A September 11 charity organization is calling on President Bush to make the day an annually recognized day of voluntary service, outreach and compassion.
David Paine, president of One Day’s Pay, is hopeful that Mr. Bush will follow the lead of the Senate and House, which both approved resolutions calling for such a day.
“This is a remarkable statement of support from Congress,” Mr. Paine said. “We are hopeful because the president feels so strongly about volunteerism, and we are simply following through on his desires.”
Mr. Paine co-founded One Day’s Pay — a New York-based organization whose mission is to encourage people to set aside time on September 11 to help others in need — in 2002, joining with colleagues, friends and family members of attack victims.
According to the group’s Web site, 1 million people nationwide participated in voluntary acts of service this past September 11. More than 50,000 examples of such acts are posted on the site, onedayspay.org.
“We want people to define service in whatever way they want to,” Mr. Paine said. “There was a group of New York City firefighters who traveled to San Diego to help rebuild homes for those whose lives were torn by forest fires. One couple in Boston went out and put quarters in expired parking meters; other volunteers have worked in soup kitchens. We want to make [September 11] the single largest day of service in history.”
He said its goal is to have 30 million volunteers by 2010.
The group’s vice president, Jay Winuk, lost his brother, Glenn J. Winuk, in the World Trade Center attacks. Glenn Winuk, a volunteer firefighter and EMT, raced from his law firm office across the street from the trade center to help in the rescue effort, but was killed when the South Tower collapsed.
“As the family member [of a victim], I had to make the decision as to how I was going to get involved in September 11 matters,” Mr. Winuk said. “Twenty or 30 years from now, what will people remember about the attacks? They can either remember all the tragedy and destruction, or they can remember how compassionate and caring people were in light of it.”
One Day’s Pay carries the support of all the leading September 11 family organizations and many major nonprofit groups and corporations including the American Red Cross, Points of Light Foundation, Youth Service America, Citizen Corps, and other leading groups. One Day’s Pay receives financial support from contributions of private citizens, companies and foundations, including the JPMorgan Chase Corp.
The Points of Light Foundation was one of the first organizations to partner with the charity. Points President Robert Goodwin said “we are enthusiastic supporters of this initiative because of the way it turns grief into action. It’s helping to unify broken communities through voluntary service.”
With congressional support, Mr. Paine said the group will now focus its attention on getting the president’s backing.
“We’re not asking this to be a federal holiday. This is about everyone making a little commitment, and giving back at least one day’s payment to the community in order to honor the sacrifices of those who gave their lives during September 11,” he said.
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