A Day of Service - 9/11

Right out of the gate, the new and returning AmeriCorps members hit the ground running. Tasked with our first National Day of Service, everyone was given an invitation to pull up a chair and brainstorm ideas. We decided we would create a memorial to honor first responders and those who died during and after the events of September 11th, 2001. The idea was to create a memorial altar and place it in front of the Imagine Art studio. While our own art and memories would be included in the piece, we wanted to include the neighborhood’s voice as well. This conversation sparked the wonderful idea of creating flyers and a simple online form to capture the wider community’s attention of our event and of the 9/11 memorial.   

Time to get to work! 

Adding lights created another dimension that would attract the attention of people passing by at night. Some of our members were going to build the Freedom Tower structure. Large sheets of corrugated plastic had been donated and one of our members, Edward, offered to pitch in with the delivery. This material would be used as the building walls of the skyscraper. Our AmeriCorps Vista member Ryan used his engineering skills to design, plan and measure. It took some time to discuss how exactly the pieces would fit together; making it look reflective and similar to the actual building now standing in New York City. Elias took the lead in bringing together Edward’s raw materials, Ryan’s mathematical figures and Rick’s expert guidance. At the end of the day, the structure was complete. The tower looked fantastic!

Meanwhile…..

Some members created patriotic designs for cards, postcards and flyers. Like American flags, memorial ribbons, the twin towers, a fireman’s hat and so forth. While some members like Liz struggled with worries around technology, other members like Kathryn offered peer support, encouragement and a helping hand. We all worked together to leverage our strengths in different ways. Upon reflection, I believe that this was probably one of the goals of the National Day of Service.

The creativity and diversity of expression that our members showcased was impressive. I watched Brittany use old CD discs to create a mosaic reflection pool. She worked together with Rick to saw a board in order to create the base of the pool structure. Valencia worked her magic to create a QR code and content for the social media aspect of our project. Several members were taking pictures, like Monica and Liz. Members Elena and Jamie were the Artists-in-Residence who created a painted skyline complete with silhouette buildings and a dazzling sunset. This was a great backdrop for the altar and served to tie the other components together. Kate and Dave created a large American flag, which looked like the perfect addition to our memorial display. Included on this flag was a personal story of gratitude to the first responders in our community here in Austin.  

Well, what do you think?....

Member Quotes:

“To be frank, I was born in the year 2000 and I felt as though I lacked a visceral connection to the events that occurred on 9/11 beyond what was written in my American history textbooks in school. Hearing my fellow AmeriCorps members recount their real time experiences of that day recontextualized my understanding of the collective trauma our country underwent.  

For our National Day of Service, we constructed an altar to honor people who sacrifice their lives in order to help others. Everyone pitched in and showed off their strengths as artists to create an impactful installation. I believe we fostered a sense of healing through art making.”   -Elena

“For being the first time that we worked together as a group, it felt like everyone came together with some amazing ideas for honoring the day, the lives that were lost, as well as honoring our first responders for the service they provide. Every piece was truly magical & reflective of how we all feel about 9/11.”   -Monica

After the event, our AmeriCorps cohort came back together to debrief and discuss. Some members shared personal reflections while others listened attentively. It was a time to think about how first responders put themselves in harm's way in order to protect our communities. Also, about what it means to truly serve our fellow human beings. We gathered to take our first group photo of the 2024-2025 service year, since this was an occasion worth documenting. In the month of October, we will take a pledge to be sworn in for the next year of serving in our community.

AmeriCorps Pledge to Get Things Done

I will get things done for America – to make our people safer, smarter, and healthier.

I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities.

Faced with apathy, I will take action.

Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground.

Faced with adversity, I will persevere.

I will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond.

I am an AmeriCorps member, and I will get things done.