Each year, September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance is a chance to turn a dark day in the nation’s history into a day of doing good. Now federally recognized, it’s become the largest American day of service, honoring all those who demonstrated extraordinary compassion and courage in the aftermath of the attacks.
Unfortunately, formal volunteerism is on the decline. According to the U.S. Census and AmeriCorps’ “Volunteering in America” report, volunteerism in the United States went down seven percentage points from 2019 to 2023, the largest change since the agencies began collecting data in 2002.
“Volunteers are critical to helping communities thrive, just like they were after 9/11, making this a great day to get involved and start a habit of volunteering,” says Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO of Points of Light, a global nonprofit dedicated to inspiring, equipping and mobilizing people to take action that changes the world.
Boosting Volunteerism
The events of 9/11 bonded people and communities, and in the days, weeks and months following the attacks, volunteerism surged as people learned what they were capable of accomplishing when they worked together. Points of Light, which is committed to increasing the rate of volunteering, believes that a day of service like 9/11 Day can serve a kick-off to a life of civic engagement.
Take Action
Plan your day of service now by visiting Points of Light’s Engage platform at pointsoflight.org/volunteer to search a database of hundreds of thousands of in-person and virtual volunteer opportunities. And remember that beyond volunteering, there are many ways to engage your community on 9/11 Day, from buying from businesses that support first responders to thanking those who work in service roles.
“On this day of remembrance, we pay tribute to those touched by the tragedies of this day, and by coming together as a community, we keep hope for a better future alive,” says Sirangelo.
Source: StatePoint