25 Years Later, 9/11 Day Aims to Transform the Anniversary of 9/11 into America’s Day of Doing Good

Posted on by Abigail Trotter

25 Years Later, 9/11 Day Aims to Transform the Anniversary of 9/11 into America’s Day of Doing Good

Sweeping initiative seeks to reclaim September 11 as a national day of unity and good, anchored by large volunteer projects in all 50 states, a $3 million grant program, lesson plans, and partnerships with 50+ prominent organizations.

 

NEW YORK, June 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In observance of the upcoming 25th anniversary of 9/11, the nonprofit 9/11 Day today unveiled sweeping plans to unite tens of millions of Americans across political, geographic, generational, and cultural lines in the single largest day of doing good in American history.

“Our goal is to transform the 9/11 anniversary, for all time, into an annual moment of national reflection, unity and doing good in tribute to the 9/11 victims, their families, and the many first responders, recovery workers, volunteers, and military personnel who rose in service in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks,” said David Paine, president and co-founder of 9/11 Day. “We want to reclaim the day.”

9/11 Day played the leading role in successfully advocating for the establishment of September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance under the bipartisan Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, signed into law in 2009 by President Barack Obama. Today, 9/11 Day oversees the National Day of Service and Remembrance on behalf of the 9/11 families and others affected by the attacks.

For Jay Winuk, 9/11 Day’s executive vice president and co-founder, the organization’s mission remains deeply personal. Jay’s younger brother, Glenn Winuk, an attorney and volunteer firefighter/EMT, died in the line of duty on 9/11 at the World Trade Center. “My brother Glenn, like so many courageous first responders, sprang into action to save people he didn’t know on 9/11,” Winuk said. “But you don’t have to run into a burning building to be heroic in your community or in the lives of others. For millions of Americans, this annual observance reflects and inspires that spirit of service in meaningful, lasting ways.”

20 Million Meals. 50 Cities. 50,000 Volunteers. 800+ Companies.

In 50 of the nation’s largest cities, 9/11 Day will join with its partners — companies, major league sports teams, nonprofits, colleges, and food banks — to host large-scale volunteer projects focused on hunger relief. In what organizers believe will be the single largest day of corporate volunteerism in U.S. history, more than 50,000 volunteers from more than 800 corporations are expected to join together to pack more than 20 million shelf-stable meals – all of which will be donated to Feeding America–affiliated food banks and other hunger relief organizations that serve these local communities. 9/11 Day is partnering with U.S. Hunger, Kids Around The World, and Meals of Hope to source food supplies and manage logistics for this year’s 9/11 Day Meal Pack projects.

A list of U.S. cities hosting 9/11 Day Meal Packs is available on the 911day.org website, as is a short video about the annual 9/11 Day Meal Pack program.

Widespread Professional Sports Industry Participation

Many teams and league representatives from the National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, National Basketball Association, and Major League Soccer will host or join meal-packing events to commemorate the anniversary.

These include the New York Giants, New York Jets, New York Mets, Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Union, Washington Commanders, Baltimore Orioles, Memphis Grizzlies, New York Red Bulls, New York City FC, D.C. United, FC Cincinnati, Real Salt Lake, Columbus Crew, Houston Dynamo FC, Colorado Rapids, St. Louis City SC, Minnesota United FC, Sporting Kansas City, LA Galaxy, Miami Dolphins, St. Louis Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, New Orleans Pelicans, Tampa Bay Lightning, Arizona Cardinals, Texas Rangers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Seattle Seahawks.

MLB and the New York Mets plan to co-host a flagship meal-packing event on September 11 at Citi Field ahead of that evening’s Mets-Yankees Subway Series game at Yankee Stadium.

Prominent National Partner Organizations Lean In

9/11 Day’s program for the 25th anniversary is being widely supported across the sports, government, business, and nonprofit sectors. Many of the nation’s most prominent organizations – now more than 50 in total – have joined together as founding members of 9/11 Day’s National Commemoration Committee for the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

These include AmeriCorps, NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, MLS, Feeding America, America250, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Points of Light, New York Cares, National Governors Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors, United Way Worldwide, and other influential organizations. (Founding Members of the National Commemoration Committee are listed below.)

Beyond 9/11 Day’s own flagship meal packing projects, many other service opportunities are being organized by members of 9/11 Day’s 25th Anniversary National Commemoration Committee, along with schools and universities, nonprofits, businesses, faith-based organizations, civic groups, and municipalities across the nation.

“250 years ago, our founders pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to one another — an act of service that gave birth to this nation,” said Jen Condon, executive vice president of America250, the national nonpartisan organization leading the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. “On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, this initiative invites every American to renew that founding promise through service to our neighbors and our communities.”

New Registration Platform Drives Volunteerism

Starting in mid-July, Americans interested in volunteering will be able to quickly find and sign up for local projects at 911day.org, using a new volunteer project registration and sign-up platform 9/11 Day has developed in collaboration with Eventbrite, one of the nation’s leading event management and ticketing platforms. Besides signing up for projects, individuals can also use the new platform to create and promote their own personal 9/11 Day service projects for family, friends, and colleagues.

Reaching and Educating the Next Generation

More than 100 million Americans alive today are too young to remember the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 – or have a personal understanding of the impact of the rare period of unity and service in America that immediately followed the attacks.

To help bridge the generation gap, 9/11 Day has launched a comprehensive youth engagement and education initiative for the 25th anniversary of 9/11. 9/11 Day is offering an expanded library of free lesson plans, teachers’ guides, and other classroom resources. 9/11 Day has also launched a $3 million grant program to help fund service projects by and for students, the funding of which is being provided by AmeriCorps and the Popeyes Foundation. Information about these programs and resources is available at 911day.org.

“As the government agency leading the federal engagement for September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, AmeriCorps is proud to invest in innovative approaches that foster the next generation of civic‑minded leaders,” said Emily Stock, project manager for Volunteer Initiatives, AmeriCorps. “For many young Americans, 9/11 is simply a chapter in a history book. We must teach them that 9/11 wasn’t just about the horror, but also a moment when people across the country showed up to support those affected by the attacks and each other. Despite our differences and disagreements, Americans are united by a shared commitment to give back to one another.”

National Ad Campaign Calls on Americans to Unite for Good; Independent Documentary Film Tells the 9/11 Day Story

9/11 Day’s 25th anniversary initiative is being supported by a national digital and social advertising campaign created by the award-winning agency David&Goliath, in partnership with Left Field Labs and Enso Collaborative. The “Unite for Good” campaign, launching in August, aims to inspire Americans of all ages to pledge good deeds in service of others.

Additionally, later this summer, award–winning filmmakers Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel of Chicago-based Siskel/Jacobs Productions will release an independent documentary tracing 9/11 Day’s 25-year successful effort to transform the anniversary into a national day of doing good. Siskel/Jacobs produced one of the definitive documentary films about the 9/11 tragedy, 102 Minutes That Changed America, which received three Primetime Emmy Awards.

Principal funding for 9/11 Day’s 25th anniversary program has been provided by AmeriCorps, Delta Air Lines and Reliance, Inc. Additional national sponsors include Citi, JPMorganChase, Blackstone Charitable Foundation, Popeyes Foundation, Holland & Knight LLP, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), SRS Raise the Roof Foundation, Nestlé, MUFG, Target, Munich Re, RBC, The Pfizer Foundation, Western Alliance Community Foundation, MetLife Foundation, National Football League, Major League Baseball, Lockheed Martin, Starbucks Coffee Company, Comcast NBCUniversal, Stifel Financial Corp., and Keefe, Bruyette and Woods, which lost 67 employees in the 9/11 attacks at the World Trade Center.

“Delta is honored to serve as a National Presenting Sponsor of 9/11 Day as we mark the 25th anniversary of September 11, a moment that deeply shaped our industry and our people,” said Allison Marques, General Manager of Community Engagement at Delta Air Lines. “This year, more than 1,500 Delta people will volunteer at meal-packing events across the country, representing the largest single day of service in our 100-year history. That commitment speaks to the heart of our people and our belief that the most meaningful way to honor this day is by showing up for others and strengthening the communities we call home.”

“Twenty-five years after the tragic events of September 11, 2001, we continue to honor the lives lost, the courage of the first responders, and the resilience of the survivors through service to others,” said Karla Lewis, President and Chief Executive Officer of Reliance. “We believe one of the most meaningful ways to preserve the spirit of that day is by coming together to strengthen our communities through acts of compassion and unity. This year marks our eighth year partnering with 9/11 Day, and we are honored to once again serve as a National Presenting Sponsor. As we commemorate this important milestone, we are proud to expand our impact by supporting Meal Pack events in more than 30 cities across the country. Together with our Reliance Family of Companies, we are helping provide nourishment, hope, and support to individuals and families in need – demonstrating that even 25 years later, the legacy of service inspired by 9/11 continues to bring people together and make a meaningful difference.”

About 9/11 Day

Founded in 2002, the nonprofit 9/11 Day led the successful effort to establish September 11 as a federally recognized National Day of Service and Remembrance. Each year, tens of millions of Americans observe the day by performing good deeds in honor of those who perished, were injured or sickened; the survivors; the first responders; and all who rose to serve in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Learn more at 911day.org.

Founding Members, 9/11 Day National Commemoration Committee

9/11 Day
9/11 Memorial & Museum
AARP Foundation 
America’s Service Commissions
America’s VetDogs
America250
American Corporate Partners
American Heart Association
American Red Cross
AmeriCorps
Arbor Day Foundation
Arizona Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family
Blue Star Families
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Campus Compact
CityServe
Creative Artists Agency
Daughters of the American Revolution
Delta Air Lines
Disabled American Veterans
Feeding America 
Girl Scouts of the USA
Holland & Knight LLP
International Association of Chiefs of Police
JustServe
JPMorganChase
Keep America Beautiful
Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages
Live Nation
Love Has No Limits
Major League Baseball
Major League Soccer
Nat. Assoc. of Elementary School Principals
National Basketball Association
National Football League
National Governors Association
National Hockey League
New York Cares
NYC Service | Office of the Mayor
OneStar Foundation
One Tree Planted
Points of Light
School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS)
ServMO
Starbucks Coffee Company
Stifel/KBW
Swire Coca-Cola, USA
Team Rubicon
The Arc of the United States
The Conference Board
Travis Manion Foundation
Reliance, Inc. 
U.S. Conference of Mayors
UJA-Federation of NY
United Way Worldwide 
UServeUtah
USO
Voices Center for Resilience
Voices for National Service
We the Veterans & Military Families
With Honor Action
Young Men’s Service League (YMSL)
Youth Service America

 

Read the full press release on PR Newswire here.

Segal AmeriCorps Education Award Tax Relief Act

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With Honor Action endorses H.R. 7878, the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award Tax Relief Act, co-led by For Country Caucus member Don Bacon (R-NE), an Air Force veteran.

“National service should open doors, not create new hurdles,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor. “For more than three decades, AmeriCorps members have strengthened communities across the country, and more than a million have earned the Segal Education Award to help pay for college or repay student loans. Treating that award as taxable income undercuts the very spirit of service it was meant to honor. The Segal AmeriCorps Education Award Tax Relief Act is a bipartisan, common-sense fix, and we applaud For Country Caucus member Rep. Don Bacon and Rep. John Larson for their leadership.”

The bill would exclude AmeriCorps Education Awards from income tax, to reflect the intent of federal education awards, help those serving pay for college, and remove a barrier that may discourage young people from taking advantage of the financial assistance they’ve earned. This ensures that the AmeriCorps Education Award remains a valuable and compelling incentive for young people to serve their country and a tool for making higher education more affordable.

Government Evaluation, Notification, and Explanation of Reassignments and Accountability with Leadership (GENERAL) Act

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With Honor Action endorses H.R. 5627, the Government Evaluation, Notification, and Explanation of Reassignments and Accountability with Leadership (GENERAL) Act, led by Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) and Founding For Country Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), an Air Force veteran.

“Consistent and experienced leadership is key to the lethality of our armed forces,” said Rye Barcott, co-founder and CEO of With Honor. “With Honor is proud to endorse this bipartisan legislation that ensures the general and flag officers leading our men and women in uniform receive their orders because of their merit, not their politics. We thank Rep. Horsford and For Country Caucus members Reps. Don Bacon and Chrissy Houlahan for keeping our military meritocratic and insulating our top military leaders from partisan games.”

The legislation requires the Department of Defense to provide Congress with written notification within 15 days whenever a General or Flag officer is involuntarily reassigned, separated, or retired. Each notification must include the rationale for the decision and a summary of the process that led to the action.

Here’s Why Lawmakers Want to Automatically Register Men for Selective Service

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Military.com | Rebecca Kheel
Published July 05, 2024 at 7:46 AM ET

Cardi B, as it turns out, is not a font of knowledge about the military draft.

Despite misinformation and misunderstandings floating around TikTok, including from the rap superstar with more than 20 million followers on the social media platform, Congress is not on the verge of reinstating a military draft.

Rather, the House has advanced a bipartisan proposal that would automatically register young men with the Selective Service System, something they are already legally required to do.

The legislation’s backers say it’s a commonsense solution to a yearslong problem: The government is fighting a costly, losing battle to inform young men of their legal requirement to register as the rate of registration keeps declining.

But the proposal is getting conflated with unfounded chatter of a reinstated military draft, as well as with a separate contentious debate about whether to make women register for the draft, threatening its chances of becoming law and frustrating the lawmakers who wrote the legislation.

“This new legislation saves taxpayers significant money and makes it easier for these men to follow the law and register with the Selective Service. That is all. Full stop,” Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., said in a statement last week. “Our nation has not had a military draft in more than a half-century, and I spend a great deal of my time in Congress working to ensure that we never will again.”

At issue is an amendment sponsored by Houlahan and Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., that was included in the House-passed version of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, to automate draft registration.

The U.S. has not drafted anyone into compulsory military service since 1973, but men ages 18 through 25 still have to register with the Selective Service System in case there is a draft again in the future. The registration requirement has been in place consistently since 1980.

The Selective Service System has an annual budget of a little more than $30 million. It’s unclear exactly how much of that is devoted specifically to advertising and other outreach campaigns, but the agency asked Congress for about $11 million for next year for registration efforts as a whole, including to “launch new targeted registration advertising campaigns” and to “synchronize advertising efforts to support registration improvement in low compliance areas,” according to budget documents.

Last year, Selective Service System ads on social media, TV, billboards and more made more than 112 million impressions, an increase over 2022’s 109 million impressions and 2021’s 105 million, according to the agency’s annual performance reports.

But increased ad reach didn’t translate to increased registration. In 2023 and 2022, the compliance rate for registering was about 84%, a 5% decrease from 2021, according to the annual reports and data obtained by Military.com. The 2021 compliance rate, in turn, was a 1% decrease from 2020.

The Selective Service System attributes the drop-off largely to the fact that failing to register no longer disqualifies men from federal student aid, and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, no longer asks men whether they want to register under a law passed in 2021. From 2009 to 2019, FAFSA applications accounted for about 24% of registrations, according to data obtained by Military.com.

“With the onset of this legislation in 2021, SSS saw an immediate decrease in registration compliance for 18- to 25-year-olds from the previous year, with registration falling below 90% nationwide,” the agency wrote in a legislative proposal sent to Congress earlier this year that was obtained by Military.com. “The agency anticipates that the law could impact the SSS registration rate by as much as 10% over the coming years, despite the availability of other existing registration methods, making registration less fair and equitable nationally and leading to undesirable impacts on national defense readiness.”

While federal student aid is no longer connected to registration, failing to register can still come with a host of penalties, including the possibility of a felony conviction punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and 5 years imprisonment. Men who don’t register are also ineligible for federal jobs, as well as state student aid and state jobs in most states.

Under Houlahan and Bacon’s amendment, the Selective Service System would use existing databases, such from the Social Security Administration and departments of motor vehicles, to automatically register 18- to 25-year-old men, ending the threat of penalties and the need to use taxpayer money to encourage men to register. The agency would also be able to reach out to men to inform them that they are registered and ask for any missing information.

Automatic registration would start one year after the legislation becomes law.

The amendment was unanimously approved in a voice vote with little debate when the House Armed Services Committee considered the NDAA in May. At the committee meeting, Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., said he “wholeheartedly” endorsed the proposal, calling it “long overdue.”

Shortly after the full House passed its NDAA last month, TikTok users began spreading falsehoods that Congress had approved a new military draft. Rapper Cardi B, alternating between cracking up and being incredulous, chimed in to opine that Gen Z men, or “TikTok f—ing hip-shakers,” aren’t suitable for war.

“You gonna draft these kids that be TikToking all day to fight them, what, mostly like, what, them Russians? Them motherf—ers that be fighting bears and sh–, and motherf—ing climbing mountains to go to school or whatever?” she said in a video.

Meanwhile, the Senate is locked in a separate debate about whether to make women register for Selective Service. Lawmakers have debated doing so on and off since 2016 after the Pentagon opened all combat jobs to women, but conservative opposition has successfully blocked adding women to registration requirements each time the idea has been proposed.

The version of the NDAA that advanced out of the Senate Armed Services Committee last month included a provision that would require women to register, reviving language that last appeared in an NDAA in 2022. The political headwinds that prevented the provision from becoming law in the past haven’t changed, with conservatives still vowing to fight hard against efforts to “draft our daughters.”

The House and the Senate will need to reconcile their respective NDAAs before either draft-related proposal becomes law, providing an opportunity to scuttle one or both ideas.

The debate over adding women to a potential military draft has threatened to overshadow the one about whether to automate existing registration requirements for men. But supporters of the House proposal on automatic registration say it’s a much-needed update that should not be derailed by tangential issues.

“While registration in the Selective Service is vital for our military readiness, the system that exists today is outdated, inefficient and costly,” Rye Barcott, co-founder and CEO of With Honor Action, a bipartisan political action committee that supports veterans running for office, said in an emailed statement to Military.com.

“This is why With Honor Action supports Rep. Houlahan and Rep. Bacon’s … initiative to reintroduce automatic registration, which would cut bureaucratic red tape and ensure all of our energy is focused on building up our military capabilities,” he added, “which is increasingly critical as the United States faces growing external threats.”

With Honor Action Applauds Senate Introduction of the Building Civic Bridges Act

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Washington, DC – With Honor Action thanks Senator Chris Coons and Senator Todd Young for introducing the Building Civic Bridges Act; companion legislation is being led by Rep. Derek Kilmer and Rep. Andy Barr in the House of Representatives.

Civic bridgebuilding can be defined as finding ways to bridge the political divide and support efforts to promote civil discourse. The bill would establish an Office of Civic Bridgebuilding within AmeriCorps to support these efforts across the country, train members in these programs, and support research on effective strategies to bridge the divides we are currently experiencing in American society. The new office would fund nonprofits, public institutions, schools, religious groups, and other organizations working to heal toxic polarization in the United States through civic bridgebuilding and community reconciliation.

Since With Honor Action’s founding, national service and civic education have been at the forefront of our efforts to increase civility in our communities and politics, and despite this period of historic partisan rancor, bills like the Building Civic Bridges Act would be a step in healing our divisions. 

“With Honor Action thanks Senator Coons and Senator Young for introducing the Building Civic Bridges Act,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “We believe our country can break through polarization and be reunited through shared experiences like national service. We will continue to work to decrease partisanship in Congress and seek more avenues for Americans to reconnect, rebuild, and restore a national sense of civic engagement.”

In previous years, With Honor Action has been at the forefront of the fight to expand service opportunities for Americans and to restore a national sense of civility. In 2021, With Honor Action successfully advocated for a nearly $1 billion expansion of AmeriCorps, which increased living stipends for over 250,000 participants, and worked with the For Country Caucus to introduce the Inspire to Serve Act, legislation modeled on the recommendations of the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service. 

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With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to service with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at withhonor.org 

With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.
With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.

With Honor Action Endorses the Building Civic Bridges Act

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Washington, DC – With Honor Action is proud to endorse the bipartisan Building Civic Bridges Act, led by Rep. Derek Kilmer and Rep. Andy Barr. This bill would establish a new pilot program within AmeriCorps that would focus on building relationships between people and communities, in an effort to address the root causes of polarization.

The country is divided right now, and organizations like With Honor Action and AmeriCorps could be key to fixing this issue. The Building Civic Bridges Act would take a step in healing our divisiveness by establishing the Office of Civic Bridge Building within AmeriCorps, a long-time friend and partner of With Honor Action. This new program would support bridge building efforts across the country, train members in these programs, and support research on effective bridge building.

“With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress with principled bipartisan veterans who are united in the conviction that our country can be reunited through service,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “We are proud to endorse the Building Civic Bridges Act and we look forward to working with AmeriCorps to enable more Americans from all walks of life to serve.”

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