9/11 tributes: Honoring the fallen through service to others

As the nation approaches the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on Monday, Long Island and the region will look back at the horror and the heroism of that day and look forward to honoring the fallen through service to others.

Across Long Island, schoolchildren will get lessons about the World Trade Center's Twin Towers collapse after terrorists flew airplanes into them on a sunny, crisp morning, taking the lives of 2,763 people. There will be moments of silence and a tolling of the bells to remember victims; assemblies where students can reflect on the events of the day and more; Locust Valley Library is scheduled to host a talk from a survivor who had gone to Ground Zero to help evacuate people.

Giving to others — as a way of remembering and honoring those who died — is the key focus for 9/11 Day, a nonprofit founded in 2002 that organizes the annual Sept. 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. Jay Winuk, co-founder and executive vice president, said the organization sponsors Sept. 11 service activities, such as packing meals to give to foodbanks to distribute, educational and public service programs.

Winuk's brother Glenn Winuk, a Hofstra University Law School graduate who was also a 20-year volunteer firefighter with the Jericho Fire Department, was killed on 9/11 after he left his law firm in Manhattan to race to the World Trade Center a few blocks away to help save lives when the south tower collapsed.

"He's an American hero," Winuk said of his brother. But he added that people "can be heroic without running into a burning building. That's a big part of 9/11 Day. It's both honoring those, paying tribute to those lost, injured and sickened as a result of the attacks. But also [it's about] a positive path forward. Recognizing how the nation came together" after the attacks. "We focused on our common humanity and put aside our differences. It was a global phenomenon."

So he urged people to focus on doing "good deeds" on Sept. 11, noting it was the nation's largest federally-sanctioned Day of Service and Remembrance. The group estimates that 30 million Americans or more are expected to mark the anniversary of 9/11 by doing good deeds, "making Sept. 11 the nation’s largest annual day of charitable engagement."

"People can participate either in self-directed ways simply by doing a good deed or in organized activities," Winuk said. "We don't tell people specifically what to do. That's the secret sauce. We want people to engage in their own comfort zone." He said people can look at his group's website — 911day.org — to find out about activities such as hunger relief efforts, educational ideas — there are free lesson plans for teachers — and public service campaigns promoting unity.

Cleaning headstones to honor the fallen

On Monday, at 65 veterans cemeteries across the nation, including two on Long Island, volunteers pay tribute to those lost on 9/11 by beautifying grave sites.

"We're expecting 17" volunteers on Monday at Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, said Michael Fehn, the cemetery's administrative director. He said volunteers associated with a Dallas-based nonprofit called Carry the Load, which helps veterans, have been coming to the cemetery for several years, taking on tasks such as cleaning headstones and "some beautification [of the grounds] to honor veterans … They learn to appreciate the history of the national cemetery and the veterans and the sacrifices that were made." 

Among the people killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center, were 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York City police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers. 

Anne Ellis, director of the Calverton National Cemetery, said: "This act of service truly matters. It means a lot to veterans and their families, as well as our team at the cemetery, that volunteers are willing to give their own time to help beautify a shrine to our nation’s veterans."

For the seventh year, 9/11 Day is staging what it calls a "meal pack" day in New York City over the course of two days, Monday and Tuesday, at which an expected 4,500 volunteers from across the region from 120 companies will be packing nonperishable food to be given to two city food banks for distribution to needy families. It is one of 18 cities across the country conducting meal packs sponsored by 9/11 Day, Winuk said.

According to 9/11 Day, more than 20,000 volunteers are expected to participate in the group's meal packing program in 18 cities, the largest number of volunteers ever to sign up for the event. 

Sept. 11 lessons and lectures

On Long Island, several schools are planning special programming and/or lessons to mark the tragic anniversary.

In the Elmont school district, Wellinthon Garcia-Mathews, the district's director of curriculum and instruction, said all six elementary schools "will either have a presentation [on 9/11] or a tribute they do at different times throughout the day," such as a moment of silence, or the sounding of bells. Alden Terrace Elementary School in Valley Stream is scheduled to conduct an assembly via Zoom where students will see a video the school created celebrating "the heroes that have fallen on that day." 

"We also invite our veterans from the community to come in and speak to the kids as well," Mathews said. "Even on this day, we have them come in as a symbol. They see these community people are real people." 

Laurie Tricamo, a social studies teacher at Baldwin Middle School, said in an email: “In my class, students explore the essential question ‘How did the events of 9/11 impact our nation’s history?’ While students examine how 9/11 is remembered in history, they also evaluate how it could be considered a unifying event for Americans." She said students will explore "artifacts, images, videos, and eyewitness accounts from individuals who witnessed the events of 9/11."

A remembrance ceremony is planned Monday at Paul D. Schreiber High School in Port Washington, said Principal Kathryn Behr in an email. "I will begin the ceremony with words about the tragic events and remember those who lost their lives that day. After a moment of silence, our student-musicians will perform."

Michael Vinas, adult program coordinator at the Locust Valley Library, said they are scheduled to have Gerald Raffa, a retired Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives official, who responded when the Twin Towers were attacked, reflect on his experiences. 

Hearing voices such as Raffa's, Vinas said, is important "so people can remember, and never forget."

By Olivia Winslow

olivia.winslow@newsday.com@newsollie