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9/11 Memorial and Museum - Charity Pitch

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“Today, September Eleventh, Two Thousand and One, a date which will live in infamy…” Of course this is not the real quote, adapted from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s speech given after Pear Harbor was attacked by the Japanese in 1941 which would drag us into World War 2. However, the date is the only thing that differs between the two situations.
The events of the morning of September 11, 2001 changed America completely. For only the third time in the history of the country, America was attacked on its own home soil. Terrorists pledging allegiance to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda Islamic extremist groups hijacked 4 commercial airliners. One was recaptured by the brave passengers and crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. Another crashed into the Pentagon building. The final two - and arguably the most infamous - were flown directly into the Twin Towers, or World Trade Center buildings 1 and 2 located directly in New York City.
After the first plane crashed, everyone thought it was an accident. But after the second crashed, it became clear - this was an act of war. The scene that ensued was one of pure chaos. News reporters swarmed what became known as Ground Zero. First responders rushed in, as terrified civilians sprinted in the opposite direction. Those who made it out of the buildings in time were lucky. Others who were trapped resorted to jumping from obscene heights in the hope they might live. All others were crushed when the buildings finally collapsed.
Over 3,000 people lost their lives at Ground Zero that day. Being only 1 year old at this time, I obviously did not understand the circumstances. But being that I am from Queens, as I grew older it became much more apparent to me. Even if you did not lose a loved one that day, you knew someone who did.
The country was changed forever that day. Airport security became much tighter. We were launched into a war (just as in 1941) against terrorism that would rage for over 10 years. People became scared to even go to work. All of this gets traced right back to 9/11.
It is for this reason that I chose the 9/11 Memorial and Museum to do my charity pitch. This charity’s main mission is to ensure that Americans and people all over the world never forget the sacrifices made and the lives that were lost on that day. They have worked to build the new One World Trade Center building, now the tallest building in Manhattan. They have crafted a beautiful memorial on the site of Ground Zero to ensure that not a single name is forgotten. They have also worked to collect 9/11 artifacts, such as pieces from the original buildings and the possessions of those lost, to create a museum to retell the story as accurately as possible. They cooperate with many different charities as well, such as those which set up funds to aid first responders who have ailments derived from the events of that day, or college funds for those who lost a parent.
I believe the 9/11 Memorial and Museum does great work in both preserving history and aiding those affected, and I hope you all will chose to donate to it to help further this goal. 

Comments

  1. Mary KateApril 22, 2019 at 4:04 PM

    Hi Thomas,

    Your post really spoke to me and stirred up a lot of memories of that day in 2001. I was four years old on 9/11, and this is one of my only vivid memories as a four year old. I remember my mom frantically coming to pick me up from my preschool program and seeing the horrific images on the news as we waited for my dad to return home from the city. My dad worked in the Bronx and was fortunately safe from harm. I am so lucky because many New Yorkers have a far more tragic story to tell from that awful day. A few years ago when I attended Fordham University, some of my peers and I went to go view the 9/11 Memorial across the New York Harbor from the Brooklyn promenade. Afterwards, we took the subway to go see the actual site and the memorial reflecting pools. Although I am fortunate that no one in my family was lost due to this attack, seeing the 9/11 memorial fifteen years later moved me to tears. The solemn site was completely silent and nearly all of the names around the reflecting pools had roses and American flags placed in them. A number of these names had loved ones weeping in front of them.
    It is difficult to wrap my head around that New Yorkers only a few years younger than me may have very little knowledge of the significance of 9/11. I was really disappointed to hear that my younger brother, born in 2001, never spoke about 9/11 on the day of each year or in any curriculum in high school. Although to these students 9/11 is nearly 20 years in the past, it lives in the soul of many New Yorkers every single day. It is not in the past to those who have lost husbands and wives, or siblings and children. Many survivors and first responders have suffered long term health effects due to the attack, and the long-term effects to survivors are still being studied. The work that the 9/11 Museum and Memorial does to honor the fallen, support survivors, and retell history is honorable and essential. I liked the quote that you started with and I will leave you with an image of a quote and exhibit from the museum that I find very powerful.

    https://www.911memorial.org/blog/look-museum%E2%80%99s-memorial-hall

    -Mary Kate

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  2. Matthew BenakApril 23, 2019 at 1:58 PM

    Tom,

    I really want to commend you on your presentation today. I thought you spoke very well and I personally believe that you had the best presentation. I voted for your charity simply because I thought you had the best cause.

    In today’s class session, we discussed the differences between donating to philanthropies by using your head versus your heart. Today’s charity pitch was a perfect example of this dichotomy. In my opinion, I thought the class today voted with their heads when usually everyone uses their hearts. I feel that our class usually uses their hearts when voting in these charity pitches because it is hard to remove biases. People like to donate to causes that they have a personal stake in rather than somethings that has no relevance to their lives.

    In today’s chaity pitch however, the class experienced emotions that we have never felt before. Our class outweighed our emotions and thought logically about the donation. With an overwhelming majority, the class voted to donate to Camp Good Grief because many felt that our small amount of $120 would make a bigger impact than the 9/11 Memorial. The class outweighed its personal connections and biases to 9/11 to how would our $120 make a better impact. Charity pitches like these frustrate me, because there have been many other pitch organizations that would be better off with our $120 donation than others. The 9/11 Memorial however, was “too well established” to receive our donation. If the classes continues with this mentality going into the $10,000 donation, we are in big trouble. The question of philanthropy shouldn’t be “who needs our money more?” As it should be “which cause deserves the most attention and how can our money impact it?”

    Even though the 9/11 Memorial won’t receive our donation, I still believe you prevailed in the charity pitch. The class was way more passionate about the 9/11 memorial and continued to speak about personal experiences of 9/11 for well over 25 minutes of the class period.

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  3. YannApril 24, 2019 at 8:00 PM

    Hey Thomas,

    I love the way you wrote this charity pitch. The quote instantly drew me in. I also like that you provided a lot of history on what happened in 9/11 and the effects that came from it.

    I’ve actually been to the museum twice and it is an amazing museum that I definitely recommend everyone to visit. There is so much history in there and you often forget how recent 9.11 was. Aside from being engaging, it also has a lot of heartbreaking exhibits such as recorded conversations between people in the planes and their families or newsreels. I have attached a youtube video that is of a recorded conversation from inside the twin tower below if anyone wants to check it out.

    Although I think this museum is important as it can be very educational and at the same time serves as a memorial to honor all the victims. However, I am not sure how the money that we would donate would benefit the museum? Did you have any idea what they would use it for or how they could use our donation?

    Good luck tomorrow on your presentation,
    Yann

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLW0jKKRXMo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jacob YiApril 30, 2019 at 5:04 PM

    Thomas,

    I appreciate that you gave light to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Living in New York City all my life, I know how much 9/11 is talked about and how much of an important topic it is to each New Yorker. Although I was a year old and have no recollection of the tragic events, the stories of that day has impacted my life as well. My dad always talks about how he witnessed the planes striking the Twin Towers and crashing down, while he was making errands in SoHo.

    While 9/11 is in the past and America has rebuilt, a lot of New Yorkers, who were first responders or regular civilians that survived, have suffered from different illnesses. A major illness that these men and women now have is cancer, due to the debris from the collapse of the World Trade Center. With this, the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) was created for those that suffered or was killed by the events. This program has allowed them to receive compensations based on illnesses, injuries, or death.

    Recently, an article was published stating that the compensation fund was cut by 70 percent. This means that pending claims will receive 50 percent of its original value and claims after February 1, 2019 will receive 30 percent. Still, 19,000 victims still have not received their compensation from the fund. These cuts will drastically impact those that require medical attention. Once December 2020 hits, the VCF will expire, leaving victims stranded.

    This is a huge issue that the United States government needs to figure out. What will happen to victims that need medical treatment once the VCF expires? What will happen to the victims that did not apply for the VCF before December 2020? Cancer appears only after a period of time. What will happen to those that got diagnosed for cancer after the expiration date?

    A conversation needs to be started about this issue.

    https://www.wbur.org/npr/695481252/9-11-victims-compensation-fund-cuts-payouts-by-as-much-as-70-percent

    https://www.vcf.gov/genProgramInfo.html

    ReplyDelete

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