Plans for the Largest Day of Service in U.S. History in Observance of the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 Presented at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service

Prominent Nonprofits Unite to Inspire Millions of Americans and Others to Engage in Charitable Service in Tribute to the 9/11 Victims and Heroes

American Express Joins as Lead Sponsor for the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance

NEW ORLEANS, June 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Principal organizers of the upcoming 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance (http://911day.org) today announced plans for an unprecedented campaign to encourage millions of Americans and others,  in observance of the upcoming 10th Anniversary of 9/11, to perform good deeds, volunteer and support charities honoring the victims of 9/11 and the many who rose in service in response to the 9/11 attacks.  

American Express, headquartered next to the World Trade Center site in Manhattan, has joined the initiative as lead sponsor, pledging $1 million to the campaign for this year.  GlaxoSmithKline and JPMorgan Chase & Company each have committed $500,000, and other major corporations have pledged substantial funding as well.

MyGoodDeed, the respected 9/11 nonprofit that successfully advocated for making 9/11 a federally recognized Day of Service and Remembrance, and HandsOn Network, the volunteer activation division of Points of Light Institute, are leading an influential coalition of prominent organizations that are working together to plan and implement the 9/11 Day initiative.  The primary goal for the upcoming 10th Anniversary of 9/11 is to organize the single largest day of charitable service in U.S. history.  At the urging of MyGoodDeed, and with widespread support from the 9/11 community, the U.S. Congress joined with President Barack Obama in 2009 to pass bipartisan legislation that authorized the establishment of  September 11 as a federally recognized and permanent National Day of Service and Remembrance.

A "Unique Tribute"
"The 10th Anniversary of 9/11 will be a very solemn and important moment for many Americans and others throughout the world," said David Paine, president and co-founder of MyGoodDeed.  "With the support of so many outstanding organizations, this observance will touch the hearts of millions of people, here and abroad, and inspire many of them to join together in creating a remarkable tribute of charitable service and good deeds in remembrance of those who died in the attacks, and in honor of the many who rose in service in response to the tragedy.   We are extremely thankful to American Express for making such an extraordinary commitment to our initiative, and are also deeply appreciative to GlaxoSmithKline, JPMorgan Chase, and our other sponsors for generously supporting this important tribute."

"For individuals and organizations alike, this observance is a most constructive, forward-looking way to pay tribute to those who perished," added MyGoodDeed vice president and co-founder Jay S. Winuk, who lost his brother Glenn Winuk, an attorney at Holland & Knight and a volunteer firefighter who died in the line of duty in the collapse of the World Trade Center's South Tower.  "This unique tribute will help us rekindle the remarkable spirit of compassion that unified our nation in the immediate aftermath of the attacks nearly a decade ago, and in the process will help make the world a better place for those in need."

"Our nation's extraordinary response to the 9/11 tragedy demonstrated that compassion for those in need is a very powerful and unifying force," said Michelle Nunn, CEO of Points of Light Institute and co-founder of HandsOn Network.  "We witnessed what our nation could be like if we all pledged to work together to solve society's most pressing problems. HandsOn Network has long been committed to empowering individuals and organizations to make positive change through volunteerism, and for the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, we are proud to partner with MyGoodDeed, the 9/11 community and so many wonderful organizations to create opportunities throughout the country for people to pay tribute through charitable service."

Joining MyGoodDeed and HandsOn Network as nonprofit-leaders of 9/11 Day initiative are the New York-based 9/11 Memorial, AARP, Business Civic Leadership Center of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and The Mission Continues.  Many other organizations are also actively supporting the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance. Plans for the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 that were previewed today at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service (NCVS) in New Orleans include:

• Large scale volunteer service projects to be staged in New York, Washington, D.C., Boston and San Francisco, as well as in other cities throughout the U.S., including Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Mobile, St. Louis, Raleigh-Durham, Minneapolis and Charlotte.  Other cities will be announced at a later date.
• Education lesson plans about 9/11 that will be distributed nationwide with support from Scholastic to more than one million teachers.
• New website resources and social media applications, along with a comprehensive nationwide awareness campaign that will launch later this summer.

American Express' Significant Commitment
As the lead sponsor, American Express' $1 million contribution will support all activities related to the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance.  American Express, one of the first companies to return to its offices in Lower Manhattan following the attacks in May 2002, has supported many initiatives to rebuild Lower Manhattan following the attacks of September 11th, including the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. American Express also has a long history of supporting community service projects in communities across the world where its employees and customers work and live.

"We are honored to be a part of the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance," said Timothy J. McClimon, president of the American Express Foundation. "Service is something that we value very strongly at American Express and we are proud to support a movement that will bring together communities all across the country through service."

JPMorgan Chase & Company is the lead national mobilization sponsor, supporting nationwide volunteer service initiatives.  GlaxoSmithKline is the lead national education sponsor, supporting 9/11 Day lesson plans that will go to more than one million teachers with the assistance of Scholastic Corporation.  Target Corporation has pledged to give $200,000 to also help support and lead the 9/11 Day education program.  Additionally, Clear Channel Radio has pledged a $5 million dollar commitment in radio air time for 9/11 Day public service messages.   This campaign, to be unveiled in late July, is being developed by a world-class creative team lead by Deutsch Advertising, in collaboration with GOOD Corps, Rock Paper Scissors, Creative Artists Agency and WME.

Investment banking firm Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, which lost 67 employees on 9/11, and the law firm Holland & Knight also pledged to provide financial support.  

"As a supporter of this program since 2009, GlaxoSmithKline is honored to support the 10th Anniversary and to help educate our nation's youth about 9/11," said Bill Shore, director of U.S. Community Partnerships, GlaxoSmithKline.

"JPMorgan Chase & Co. is honored to serve as the lead mobilization sponsor and to be a part of the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance," said Kimberly Davis, president of the JPMorgan Foundation.  "Three years ago, JP Morgan Chase & Co. launched an employee volunteer program in a strong effort to promote and facilitate volunteerism and service within the firm.  And in 2010, more than 31,000 employees volunteered 275,000 hours of service to their communities across the United States through that program.  It is with the same spirit that JPMorgan Chase will participate in this tribute to the victims of 9/11 and those who rose to serve in the aftermath of the attacks."

30-Foot Traveling Memorial Exhibit Unveiled
At the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, MyGoodDeed unveiled a visually stunning 30-foot exhibit memorializing the names of all 2,982 victims lost on 9/11 and including the six individuals who were killed in the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993.  Following the Conference, organizers plan to display the exhibit in New York, Washington, D.C., and possibly other cities leading up to the 10th Anniversary of 9/11.  Visitors to the exhibit can write special messages, including their good deed plans for 9/11, on Tribute cards, which are then pinned on a wall adjacent to the listing of the victims' names and posted online at 911day.org.

For more information about the 9/11 Day initiative, visit 911day.org or write to [email protected].  

SOURCE 9/11 Day