Local Group Gives 9/11 Gratitude Bags in National Day of Service Project

BRADENTON — The tradition of engaging in community service on September 11 has become a growing tradition. Locally, one such project included gratitude bags for first responders, led by national service volunteer and AmeriCorps VISTA VetCorps member, Patti Durham.  
 
Mrs. Durham is serving for a year at the Manatee County Substance Abuse Coalition. As part of her service to the community, she led the National Day of Service project as a way to thank all of Manatee County’s first responders for their tireless efforts to serve and protect our community.
 
Last week, members of the National Honor Society at the State College of Florida Collegiate School assembled 500 gratitude bags filled with candy and goodies (pictured below).

On September 10, community volunteers delivered gratitude bags to law enforcement, fire stations and the Emergency Operations Center in Manatee County. The group was recognized by the Manatee County Commission at Tuesday's meeting.

From left to right: Frank McGuckin, who was stationed at the NYC Command Center on 9/11, his wife Nancy, Patti Durham-VetCorps Prevention Coordinator & Manatee County Substance Abuse Coalition; Joshua Durham, 7th grade National Junior Honor Society student at State College of Florida Collegiate School.

The September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance is the culmination of efforts originally launched in 2002 by the 9/11 nonprofit MyGoodDeed with wide support by the 9/11 community and leading national service organizations.
 
This effort first established the inspiring tradition of engaging in charitable service on 9/11 as an annual and forward-looking tribute to the 9/11 victims, survivors, and those who rose up in service in response to the attacks.
 
In 2009, Congress designated September 11th as a National Day of Service and Remembrance under bipartisan federal law, and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with helping to support this effort across the country.
 
For the anniversary, CNCS is working with MyGoodDeed and numerous other organizations to implement one of the largest days of charitable service in U.S. history.