Museum Visitors Paint Tributes in Honor of Orlando Victims

Museum Visitors Paint Tributes in Honor of Orlando Victims

A young girl paints stars of hope for victims of Orlando as part of a project at the Museum.
Young museum visitor paints Stars of HOPE for victims in Orlando.

This week, museum visitors, including families with children, were invited to paint Stars of HOPE with messages of peace and hope to send to victims in Orlando.

Working with materials from the non-profit New York Says Thank You, Stars of HOPE were decorated with positive message and multi-colors.

"Stars of Hope is a way for kids to understand and respond to the attack in Orlando in a way that is meaningful and makes sense to them," said education specialist Chelsea Schwerin."By painting a star, they become part of the tradition of kindness, love, and coming together that follows tragedies like 9/11 and Orlando."

Activity Stations will begin a summer schedule on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays starting July 6.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

‘9/11 Flag’ is Unfurled in Honor of Wounded War Veterans

‘9/11 Flag’ is Unfurled in Honor of Wounded War Veterans

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Actress Marlo Thomas makes a stitch in the National 9/11 Flag at the 2011 9/11 Memorial Benefit Dinner (Ron Glassman photo)

The National 9/11 Flag, which has been on a “restoration tour” nationwide, has made its way to Sag Harbor on Long Island.

The flag was presented last Saturday in honor of the Wounded Warrior Amputees Softball Game, the Sag Harbor Express reported.

The 20-by-30-foot flag has been to all 50 states. Until the 9/11 attacks, the flag was located near the World Trade Center on 90 West St. After the attacks, Charlie Vitchers, the construction superintendent for 9/11 cleanup, and his team rescued what they could of the flag. The flag is currently traveling the country as part of stitching ceremonies to restore it to its original glory, according to the New York Says Thank You Foundation.

After the tattered flag was recovered, women from a senior citizen center in Greensburg, Kan., volunteered to stitch the flag back together. Since nearly half of the flag was lost in the 9/11 attacks, the women used material of surviving flags from a recent tornado to stitch to the existing flag. After its restoration, the flag is estimated to have been stitched by 50,000 different people from all over the country.

The National 9/11 Flag is to become a part of a permanent collection at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

By Allyson Philobos, Communications Associate for the 9/11 Memorial

 

A Dispatch From National 9/11 Flag Tour (Updated)

A Dispatch From National 9/11 Flag Tour (Updated)

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Looking over a photograph of retired Army Col. David Brostrom, whose son was killed in action in Afghanistan, Jeff Parness couldn't help but zero in on Bromstrom's expression.

His lips pursed, Brostrom appears to be fighting back tears, his gaze lost in the field of stars and stripes on the National 9/11 Flag sprawled out before him in Hawaii last month.

"Take a look at the expression on David's face," said Parness, the founder of New York Says Thank You Foundation. "And try to imagine for a second what must have been going through David's mind, and his heart, at that moment."

Parness, whose foundation is taking a U.S. flag recovered from ground zero across the country, added, "This is what the 50-state National 9/11 Flag Restoration Tour is all about."

On Dec. 7, Brostrom did his part to help repair the flag during a stitching ceremony at U.S.S. Missouri in Pearl Harbor. 

Ashen, tattered and blowing in the wind, the torn flag that would become the National 9/11 Flag was recovered after the World Trade Center crumbled. 

For several months, New York Says Thank You Foundation has traveled the country on a tour designed to restitch the flag to its original glory. The first stop on the epic tour was Mena, Ark.  Click here to read more about other stops in the journey. After the flag makes its way across America, it will return to New York City, where it will be added to the permanent collection of the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

The mission of Parness' foundation is the focus of a documentary film to be released this year that is titled "New York Says Thank You."  Here's the movie trailer.

By Michael Frazier, Sr. Communications Manager for the 9/11 Memorial 

Video: Movie Trailer of 9/11-Inspired Volunteers

The trailer for the documentary "New York Says Thank You" provides a glimspe into a 9/11-inspired nation banding together to volunteer. The title of the documentary is taken from the national charity group founded by Jeff Parness. Read more about   New York Says Thank You Foundation.  The movie is to be released in 2011. (No official release date as of Dec. 27.) 

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

New Yorkers recognize 9/11 response by Helping Arkansas Tornado Survivors Rebuild

 

A volunteer organization born out of the 9/11 is helping to coordinate one of the largest volunteer service events in Arkansas. Earlier this month, The New York Says Thank You Foundation worked jointly with the Polk County Arkansas Long Term Recovery Committee and the Polk County 4-H Foundation to bring hundreds of volunteers from New York City and across the country to help rebuild Mena, Ark.

The rural town is about 140 miles west of Little Rock, Ark., the state's capitol city.  The town was devastated by a tornado on April 9, 2009 that killed three of the town's residents. Hundreds of homes were destroyed and damaged. To mark the 9th anniversary of 9/11, New York Says Thank You partner with the local organizations and volunteers across the country to help rebuild the town.

Jeff Parness of New York Says Thank You is traveling the nation to restore a U.S. flag recovered from ground zero. Ashen, tattered and blowing in the wind, the torn flag was recovered after the World Trade Center crumbled.  The flag was stitched back together several years later and grew into a symbol that reinforces the same commitment to service and volunteerism experienced across the country and world on Sept. 12, 2001.

On the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the flag will embark on a national tour to be restitched to its original glory. The first stop for the National 9/11 Flag was Mena.

After the flag makes its journey across America, it will return to New York City, where it will be added to the permanent collection of the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

By New York Says Thank You

U.S. Flag from WTC destruction is unfurled in honor of war wounded

U.S. Flag from WTC destruction is unfurled in honor of war wounded

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On a recent Sunday,  The National 9/11 Flag served as the backdrop for the Waterfront Warriors event in Long Beach, NY. The event honored wounded military service members who had come up from Walter Reed Medical Center to enjoy a week of "R&R"with host families at this beach community on the south shore of Long Island. Hundreds of local residents turned out to honor these young men and women, many of whom had lost limbs and suffered severe shrapnel wounds while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. As the rain came down, scores of Long Beach residents helped to bring The National 9/11 Flag indoors for a reverent and emotional folding ceremony – aided by the wounded warriors. While the flag was being folded, the crowd chanted “U.S.A.!  U.S.A.!”

It was one of the most humbling moments on this amazing journey of restoration and healing of The National 9/11 Flag. The flag will be added to the 9/11 Memorial Museum's permanent collection after completing a national tour of stitching ceremonies to restore the flag back to its original glory. It was recovered from ground zero after the World Trade Center skyscrapers collapsed.

By Jeff Parness, Guest Writer for The MEMO

Parness is the founder of New York Says Thank You

Stitch by Stitch, restoring U.S. flag recovered from Ground Zero

In case you missed it: Ashen, tattered and blowing in the wind, the torn United States flag was recovered after the World Trade Center crumbled.  The flag was stitched back together several years later and grew into a symbol that reinforces the same commitment to service and volunteerism experienced across the country and world on Sept. 12, 2001.

Led by founder Jeff Parness, volunteering organization New York Says Thank You is ensuring the the flag is restored to its original state.  On the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the flag will embark on a national tour to be restitehced to its original glory. The first stop for the National 9/11 Flag will be Mena, Ark., where New Yorkers and more than 1,000 volunteers will help  rebuild this tornado-ravaged town. A stitching ceremony will be held there, and others across the country, until the 20-foot-by-30-foot flag is fully restored.

After the flag makes its journey across America, it will return to New York City, where it will be added to the permanent collection of the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Fox 5 News (above) reported on the flag during an unfurling ceremony in lower Manhattan.

"We are honored to accept The National 9/11 flag, which has grown to become a symbol of hope and a sign of survival," 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels said in a recent unfurling ceremony held near the future site of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. "The Museum will ensure that future generations understand the history of compassion and volunteerism arising from the 9/11 attacks. This flag is part of that story and reminds us of the tremendous capacity of the human spirit."

By Michael Frazier, Sr. Communications Manager for the 9/11 Memorial

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