9/11 Day Volunteer Projects

Michigan Community Service Commission encourages Michiganders to volunteer on 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance

The Michigan Community Service Commission is calling on Michiganders to honor the legacy of 9/11 by volunteering for the National Day of Service and Remembrance. The Commission is supporting 13 local organizations that will host volunteer projects addressing critical community needs – from supporting veterans and first responders to fighting food insecurity – mobilizing 3,000 volunteers to contribute more than 8,000 hours of service.

“When we serve others, we not only strengthen our communities — we also honor the lives lost and the heroes who stepped forward on 9/11,” said Michigan Community Service Commission Executive Director Ginna Holmes. “This day is about coming together, remembering with compassion, and choosing to make a difference. We hope Michiganders will feel inspired to volunteer and stand alongside local organizations in service.”

Each year, people across the country mark September 11 through service — helping neighbors, supporting veterans, fighting hunger, improving communities and meeting other local needs. Volunteering turns remembrance into action and carries forward the spirit of unity and compassion that emerged in the days following 9/11.

The United Way of Genesee County, for example, will be partnering with Carry the Load and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at the Great Lakes National Cemetery for their service day project. Volunteers will clean headstones to help maintain a space that serves as a national shrine, honoring the memory and sacrifice of those memorialized. 

“Our goal is to reflect on that day, honor the sacrifices made that day by the heroes, armed forces, first responders, and countless others’ whose acts of courage and service defended our nation’s freedom,” United Way of Genesee County’s Diane Woodruff said. “Together, we help strengthen our nation and inspire a new generation of civic-minded Americans.”

Inspiring the next generation is a theme common among many charities’ projects. Organizations hope to demonstrate the impact of service to youth, inspiring a new community of volunteers and advocates. 

Following a youth educational program, The Boys and Girls Club of Alpena will be hosting veterans at their Military and Veteran Appreciation Dinner. Both active and veteran military families will enjoy a meal with the organization, providing a space for youth and military to speak. 

“The dinner held at the end of the week will be the fruition of a week of learning about different branches of the military and showing support of our local military families, and expressing the knowledge that today’s youth still care,” Volunteer Services Director Rose Jasman said. 

Alongside other projects, the Commission will also support mental health advocacy through Community of Hearts’ remembrance day programming. They will be hosting their event, 9/11 Hearts of Service: Honoring Heroes Through Mental Health Advocacy.

The program is a community initiative that honors the spirit of September 11th by equipping volunteers to support the mental well-being of others through education and service. They will engage more than 200 volunteers that include youth, families, veterans, first responders, and others. 

The event will start with a mental health advocate training that teaches participants how they should recognize signs of stress, trauma, grief, and emotional distress. Community of Hearts hopes to use this training to reduce stigma and confidently connect individuals with appropriate mental health resources. Volunteers will have the chance to immediately put their new skills to use by preparing self-care kits and distributing them to veterans, first responders, seniors, and community members experiencing hardship or emotional distress.  

“We believe mental health support should not only begin after someone reaches a crisis point. It begins in our homes, workplaces, schools, churches, and neighborhoods when ordinary people know how to recognize that someone may be struggling, how to start a compassionate conversation, and how to connect that person with appropriate resources and professional help,” Community of Hearts’ Founder Monica Sparks said. 

Similarly, The Children’s Center of Wayne, Inc., through their Lobbies and Grounds Enhancement Project, will engage volunteers in projects meant to enhance the mental and behavioral health services provided by the organization. 

Volunteers will help improve the interior and exterior of the organization’s campus, creating environments that reduce stress, promote safety and belonging, and support the social determinants of health that influence children’s well-being. 

Much like many of these projects, grants to several other organizations that improve community outcomes are also given to support volunteer initiatives on the National Day of Service and Remembrance. 

The National Day of Service and Remembrance Projects also include:

• Macomb Foster Closet’s Seats for Service: Building a Place for Foster Families.
• Freedom House Detroit’s Front Yard Project, including beautification and outdoor activation activities at the Southwest Detroit headquarters.
• United Way of Bay County’s Hometown Heroes project, providing a service-learning opportunity for elementary-aged children to connect with local public safety professionals by participating in interactive learning and impactful volunteer opportunities. 
• Michigan State University’s Fall Spartan Day of Service, where students can sign-up to volunteer at a service site of their choosing. The sites consist of projects that support sustainability and beautification projects, neighborhood clean-ups, and harvesting winter gardens. 
• United Way of the Lakeshore INC’s Oceana County Day of Caring, which will engage community volunteers in meaningful service projects that honor veterans, support military families, and preserve the legacy of those who have served our country. 
• Bear Garden Mountain Inc.’s Michigan Cleaned, where the organization and volunteers will participate in cleaning parks, public roadways, and waterways. Additionally, volunteers will also plant trees and flowers. 
• The Clark Park Coalition’s clean-up and skating preparation.
• Community Health Awareness Group’s preparation of meal kits for distribution. 
• Northwest Community School’s building 50 beds for children with Sleep in Heavenly Peace. 
• St. Patrick Church hosting middle school students packaging “Brian’s Blessing Bags”, containing essential supplies for someone experiencing homelessness.

9/11 National Day of Service Project list Supported by the Michigan Community Service Commission