Contact:
Fred Whiting
Points of Light Foundation
(202) 729-8177
fwhiting@pointsoflight.org

Reflections on 9/11 by Robert Goodwin, President & CEO, Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network

As we observe the fifth year since the tragic events of 9/11, I am struck by several facts:

The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and the heroism that resulted in a foiled attack possibly on the White House or the United States Congress, brought out the absolute best in so many people.  Consider the police and firefighters who ran toward danger rather than away from it…the medical personnel who pitched in to provide care for the injured…citizens who spontaneously acted to provide food and water for rescue workers…and the thousands of people across the country who raised and donated money to support the families of the victims. 

We also saw an outpouring of volunteers who followed up in the aftermath of the tragedy to provide counseling, mentoring and comfort to the afflicted.  It seemed that out of the rubble of the World Trade Center, a section of the Pentagon and an open field in Pennsylvania arose a new spirit of national unity, of patriotism, of a feeling of being part of a larger community. 

Volunteerism has increased dramatically in the U.S. since September 11, 2001.  According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, slightly more than 65 million people volunteered in the U.S. during 2005.  From 2002 to 2005, the number of volunteers increased by about 5.6 million persons, an increase of more than eight percent.  Was this directly due to the 9/11?  There’s no way to know for sure, but it’s certainly had an effect.

We do know that 44 percent of those polled in a national survey released earlier this year by the organizers of the nonprofit MyGoodDeed.org said they were more likely to volunteer to help others as a result of 9/11.  Fifty-two percent said they “continue to see examples of the sense of unity and compassion that surfaced in America, even five years after 9/11.” 

The survey also showed that the vast majority of Americans see 9/11 as an opportunity to show compassion and help others in need.  Seventy-one percent said they favored designating 9/11 on a permanent basis as a “special day of some nature,” with 68 percent supporting the designation of 9/11 as a national day of voluntary service. 

That’s why the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network joins MyGoodDeed.org in calling upon all Americans to pledge to perform at least one good deed in honor of the victims, heroes and volunteers of 9/11.  Go to www.MyGoodDeed.org to post your good deed pledge.  And to find volunteer opportunities, call 1-800-VOLUNTEER or visit www.PointsofLight.org.

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