Honored to Serve

It was an honor to have our troop provide the color guard for the dedication today of Kenilworth’s new 9/11 memorial. The Scouts raised the flag and then lowered it to half mast.

To know that the first time the American flag was raised over this steel that was once part of the Twin Towers, was raised by the Scouts I lead, is beyond words.

To all those who continue to mourn may God be with you. May we always remember those that gave their lives and may we keep shining bright their memory as we serve the future generations.

God Bless America.

 

Pay It Forward

Tonight was the broadcast of NY Says Thank You

Started in 2003 at the suggestion of a 5-year-old boy, The New York Says Thank You Foundation has grown into one of the Nation’s leading organizations to transform the 9/11 Anniversary into a positive, hands-on platform for national volunteer service.

Each year on the 9/11 Anniversary, The New York Says Thank You Foundation sends hundreds of volunteers from New York along with disaster survivors from around the country to help rebuild communities around the United States recovering from disaster. It’s our way of saying “Thank You” for all the love and support Americans from across the country extended to New Yorkers in the days, weeks, and months following September 11.

The secret to our growing “Pay It Forward” movement is very simple: What we do is about 9/12.

Before September 11, 2001, the most harrowing memory I had was of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. When I was 9 or 10 I’d visited Kennedy Space Center. I had a large photo of the Challenger at night framed in my room. It represented dreams, ambition, challenge.

September 11, 2001 redefined a lot of people’s lives. It certainly was a turning point in mine.

If you get a chance share it with your Scouts. I had dust in my eyes a few times. It’s a really good portrayal of the very best of America, when we pull together as Scouts, as Citizens to help one another.