9/11 Day of Service Organizers Launch Comprehensive Education Resource for Teachers, Families and Students Nationwide

"Connecting With Those Too Young To Remember 9/11"

NEW YORK, Aug. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Leading 9/11 organizations and the national service community announced today that they have joined together for the first time to offer a comprehensive educational resource, introduced for this year's 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, to help America's children learn about what happened on 9/11 and why, and to inspire students to annually pay tribute through their own voluntary expressions of charitable service.  Nearly 4,000 teachers have already signed up for these materials, with an estimated 10,000 expected to utilize them this year, according to the 9/11 nonprofit MyGoodDeed, which worked to bring these influential organizations together to support the education program.

"Many within the 9/11 community have long been concerned that over time the nation would forget the events and impact of September 11, and with it the important experiences and lessons arising from one of the worst tragedies in our nation's history," said MyGoodDeed vice president and co-founder Jay Winuk, who lost his brother Glenn in the 9/11 attacks.  "This is the first time that so many respected 9/11 and national service organizations have collaborated to deliver to our nation's teachers a consolidated, comprehensive educational resource on the September 11th attacks for use in observance of the 9/11 National Day of Service."

MyGoodDeed has worked with many organizations to  provide materials and support, including the 4 Action Initiative (Families of September 11), the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, the WTC Tribute Center,  the September 11 Education Trust, Youth Service America,  HandsOn Network, the Corporation for National and Community Service and Scholastic Inc.

The educational resources, available free of charge at www.911dayofservice.org, includes 18 different online lesson plans, videos and photos, and custom-developed guides to assist teachers and parents, including easy-to-follow tips to help students adopt charitable causes for the day and create service projects.  In addition, more than 30,000 printed activity posters, which include abbreviated lesson plans, are being distributed in the coming weeks to every middle school in the nation. The initial educational tools are geared for students between the 5th and 12th grades, but resources are available for almost every school age group.

"If we do nothing, many of our children will not understand the significance of 9/11 to this nation or appreciate the power and historic lessons that came from it.  Even worse, they may only learn about the death and destruction that terrorists created," said MaryEllen Salamone, a 9/11 family member and co-founder of the 4Action Initiative, which contributed 9/11 related lesson plans to the effort. 

"With these tools, future generations will be able to better appreciate and respect the importance of September 11th in our history, understand these events in the context of broader global issues, and realize that even in the face of so much hate, 9/11 inspired tremendous courage, selflessness and goodness in so many people."

"Every day Scholastic works closely with teachers to help their students make sense of the contemporary world around them," stated Ann Amstutz-Hayes, Vice President of Scholastic InSchool.  "Through our work with MyGoodDeed, we want to help teachers educate their students not only about the tragic events of 9/11, but also the remarkable patriotism that so many people exhibited in the aftermath. There are great lessons around the spirit of service and unity that children can continue to learn from."

"We understand the many challenges that face educators in teaching about the events of 9/11 and commemorating the anniversary of the attacks," National September 11 Memorial & Museum President Joe Daniels said.  "As our understanding of this recent history continues to evolve, so do our approaches to teaching.  Our hope collectively is to provide resources that can help engage students in 9/11 history that has shaped our world and inspire them to make a positive difference in their own communities ."

"These tools will engage our nation's youth in service that engenders global understanding, and a greater appreciation for American resilience and spirit," said Patrick A. Corvington, the CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. "These values sown early in life and cultivated will help our children grow and contribute to a more caring and generous world."

"At Target, we are committed to listening and acting locally to help kids learn and schools teach, paving a path to graduation," said Laysha Ward, president of community relations at Target, National Education Sponsor for the initiative. "We are honored to play a role in equipping teachers with age-appropriate tools to help students better understand this historic tragedy, while also nurturing a commitment to volunteerism in kids across the country."

The 9/11 National Day of Service initiative is led by a coalition of organizations that includes MyGoodDeed, the Corporation for National and Community Service (Serve.gov), HandsOn Network (handsonnetwork.org), and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum (national911memorial.org) in New York.  These organizations are also in the midst of planning for the 10th anniversary of 9/11 in 2011, with the goal of organizing the largest expression of charitable service in U.S. history.  Grant funding and significant in-kind support for the 9/11 National Day of Service in 2010 has been provided by GlaxoSmithKline, Target Corporation, the Corporation for National and Community Service, The Jim Fassel Foundation, The PIMCO Foundation, Clear Channel, Scholastic Inc., and Landor Associates. 

9/11 Day of Service organizers will demonstrate/discuss the educational resources, and a number of other new initiatives, on a teleconference/WebEx presentation for press at 1PM Eastern today, Tuesday, August 24th.  Pre-register and view WebEx at http://www.yourconferencecenter.com/911day, and listen by dialing 1-(888) 206-4065, Confirmation: 27724119.

Follow the 9/11 National Day of Service on Twitter at twitter.com/911dayofservice, and on Facebook at facebook.com/911nationaldayofservice, and MyGoodDeed at twitter.com/MyGoodDeed.