Pensacola, Community Organizations Active in Disasters, Inc. and the Be Ready Alliance will teach disaster preparedness to more than 1,000 youth. In Jacksonville, the Women of Color Cultural Foundationwill lead Jacksonville school children in writing postcards totroops. Both events are on September 11.
• Georgia: Habitat for Humanity of Valdosta will host a three-day long “Freedom Build” in remembrance of September 11.
• Hawaii: On September 9, the Mayor of Honolulu's Annual 9/11 Walk will begin at the Police Department building and conclude at Honolulu Hale, where a short program will include a wreath-laying at the Eternal Flame.
• Idaho: During the week of September 10, the Idaho State Department of Education in Boise will host education units at local elementary schools on September 11.
• Illinois: On September 11, Volunteers from MyGoodDeed will work at Volunteers of America Illinois' Hope Manor, a transitional housing center for veterans that also maintains a food and clothing bank for its residents. 250 volunteers led by The Mission Continues will help organize under-utilized resources by installing permanent shelving, sorting and packing donations, and creating welcome kits for new residents.
• Indiana: Throughout the month of September, HOPE worldwide and the American Red Cross will conduct disaster response outreach in high-risk neighborhoods.
• Iowa: On September 11 in Des Moines, Central Iowa Shelter and Services will collect personal care items from donations and assemble them into "homeless help kits.” These kits will be used for guests in a new shelter and distributed to volunteers throughout the community.
• Kansas: In Topeka, Harvesters – the Community Food Network will engage volunteers to sort and repackage donated food on September 11. In Wichita, volunteers will spend September 11 cleaning a recently acquired old church that will be turned into a homeless shelter run by the Inter-Faith Ministry.
• Kentucky: Throughout the weekend, the Ft. Campbell Soldier Family Assistance Center will have volunteers plant and create a therapeutic garden for Wounded Warriors.
• Louisiana: HandsOn New Orleans and HOPE worldwide will canvass at-risk neighborhoods on September 8, 9, 13, and 14 to spread awareness about fire safety and prevention.
• Maine: The Maine Commission for Community Service is calling upon all Maine residents and organizations to mark September 11 with a service pledge that is registered on VolunteerMaine.org.
• Maryland: On September 11, Habitat for Humanity of Frederick and AmeriCorps members are teaming up with post 9/11 veterans to work on the area's their first Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative Project.
• Massachusetts: On September 8, Military Heroes Fund in Boston and others will honor local lives lost to terrorism by assembling care packages for those still in harm's way.
• Michigan: During the week of September 5 to11, RSVP of Delta, Menominee, and Schoolcraft counties, along with U.P. Commission on Area Progress and 2-1-1 Call Center, will host an intergenerational service project. They are inviting volunteers to bring a child to the Escanaba Senior Center to create corsages/boutonnieres and Thank You cards to be presented to veterans at local nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and adult foster care facilities on September 11.
• Minnesota: On September 11, volunteers from MyGoodDeed will sort, package, and label food donations for low-income and homeless men, women and children at Second Harvest Heartland, the Upper Midwest's largest hunger relief organization located in Golden Valley.
• Mississippi: On September 11, volunteers will make accessibility modifications to the bathroom of a young paralyzed post-9/11 veteran who will be residing in his grandmother's home when he is released from a VA hospital.
• Missouri: Volunteers from Missouri Southern State University in Joplin will travel to Minot, ND to assist with the rebuilding of flood-damaged homes.
• Montana: The University of Montana will organize a variety projects between September 4 and September 11.
• Nebraska:In Omaha on September 11, the Foster Grandparent Youth Task Force and RSVP volunteers will assemble disaster kits that will be distributed to the community.
• Nevada: On September 13, the Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation will work in Incline Village to build the Mt. Rose connector's trail.
• New Hampshire: On September 11, 500 volunteers will participate in more than 45 projects as part of the Day of Caring, an annual United Way event based in Concord.
• New Jersey: As part of Operation Goody Bag, a variety of schools in the state will be coloring goody bags and writing thank you notes to troops.
• New Mexico: A September 11 ceremony invites tribal leaders, tribal elders, traditional medicine practitioners, and veterans to come together and dedicate a20 foot Medicine Wheel that will be placed around the base of a restored flagpole.
• New York: On September 9, volunteers will gather at DOROT's headquarters in Manhattan and at Temple Beth Abraham in Tarrytown to prepare packages of food and gifts and deliver them to homebound seniors. Additionally, the Jewish Community Center of Mid-Westchester will provide a multitude of volunteer opportunities in Scarsdale, including writing letters to troops, donating blood, and collecting food for families in need.
• North Carolina: On September 11, theDowntown Raleigh Alliance, in partnership with Activate Good, the city of Raleigh, and several downtown businesses will organize multiple activities.
• North Dakota: Volunteers from Joplin, Missouri will join residents in Minot to assist in rebuilding flood-damaged homes.
• Ohio: On September 8, UGIVE will lead 800 youth volunteers in service throughout the Cincinnati area for Step Up Cincinnati 2012.
• Oklahoma: On September 9, HOPE worldwide in Tulsa will honor the Blue Star Mothers of Broken Arrow by sending packages to troops who are currently serving overseas.
• Oregon: On September 11, Friends of Tryon Creek State Park will lead volunteers in conservation efforts for the park.
• Pennsylvania: HOPE worldwide will host a public safety event in Pittsburgh in conjunction with the Allegheny County Emergency Services, Juvenile Firesetters Intervention Team, HOPE worldwide, Allegheny County Council, and the Allegheny County Airport Authority on September 8.
• Rhode Island: Serve Rhode Island and AmeriCorps members will lead volunteers in veterans-related service projects throughout the state from September 8 to 15.
• South Carolina: On Saturday, September 8, Pleasant Valley Connection will host a fire safety and prevention event. There will be demonstrations by local firefighters, games that stress fire safety for children, distribution of free smoke detectors and batteries, and printed material and information on fire safety and prevention.
• South Dakota: On September 11, volunteers will read stories about America's Heroes to Yankton Elementary School students.
• Tennessee: From September 8 to 11, HandsOn Clarksville will lead volunteers in a variety of service projects, including the painting of ceramic tiles for the Pillars of Hope Commemorative Public Art Piece.
• Texas: On September 11, 250 volunteers from MyGoodDeed will work at a local women's treatment center run by Volunteers of America Texas, which offers a residential treatment program for women and children. Led by The Mission Continues, volunteers will build and install raised garden beds, sort through and organize donations, paint client rooms, and beautify the grounds.
• Utah: On September 13, nine service sites around South Salt Lake, will host more than 500 volunteers that will read with youth, restore historic buildings, stage a career fair, and revitalize parks and public places.
• Vermont: The Southwest Freedom Riders will stage a commemorative ceremony to benefit Mt. Sinai Hospital's “Health for Heroes” program on September 9.
• Virginia: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University will be staging events and volunteer activities to better engage their student populations through service in the Blacksburg and Roanoke communities on September 11.
• Washington: On September 11, volunteers from Pat Tillman Foundation will repair a home for a veteran in Tacoma and host a community remembrance event.
• West Virginia: ExploreWV, Volunteer West Virginia, and WVREAP are partnering to sponsor Cache In Trash Out. The event will focus on cleaning up parks and recreation areas across the state on September 8.
• Wisconsin: FromSeptember 8 to 10, volunteers with HOPE worldwide and the American Red Cross will conduct local outreach, providing fire safety and preparedness information.
• Wyoming: On September 8, Habitat for Humanity of Laramie will organize approximately 200 community volunteers, including local military members and area youth, to join weatherize a block of homes for low-income, disabled and elderly residents.

###