By Jefferson Siegel
A German police officer recently completed a cross-country bicycle trip to raise awareness of support programs for the children and families of 9/11 victims. Robert Diener, 41, arrived at ground zero in New York last Tuesday on his Novarra touring bike, completing a 2,700 mile journey that started 40 days earlier in Colorado.
Officer Diener, on a sabbatical from the protection detail of the State Criminal Office in Berlin, was met by members of the group Tuesday’s Children, whose cause he championed on his marathon ride. Family members who lost loved ones in the attacks gathered at Joe O’s Restaurant, at 136 West 33rd St. between Sixth and Seventh Aves., on Wednesday to meet, thank and feed the trim officer.
“Extraordinary comes to mind,” Janet Cascio, of Queens, said of Diener’s determination. Cascio lost her son, Paul, on Sept. 11. “Most of the people in our country thought that as time had passed, everyone had forgotten” about the attacks. “We haven’t,” she said, her voice sad but firm.
“It speaks volumes about the type of human being he is,” Cascio added, looking at Diener as he stood quietly by a table.
“It was in 2002 when I met a group of children in Berlin,” the unassuming policeman from Germany said. He was recalling a time, months after the attacks, when family members of victims vacationed overseas. “When I saw these children, when I saw their faces and eyes, it was very sad for me,” Diener explained in his limited English, a language he only learned recently.
Diener came to America almost a year ago to study English. He returned to Boulder, Col., in April for an intensive two-week bike training and conditioning course. “I found a bike mentor,” Diener said. “He trained me and I was ready.” That mentor was Charlie Meredith, a 74-year-old member of the group Seniors on Bikes.
Traveling alone with nothing more than a tent, sleeping bag and cell phone, Diener pedaled across the states, stopping to tell locals that many, including children, continue to suffer emotional trauma as a result of the attacks. (A journal of his travels can be read online at www.gofor911kids.com.)
Diener found America a welcoming and fascinating land. “I saw Monticello, Jefferson’s home,” he said of the third president’s homestead. “I saw he was an architect. Every room was different. When I saw his home, I understand he was also an architect of a community,” Diener said of Jefferson’s presidency.
His trip proceeded smoothly until the day before arriving in New York, when he got a flat tire in Seacacus, N.J.
Carmine Calzonetti, president of Tuesday’s Children, stood listening to the emotional travelogue. “When I see a man like Diener ride a bicycle for 40 days, his goal is to keep hope alive in children’s minds,” he said. Calzonetti worked at Cantor Fitzgerald in the Twin Towers until 2000 and lost many friends and colleagues on 9/11. When approached recently about helping the nonprofit, Calzonetti didn’t hesitate.
Tuesday’s Children offers a variety of support programs for more than 5,000 family members of 9/11 victims. There are mentoring programs to help youngsters prepare for higher education as well as programs to help surviving spouses deal with the emotional challenges of single parenthood.
“As a matter of fact,” Calzonetti explained, “our constituency is growing. They understand that, besides the camaraderie, people understand each other’s sorrow. There’s plenty of emotional support,” he added.
Activities like trips to sporting events, parties and a recent visit to the beach at Sandy Hook are intended to strengthen relationships in a comfortable and secure environment.
“The found me,” Cascio said. “I got a phone call. They asked if they could send me and my son to a play.” Cascio declined but received tickets anyway to see Billy Joel’s “Movin’ Out.” “It was probably the first good time we had” since the attacks, she recalled.
“Our motto is, ‘Here today, here tomorrow,’“ Calzonetti said before joining Diener at the buffet table. “And we’ll be here for a very long time.”
