A 15-foot willow oak planted in New York City has started a year-long push to put 3,000 9/11 memorial trees in the ground across the country, one for each of the 2,977 people killed in the 2001 attacks.
The first tree went in on September 9 at the Labyrinth of Contemplation in Battery Park, a space created to honor the people who died. Most of The Battery has been closed for waterfront restoration in recent years, and this was among the first events held there since it reopened.
Families of victims dug alongside volunteers and representatives from the nonprofit 9/11 Day, the reforestation charity One Tree Planted, The Battery Conservancy and AmeriCorps.
Jay Winuk is a 9/11 family member and a co-founder of 9/11 Day, where he is executive vice president.
“On 9/11 Day, we come together to honor those we lost by caring for one another and the communities we call home,” Winuk said. “Together We Grow is a beautiful example of how service can bring people together, create connection and turn remembrance into something positive and lasting.”
The planting is one strand of something much bigger. Since 2002, 9/11 Day has marked each anniversary with public service, and tens of millions of Americans take part every year. For the 25th anniversary, the nonprofit set itself a target of one million good deeds by September 11.
Together We Grow is the new project with One Tree Planted, and over the coming year the two organizations and AmeriCorps will support communities planting the remaining trees nationwide.
“Twenty-five years later, we continue to find ways to remember the lives that were lost and the people whose lives were forever changed,” said Hank Lynch, president and CEO of One Tree Planted. “A tree is a simple but powerful symbol of that remembrance. It gives us a chance to honor the past while doing something good for the future.”
Anyone can have a tree planted in memory of someone they have lost through the same organization, starting at $10.
