BY JOHN BAYLES | Since Community Board 1 decided to come up with its own way to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Sept.11, the event has taken on a life of its own.
Its name has changed, from “Hands Across to Lower Manhattan” to “Hand in Hand: Remembering 9/11.” It has morphed from a symbolic gesture signifying unity, which will be held on the Saturday before the anniversary, into an opportunity for people to literally continue rebuilding Lower Manhattan. There will also be a tree planting in Battery Park as well as a wall of remembrance, where people will be able to leave messages and mementos conveying their emotions of the day. The National Sept.11 Memorial and Museum has agreed to take a portion of the wall and place it in its permanent collection.
But the community service aspect of the event, according to Community Board 1 Chair Julie Menin, embodies the real spirit of the day and why the board wanted to do something that would be significant and memorable. When Menin imagined the event she thought of how “strangers reached out their hands to help others” following the attack.
The official website for the event, www.handinhand911.org, went live two weeks ago. The site includes a special tab for those wishing to volunteer, as well as all the pertinent details about the event itself. Because such a huge crowd is anticipated, everyone must pre-register for the event via the website.
When visitors click on the site’s volunteer tab, they are directed to a page dedicated to organizations that have devised specific volunteer projects for people to take part in. “In the afternoon we are encouraging people to stay and participate in the projects [after the event],” said Menin. “The whole spirit after 9/11 was people lending a hand to a stranger, so the idea behind the community service aspect is to encourage people to give back.”
The volunteer projects will take place in the afternoon between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Organizations like New York Downtown Hospital, the Battery Park City branch of the New York Public Library, The Door, University Settlement and the W.T.C. Tribute Center, among others, are all taking part.
“I go to all the community board meetings,” said Billy Parrott, who organizes programming for the B.P.C. Library, “so I knew they were planning something. But as far as the volunteer aspect of the event, they reached out to us.”
The library was already planning its own programming in honor of the tenth anniversary. Parrott said the library has been deliberating for over a year on an appropriate program. Since May they have been inviting children and adults alike to visit the library on Fridays and learn Origami as part of The Peace Crane Project. Parrott noted that the paper crane idea was perfect because it is universally recognized as a symbol of peace.
Parrott hopes the volunteers will come in on the next two Fridays to learn how to make the paper cranes. Then on Saturday, Sept. 10, they would be able to come to the library and instruct the class.
“It only takes five minutes to learn how to do it,” said Parrott. “Then the volunteers could come in on Saturday and run the program.”
The project is also ideal for the “Hands” event, Parrott noted, because “it’s something that people of all ages can do.”
“Everyone, adults and children, were affected on 9/11,” said Parrott.
That theme also ties into The Door’s community service project for Saturday, Sept.10. The non-profit provides programming with the goal of empowering vulnerable youth to overcome obstacles in their lives. The building, located at 555 Broome Street, is adorned with numerous mosaic tile projects created over the years by the kids. For the “Hands” event, the organization will open one of its studios so adults and children can help create a special mosaic, which will commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11.
For a complete list and description of all the volunteer opportunities, visit www.handinhand911.org.
