After 9/11, New Yorkers Form Organization to Help Other Communities in Need

Jeff Parness, a native New Yorker, formed New York Says Thank You to help other communities in need after seeing the amazing response in New York after September 11th, 2001.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on April 24 2011

Every New Yorker remembers the horrors of September 11th, 2001. But despite the tragedy of the terrorist attacks, the event led to a global outpouring of support. People from all over the world traveled to New York to volunteer for rescue and clean-up efforts, and the Red Cross and other charities raised more than $1 billion from people eager to help those affected by the attacks.

“9/11 changed all of us forever, but 9/12 changed us just as much,” Jeff Parness, a native New Yorker who lost a close friend to the attacks, told CNN. “That outpouring of kindness and generosity, to me, was more powerful than the terror that happened the day before.”

In an effort to pay back those who reached out to help New York during its time of need, Parness has created a non-profit organization called New York Says Thank you. The organization sends New Yorkers to volunteer in disaster relief efforts all around the country. They’ve rebuilt homes that were destroyed by wildfires near San Diego, and worked to restore structures in communities damaged by tornados and other natural disasters. The group has helped communities in nine states since 2003.

Over the years, the volunteer group has grown to more than 300 people: In addition to the New York volunteers, people in the communities they’ve helped have gotten involved with the goal to help others who need a hand. The organization aided Eric Kreipen, a firefighter from Louisiana whose community was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, in 2006; he’s been volunteering with the group’s efforts ever since. “This past year, I brought 22 people to Arkansas,” Kreippen said. “This whole ‘paying it forward’ thing, it’s just contagious.”

Working with New York Says Thank You has proven to be cathartic for some New Yorkers—particularly Megan Manning, a woman whose husband died during the 9/11 attacks. Working with the group has changed her outlook towards the anniversary completely.

“Ever since it started, I wake up on 9/11 and I feel grateful,” she said. “That’s huge for me.”

Filed under: Heroes, Non-Profits,

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