Charity Turns 9/11 Anniversary Into Day of Service, Not Sadness
*By Conor White*
For most, September 11 is a day of reflection and remembrance to honor those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks 17 years ago.
Jay Winuk is one such observer; he lost his brother Glen, a 20-year volunteer firefighter, after he rushed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan to help those inside.
One year after the attacks, Winuk co-founded 9/11 Day, now federally-recognized, to remember his brother and the nearly 3,000 others whose lives abruptly ended in 2001.
"Glen and so many others really sacrificed a lot," Winuk said Tuesday in an interview on Cheddar. "But if we can make the world a little bit better for those in need each 9/11, that'd be a pretty good way to remember the day."
9/11 Day encourages people to volunteer, support charities, and perform simple good deeds. After starting out as a grassroots movement, Tuesday's event will see nearly 30 million people participate across the country.
"We hope this becomes ubiquitous," Winuk said. "\[September 11th is\] not a holiday, it's an observance."
In New York alone, 850,000 meals will be assembled for hungry residents. Meals will also be packed for the hungry in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco.
9/11 Day and the non-profit behind it, MyGoodDeed, also provides teachers and students with learning materials about September 11th to teach them about the good carried out by responders.
"All of us who lived through 9/11, at some point, we're not going to be here, so we wanted to establish an observance where people have the opportunity to learn the other side of 9/11," Winuk said.
"If they learn only about the attacks and not how good people of the world responded, then we've lost an opportunity."
For more information, visit [911Day.org](https://www.911day.org/).
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/finding-light-on-the-darkest-day).
Paulina Likos, Investing Reporter at US News & World report, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to break down how the U.S. reopening its borders to foreign travelers might provide a big boost to the hard-hit travel and tourism industry.
Jill Wagner and Baker Machado break down the state of the Opioid Crisis in the U.S. The CDC reported a 30% increase in overdose deaths from 2020 to 2021, but in recent months pharmaceutical companies have drastically raised the price of Naloxone or 'Narcan,' affecting the response of community harm prevention groups.
Jill and Carlo discuss the scenes of joy at American airports as borders reopen, another tool in the Covid toolbox, the latest in the Astroworld crowd crush tragedy and more.
The two biggest names in the ride-sharing industry reported earnings this week. Uber and Lyft both beat Wall Street expectations on their top and bottom lines, as the companies and the ride-sharing industry have recently faced several challenges like the pandemic, the supply chain crisis, and driver shortages. Johnson Research Group CEO Chris Johnson joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Gaming technology studio Mythical Games recently raised $150 million in a round led by Andreesen Horowitz, bringing Mythical's valuation to above unicorn status at $1.2 billion. Mythical Games' mission is to create a new generation of gaming with play-to-earn games that allow players to play to win actual cryptocurrency. Now the company is taking it to another level with NFT technology, allowing players to play with characters they can truly own. Mythical Games CEO John Linden joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Jacob Channel, Senior Economic Analyst at LendingTree, joins Cheddar to discuss the most popular reasons to refinance a mortgage, and when the right time is to consider refinancing.
The pandemic caused chaos in the wedding industry after ceremonies were postponed last year. But now couples face a new problem as they look toward their big day: supply chain issues. Tim Chi, CEO at The Knot, joined Cheddar to provide some additional details about the supply constraints affecting everything from venues to flowers. Chi also talked about The Knot celebrating its 25th anniversary and how the business has transformed over the years.
Entertainment journalist Scott Evans joins Cheddar News to discuss his latest hosting gig on 'America's Big Deal' and play a little game with Baker called 'Deal or Dud.'
Living in 2021 brings a lot of distractions from mindlessly scrolling down your timeline for hours, to stretching yourself thin by multi-tasking daily. How do we find the ability to train our brains to focus on being present in the moment? Author, Dr. Amishi Jha joined Cheddar to discuss her new book “Peak Mind,” that tackles these issues.
