How 9/11 Made Me Stronger

Twenty years have passed since the tragedies of 9/11. I remain grateful to the first responders, and to all of the people who stepped up to help. I still ache that this could happen in our great country. It certainly impacted me.

In the 1990s, I worked in the World Financial Center, amongst the World Trade Center buildings.

In September 2001, I was job hunting in NYC and Boston, having just graduated from business school. On 9/10, I traveled from NYC to Boston. On 9/11, my brother called and woke me – he said I’d better go watch the TV.

Once I could turn the TV off and account for family and friends, I changed my pursuit. I found a full-time volunteer role at the New York City Partnership / New York City Investment Fund downtown. I started in the call center, connecting people with resources. I soon began helping to manage the call-center volunteers. With my financial background, I moved into the investment area to work on the Financial Recovery Fund. Quickly putting the processes in place, we began “hiring” volunteers, generally sourced from the call-center volunteer list. The speed and competence with which these groups worked was amazing.

I helped “hire” and manage the Financial Recovery Fund volunteers. Having to make quick decisions to put together a team of people from diverse backgrounds, I learned that I needed to get to know people better before passing judgment. I also reviewed applications and met with the business owners. Working together, we felt determined, resilient, and like we could make a difference. Fittingly, our first grant went to a local boxing gym, a community gathering place where one learns self defense, toughness and strength.

Through the Financial Recovery Fund, we gave $6.5MM in grants to small businesses affected by the 9/11 attacks.

In those four months, I met amazing people and heard their stories. Everyone was determined to move forward. We worked together. We wanted to succeed together.

Simply put, the thought of 9/11 makes me sad. But the people I met, and what I experienced coming out of 9/11, still inspire me today. I continue to be driven to work with good people to help our communities. Together we are stronger.