By Vincent Desjardin
One more inspirational story of Good Neighbors from 9/11 on this 10th anniversary.
Remembering 9/11 Good Neighbors Part 2
September 10, 2011 By
We’re remembering the ultimate Good Neighbors of 9/11 with links to inspirational stories. Here are a few more stories of those that stood in the gap on 9/11 and beyond:
Memories of Americorps members who served in the wake of 9/11
Heartwarming story of a blind man’s guide dog that led him to safety out of the World Trade Center
A Look Back: One Year Anniversary of San Bruno Blast
September 9, 2011 By
In honor of the one year anniversary of the PG&E gas pipe explosion in San Bruno, I’m reposting this story I did about a faith community deeply impacted by the blast that turned around to help the community. Earlier today I read on the Fred Rogers Company website a quote from Mr. Rogers about how his mother helped him deal with disturbing world news as a child.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of “disaster,” I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.“
This story, like so many other stories about good neighbors, is about the helpers.
Remembering 9/11 Good Neighbors Part 1
September 9, 2011 By
We’re remembering the ultimate Good Neighbors of 9/11 for the next three days with links to stories of hope about people (and animals) that either gave, or are still giving, of themselves to help others
since the events 10 years ago.
Enjoy these inspirational stories as you reflect on the anniversary:
People and dogs who teamed to search the rubble at Ground Zero
Extraordinary journal entries from one Salvation Army member who worked at Ground Zero after 9/11. According to the Salvation Army website, the organization was helping at the scene less than one hour after the buildings collapsed.
Children of 9/11 victims who are healing through helping others
Volunteer Events to Commemorate 9/11
September 8, 2011 By
What better way to remember 9/11 then through giving service to others? There are numerous volunteer events happening around the Silicon Valley and San Francisco Bay Area to commemorate the 10-year anniversary.
If you’re looking for an event near you, a good place to start is the 911 Day organization’s event locator. Just put your zip code in the box at the top right hand corner, and you will get a list of events taking place near you.
The 911 Day group was started in 2002 by two men — one lost his brother in the Twin Towers — as a way to commemorate 9/11 as a national day of service. This year the group is encouraging citizens to join the 9/11 Tribute Movement, by posting their intentions to help others this Sunday.
Are you going to volunteer to commemorate 9/11? Tell us about it in comments!
Remembering 9/11 Heroes: Ultimate Good Neighbors
September 8, 2011 By
If you’re like me, there’s a part of you looking forward to September 12. Ten years after 9/11, it’s still painful to remember what happened that day. All the retrospectives going on at the moment are a little hard to face.
By Vincent Desjardin
But I find I can’t stop thinking about the heroes, the ultimate Good Neighbors. To this day I am still struck by the people who, in the blink of an eye, ran inside buildings that were about to crumble. Or the complete strangers that banded together to bring down a plane before terrorists reached their intended target.
Thousands of ordinary people, who when faced with colossal sacrifice, gave of themselves for the sake of rescuing and helping others on that day, and in the weeks and months that followed.
Or the thousands of people in communities across the country who without much fanfare have reached out to help in small ways, either by donating money, or just reaching out to those near and far impacted by the events.
Raise Your Fork To End Hunger
September 6, 2011 By
It’s Hunger Action Month across the country, as food banks and organizations focused on ending hunger seek to raise public awareness of this critical
issue. Here in the Silicon Valley, Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties is encouraging everyone “Raise Your Fork” to take positive action every day of the month to end hunger.
A “30 Ways in 30 Days” calendar provides tangible ways to end hunger, from following Second Harvest online (Oracle is giving a $5 donation for each “like” and follow), to finding out how to organize a “CANstruction” event at work, to donating directly to the charity. According to its website, Second Harvest is feeding 1 in 10 people in the two counties, a noble task that takes cash and plenty of food donations from those of us who have plenty of food in our pantries.
Check out the calendar, and see if you can take at least some of the actions suggested there this month.