The Resource Development Center engaged more than 11,000 volunteers in service to honor the 10th Anniversary of September 11. We worked with many local and national community partners on this project, stated Sandi Lovett, director of the MSSU Resource Development Center, including Joplin area K-12 schools, Boy Scouts of America, Joplin Worship Center, Joplin area emergency responders, Stars of Hope, New York Says Thank You Foundation and the National 9/11 Flag team.
September 11, 2001 changed our lives and our nation forever. This award will allow us to further our work in honor of those individuals we lost on that dreadful day. It will also allow us to share with those too young to remember, the children of the 9/12 Generation, what we learned the day after 9/11 -- how we learned what a truly great nation we are and how fortunate we are to live in a place where liberty and freedom means stepping up and helping our fellow neighbors in their time of need, Lovett stated.
Beginning in 2002, family members who lost loved ones in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and support groups began to seek a forward-looking tribute to honor the sacrifice of those lost and pay tribute to those who rose in service in response to the tragedy. By encouraging Americans to participate in service and remembrance activities on the 9/11 anniversary, family members wanted to provide a productive and respectful way to honor those who perished and rekindle the spirit of unity and compassion that swept our nation after 9/11 to help meet the challenges we face today.
I congratulate the Resource Development Center at Missouri Southern State University for their commitment to community service and their dedication that led to this award, said Robert Velasco, II, Acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. They set a great example for their community, proving that the drive of a few can make a big difference for many.
The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act established September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance and authorized CNCS with supporting service and remembrance activities to honor this day. To promote broad participation in the day of service, CNCS launched the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance10th Anniversary Challenge. Through this initiative, organizations were challenged to bring Americans together in service projects on and around September 11.
Nearly 140 organizations participated in the Challenge, competing for grants that can be used over three years to implement future September 11th projects on a larger scale to benefit their communities. Engaging more than 150,000 total volunteers, grants were awarded to the organizations that were determined to have the largest numbers of volunteers in each of their respective categories.
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs, and leads President Obama's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit here.
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