Points of Light Unites Veterans and Children in Projects for the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance

Events Nationwide, Sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service, Focus on Community Needs
Sep 4, 2015 2:15 PM ET

ATLANTA, September 4, 2015 /3BL Media/ – On the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance, Points of Light – the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service – will host a multigenerational event in Washington, D.C., on the grounds of the Washington Monument, bringing together veterans and school children to benefit children of military families.

And in communities across the country, Points of Light is supporting volunteer service on 9/11 through 17 local events in 10 states and Puerto Rico. These include beautifying schools, building a house for a family in need, creating thank-you baskets for local emergency personnel and creating kits that help residents prepare for disaster. Overall, 2,000 people will participate as volunteers in Corporation for National and Community Service-supported projects that will impact 60,000 Americans.

These projects, made possible through a federal grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service, showcase the will of Americans to perform good deeds to help others and reclaim the legacy of 9/11.

During the national event in Washington, D.C., taking place from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., war veterans will tell their stories of service to public school students from Prince George’s County, Maryland, and D.C. Working with volunteers, the students will document the veterans’ stories to create books that will be given as gifts to the children of military families – young people who often face particular struggles as a result of having parents deployed overseas. The handmade books will serve as reminders of the strength and resilience of the men and women in the armed forces.

The 17 community events will unite veterans and youth in service. At each event, the Travis Manion Foundation will make a presentation – Character Does Matter – to the young volunteers, sharing a message of courage, integrity, leadership and service.

“In powerful and heartfelt ways – through volunteer service – Americans are rekindling the spirit of unity that arose just after 9/11,” said Delores Morton, president of programs at Points of Light. “Service draws us closer to each other as we honor the victims and heroes of that day.”

In 2009, Congress designated Sept. 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance through the Kennedy Serve America Act. The Corporation for National and Community Service leads the annual event, working with MyGoodDeed and hundreds of nonprofit groups, faith-based organizations, and schools and businesses nationwide.

To find 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance projects by zip code, search AllforGood.org.

About Points of Light

Points of Light – the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service – mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people where it’s needed most. For more information, go to www.pointsoflight.org.

About the Corporation for National and Community Service
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the President's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.