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9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance
Pictured above left to right: Chicago Red Star’s Soccer Mascot Supernova, Jacob Jenkins IDHS-Serve Illinois Volunteer Program Manager/Disaster Liaison, Jessica Ramos, Assistant Director, Division of Family and Community Services IDHS, Leslie Cully, Interim Director, Division of Family and Community Services IDHS, Davida Fanniel IDHS-Serve Illinois National Service Program Manager, and Cecilia Maciel Martinez IDHS-Serve Illinois Upstate Volunteer Programs Coordinator.
America’s Day of Doing Good
IDHS-Serve Illinois was hard at work on September 11, 2024, in its fifth year participating in the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance Meal Packing Event at Union Station.
9/11 Day is a nonprofit organization created by 9/11 family members immediately following the September 11th tragedy. The September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance is the largest federally-recognized day of service in the country.
In partnership with 9/11 Day, AmeriCorps, PR Chicago, Meals of Hope, and corporate sponsors, IDHS-Serve Illinois joined over 21 cities and 30,000 volunteers to pack meals benefiting the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
Over 400 volunteers were recruited by IDHS- Serve Illinois as support staff for this event and over 1,400 corporate volunteers were managed on-site.
Singers Aria Brown, Davin Colobong, and the Leo High School Choir inaugurated shifts with renditions of “America the Beautiful” along with a Veteran-led moment of silence in remembrance of those lost 23 years ago.
The initial meal-packing goal was 500,000. We are proud to announce that 528,000 meals were packed, breaking another record for Chicago!
We would like to thank our partners, volunteers, and staff for all their amazing work in making this another successful 9/11 National Day of Service! Thanks to all for “Doing a Good Deed” on this special day.
On September 10, 2024, UIC Softball, Chicago State University Women’s Basketball, and Aurora University Men’s Soccer set up the entire Union State Great Hall in preparation for the 9/11 Event. Teams learned about the tragic events that occurred on 9/11 Day and how individuals quickly rose to serve their community. Thanks to their collaboration, they set up in record time! Each participant received the Office of the Governor Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service Certificate of Appreciation. This certificate is presented as an expression of our appreciation for outstanding contributions on behalf of the people of the State of Illinois and is one of the highest honors an Illinoisian can receive for volunteerism and service; it bears the immortal words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve” and holds the signature of Governor J.B. Pritzker, IDHS Secretary Designate Dulce Quintero, and Serve Illinois Chair Natalie Furlett.
IDHS-Serve Illinois looks forward to continuing its partnership in service with collegiate athletics across the state. Teamwork makes the dream work!