2018 Survivor Tree Seedling Recipients Announced
Parkland, Fla., Puerto Rico and London have been selected by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum as recipients of “Survivor Tree” seedlings. The communities, which have been disproportionately affected by disaster or violence this year, have committed to nurturing these trees to serve as landmarks symbolizing resiliency and hope.
The Survivor Tree seedling program “reflects our commitment to help communities around the world overcome tragedy and begin to heal, just as New York City and the nation did in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks,” said President and CEO Alice M. Greenwald. “We stand in solidarity with these communities and hope the Survivor Tree seedlings will inspire a spirit of strength and resilience in Parkland, London and Puerto Rico.”
In Parkland, a gunman killed 17 people in February 2018, including students and staff members, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Following the tragic Grenfell Tower fire in London last year, the Grenfell community will accept a seedling in recognition of those who lost their lives, and on behalf of the bereaved, survivors and all those affected by the disaster.
In September 2017, Hurricane Maria caused destruction throughout Puerto Rico, leaving an estimated 2,975 people dead in the storm and its aftermath.
The Survivor Tree has become a symbol of the nation’s spirit of hope and healing as well as strength and resilience in the wake of the 2001 attacks. The tree got its name after it was nursed back to health when it was pulled from World Trade Center rubble. It was later replanted at the 9/11 Memorial.
In September 2013, the Memorial began the tree seedling distribution program in partnership with Stamford, Conn.–based Bartlett Tree Experts, which donates its resources to support the program, and John Bowne High School in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, cares for the seedlings as part of the school’s agriculture curriculum.
By 9/11 Memorial Staff
Family members who lost a loved one, survivors, first responders and elected officials gathered at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum Tuesday to commemorate the 17th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Paul Cascio’s varsity letter from Manhasset Secondary School on Long Island — adorned with pins for swimming, baseball and cross country — anticipates the man he became: busy, energetic, athletic and always surrounded by a group of loyal friends. According to one of his closest from that circle, Paul “loved being on teams with his best buddies.”