This is the tenth post in the 2021 Kindness series. Each month I will make a donation to a different nonprofit and write about the organization.

In memory of the lives that were lost and changed forever, the September donation went to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York.

I imagine that many adults remember where they were and what they were doing 20 years ago today. I do. I was getting ready for work listening to the news. Michael had already left for work. When I heard that a plane crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center, I went to the TV to watch. I thought, how could this type of accident happen. I called Michael to tell him – his immediate response was, this was not an accident.

I don’t know anyone who was directly impacted by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But I have a connection to New York City. I grew up in New York and went to the city as a child/teen to visit the museums and see Broadway shows.

As the day progressed and reports came in about the South Tower, Pentagon, and United Flight 93, feelings went from shock, to disbelief, to fear, and then to anger and sadness. When the details unfolded over the following weeks, there were feelings of respect and gratitude for the heroes and first responders.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed on September 11, 2001:

  • 2,753 died at the World Trade Center in New York City
  • 184 died at the Pentagon in Washington DC
  • 40 died in the flight 93 crash in Shanksville

See a list of all people killed on 9/11

9/11 Memorial & Museum

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum documents the history of the 1993 and 2001 terrorist attacks and honors the people who were killed. If you are not able to visit in person, you can check out the museum’s online collections like the oral histories and digital exhibitions.

Support the Museum’s Efforts to Remember 9/11