By Julia Smith and Diana Hsu.
The National September 11 Memorial and Museum is just one venue seeking volunteers. Photo via magnify.net (Flickr/Creative Commons)
Earlier today, we tweeted, “Wondering: How are you spending September 11th?” Replies ranged from interning at a hospital (@dva136) to supporting a fundraiser in Portland (@GeezerGallery) to attending a film festival in NYC (@thepete).
What about you? Maybe you’re opting for quiet reflection this year. Maybe, like Baratunde Thurston, you’ll celebrate a birthday. Maybe you’re leaning toward volunteering in your community.
If that last idea has been on your mind, here’s one thing to consider: This year, to mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, MyGoodDeed and HandsOn Network are organizing the largest day of service in United States history.
Below are just a few of the events and volunteer opportunities listed on Idealist for this weekend. For more ideas, visit 911dayofservice.org, the official website of the September 11th Day of Service and Remembrance.
Events
- Sept. 9-Sept. 11, New York, NY: Director Sheryl Oring and an organization called I Wish to Say will lead a public performance piece called Collective Memory
- Sept. 10, Tempe, AZ: United Blood Services/Arizona will host a Blood Drive – 9/11 Memorial @ Tempe Healing Field
- Sept. 10, Mound Bayou, MS: Lindsay Vaughan will coordinate healthy packages for troops in Iraq as part of her 9/11 Service Project – Healthy Food for Our Troops Raffle
- Sept. 11, Fort Collins, CO: United Way of Larimer County will host a 9/11 Day of Service & Remembrance Event
- Sept. 11, Garrison, NY: The Garrison Institute will screen a film and hold a discussion at Rebirth and Resilience: A 9/11 Observance
Volunteer opportunities
- Sept. 10, Washington, DC: City Gate will host “a day of service and fellowship” – see Volunteers needed to commemorate 9/11 on 9/10
- Sept. 11, Charleston, WV: An individual named Heather is gathering neighbors for Appreciating Our First Responders -Service Project Volunteer Opportunity
- Through October 1, Bay Area, CA: In San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Berkeley, and other communities, you can join HandsOn Bay Areas – from Remembrance to Change – a Season of Service
- Date TBD, South Sioux City, NE: The City of South Sioux City needs help planting trees for a 9/11 Day of Service and Honoring a Fallen Soldier
- Ongoing/long-term, New York, NY: The National September 11 Memorial & Museum seeks 9/11 Memorial Volunteers – On a Mission of Honor & Hope
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For more ways to get involved this weekend and beyond, search Idealist.org. And please let us know how you’re planning to spend the weekend.
