ATLANTA — An opportunity each year to turn a dark day in U.S. history into a day of good, the National Day of Service and Remembrance on Sept. 11 is now federally recognized as America’s largest day of service, honoring those who demonstrated extraordinary compassion and courage in the aftermath of the attacks.
Unfortunately, formal volunteerism is declining. According to the U.S. Census and AmeriCorps’ Volunteering in America report, volunteerism in the United States declined by seven percentage points from 2019 to 2023, the largest change since authorities began collecting data in 2002.
“Volunteers are critical to helping communities thrive, just as they were after 9/11. This is a great day to get involved and make volunteering a habit,” says Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO of Points of Light, a global nonprofit dedicated to inspiring, educating and mobilizing people to take action that changes the world.
With the Daily Point of Light Award, Points of Light recognizes ordinary people who do extraordinary things to strengthen communities. To encourage volunteerism on 9/11 and beyond, the organization shares the story of an award winner who is also a volunteer first responder, along with information on how you can give back to your community.
Inspired from the beginning
When 10-year-old Chris Zelenka witnessed the events of 9/11, he begged his mother to let him drive into town so he could help the countless first responders he had seen on television. Seeing so many people working together that day ignited his passion to help others and led him to join the South Spring Valley Fire Department at age 16. Seventeen years after becoming a volunteer firefighter, Zelenka still serves his community tirelessly. In addition to his duties as a firefighter, he is the fire department’s financial secretary and co-chairs its fundraising committee. In recent years, he has also worked with nonprofits such as Wreaths Across America, Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity and the Bergen County LGBTQ+ Alliance.
Promote volunteer work
The events of 9/11 brought people and communities together, and in the days, weeks and months following the attacks, volunteerism increased as people realized what they could accomplish when they worked together. Points of Light, which works to increase volunteerism, believes that a day of commitment like 9/11 can be a launchpad for a lifetime of civic engagement.
Zelenka’s words of wisdom for those who want to get involved but don’t know where to start: “Do what you can. That’s the most important thing. That can be an occasional donation. That can be giving blood. Of course, more is great, but I think sometimes people think they have to do so much. You can do small things and really make a big difference, and that matters more in the bigger picture.”
Get active
Plan your day of service now by visiting Points of Light’s Engage platform at pointsoflight.org/volunteer and searching a database of hundreds of thousands of in-person and virtual service opportunities. And remember, there are many other ways besides volunteering to engage your community on 9/11, from shopping at businesses that support first responders to thanking those who work in service roles.
“On this day of remembrance, we honor those affected by the tragedies of that day, and by coming together as a community, we keep the hope for a better future alive,” Sirangelo said.
