Sept. 11 National Day Of Service and Remembrance (Ripples, Part 2)

Okay, after this post we will stop looking back at an event that has already happened (it was a big event, though), and start looking at what is coming up. But we just wanted to do one last round of media coming out of September 11 because it is inspiring and it is not that often that service gets as much national attention. Here is some of the best of the coverage.

1) The New York Times editorial board weighed in with another powerful editorial (they have been such strong supporters of service over the past year), recognizing the living memorial that the National Day of Service and Remembrance truly is. Since it is brief, here is the entire thing:

Out of the ashes of the horrific 9/11 attacks, a positive custom is taking hold.

Since 2002, victims’ family members and friends have joined with community nonprofits, faith-based groups and others to mobilize Americans to mark the anniversary of the attacks with useful volunteer service. Under a provision of the larger national service measure signed in April by President Obama, Friday will be the first 9/11 anniversary to be commemorated as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

The simple goal, explains David Paine, a co-founder of MyGoodDeed, an important mover behind this initiative, is to pay tribute in a forward-looking way to those lost and injured in the terrorist attacks and to the ongoing sacrifices of members of the armed forces. By joining with those already planning to take all or part of the day to aid their chosen cause or charity, Americans can show their patriotism and help recapture the spirit of community that saw so many people volunteer to help the families who lost loved ones in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 horror.

We find it baffling that some commentators on the right are criticizing this call to service as somehow inappropriate and soft on terrorism. They have it backward. What is truly inappropriate is to suggest that there is something wrong with devoting a day to helping out at a food pantry, working with schoolchildren or other volunteer activity destined to make our nation stronger. Showing the nation’s strength, resilience and unity is the best way to stand up to terrorists of all kinds.

2) The AP provided excellent coverage, including this piece titled "Nation Marks 9/11 With Volunteerism." Here are the first few paragraphs:

NEW YORK — The selfless spirit that helped mend a stricken nation eight years ago was renewed.

Volunteers marked 9/11 Friday by tilling gardens, writing letters to soldiers, setting out flags — and, at ground zero, by joining the somber ritual of reading the names of the lost.

President Barack Obama, who observed his first Sept. 11 as president by declaring it a national day of service, laid a wreath Friday at the Pentagon and, with wife Michelle, helped paint the living room of a Habitat for Humanity house in Washington.

“We honor all those who gave their lives so that others might live, and all the survivors who battled burns and wounds and helped each other rebuild their lives,” the president said. He said the day was meant also as a tribute to the “service of a new generation.”

Memorials in New York, at the Pentagon and at the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania all took place under gray skies. A chilly rain fell in lower Manhattan, and those reading names at the World Trade Center site spoke under tents.

“We miss you. Life will never be the same without you,” said Vladimir Boyarsky, whose son, Gennady Boyarsky, was killed. “This is not the rain. This is the tears.”

In the hours after the attack and for weeks afterward, volunteers responded to New York City’s needs, sending emergency workers to help with the recovery, cards to victims’ families, and boxes of supplies.

3) And here is one more from the AP, "Volunteers Turn Sept. 11 Pain Into Pride," that has vignettes from Chicago, Boston and Buffalo. This one includes an excellent slide show.