Volunteering for 9/11 Day is a Growing Westchester Tradition

The results of Volunteer New York!’s fourth 9/11: Serve + Remember event, which as part of the National Day of Service and Remembrance honored the lives of those lost on September 11th, 2001, show that more Westchester and Rockland residents are looking for ways to actively volunteer and give back as part of how they choose to remember and honor the significance of September 11th.

“I believe more people are beginning to see September 11th on their calendar and are starting to think about what good they can do or how they can give back to the community on that day – and this was exactly the goal of the families of those who were lost, and the reason 911day.org was founded. This is also exactly the purpose of Volunteer New York!’s day of service event, to make it very easy for people in the community to come together through service and give back together – and give new meaning to a day that we will never forget,” says Volunteer New York! Executive Director, Alisa Kesten. “We’re very happy that we are able to provide this service to the community, and that the community of 911 Day participants is growing with us.”

9/11: Serve + Remember, hosted by Volunteer New York! and Westchester County, ran from September 11th to September 14th 2014, in which a series of donation drives, hands-on volunteer projects, and educational components, including a mentoring & tutoring fair, were made available to volunteers throughout Westchester and Rockland county. The total impact included 967 volunteers who served for a total of 1,328 hours, which was 165 more volunteers than the previous year. Over 11,000 diapers were donated to help launch the new Westchester County Diaper Bank in partnership with the Junior League of Central Westchester (and 14,250 diapers were sorted and packed). 818 pounds of nonperishable proteins were donated to the Food Bank for Westchester. New York Blood Center received 85 productive units of blood, which has the potential to save up to 255 lives.

“Year after year, the community continues to come out, and we can see the impact in our numbers – in the number of literacy kits assembled, in how many fleece blankets that were made for children who need warmth, in how many troops receive survival bracelets overseas, in how many seniors are visited, and in how many ‘I Will’ statements that people write every year on September 11th, pledging to continue to do good throughout the year,” says Volunteer New York! Senior Director of Volunteer and Corporate Engagement, Jeanette Gisbert.

For a full list of projects that were available as part of 9/11: Serve + Remember, and for a complete list of impact results, please visit: http://volunteernewyork.org/service.