Ten Years Later: The Salvation Army’s Response to The 9/11 Attacks

             On September 11, 2001, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks on passenger airliners left thousands dead and hundreds of thousands more in need. The Salvation Army was closely involved with the recovery process for survivors in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. following the tragic events of 9/11. 

Arriving within a half-hour of the first plane hitting the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, The Salvation Army was one of the first relief organizations to arrive on the scene at “Ground Zero” and provided extensive support for relief workers and volunteers. The Army continued to support recovery efforts throughout the months-long clean-up process. In the months and years that followed, The Salvation Army assisted thousands of people impacted by the September 11 attacks with practical assistance as well as spiritual and emotional care.

Major Activities:

• The Salvation Army continued to serve the immediate needs of those who were displaced following the attacks in a variety of ways, including rent and utility assistance, job placement and referrals for health care needs.
• For instance, the Army worked directly with landlords, utility companies and other vendors in New York City to pay necessary bills for survivors, ensuring they were not evicted and that the lights and phone were kept on.
• The Salvation Army allocated resources toward long-term assistance programs, including an extensive $4 million crisis counseling program for nearly 6,000 people impacted by the tragedy..
• At its peak, the Army was working with 1,400 open cases at any given time.
• The program remained active until January 1, 2007.

• In total, the Greater New York Division of The Salvation Army served more than 59,000 people through 9/11-related, long-term assistance programs.  Services provided by The Salvation Army’s World Trade Center Recovery Program included:
• Clothing and Food Assistance
• Crisis Counseling and Group Therapy
• Child Care
• Employment Training and Placement
• FEMA Filing Assistance
• Final Expenses – Funeral/Burial
• Financial Assistance and Counseling
• Healthcare Referral Assistance
• Housing and Utilities Assistance
• Homelessness Services (Homeward Bound and other programs)
• Immigration Assistance
• Legal Assistance
• Public Benefits Assistance
• Small Business Services
• Spiritual Counseling
• Substance Abuse Counseling
• Transportation Assistance

• In response to the simultaneous attack at the Pentagon, The National Capital and Virginia Division of The Salvation Army:
• Provided aid and comfort to relief workers and survivors at the Pentagon site, serving meals and drinks while offering spiritual counseling and support.
• Assisted more than 17,000 survivors and their families with direct social service aid, allocating in excess of $7 million.

• The New Jersey Division of The Salvation Army played a major role in relief efforts in New York by:
• Setting up temporary shelters, feeding stations and pastoral counseling services. 
• Assisting in the Liberty State Park Family Assistance Center.
• Running warehouse operations for delivering supplies into New York City.
•  Providing a mobile canteen at the NYC Medical Examiner's Office.
• Overall, from 9/11/01 until 3/30/02 the New Jersey Division served 10,198 people (3,096 households).

• Following the crash of United Flight #93 outside Shanksville, PA, The Western Pennsylvania Division of The Salvation Army responded to the needs of relief workers and victims’ families at the crash site by:
• Serving nearly 20,000 meals
• Performing 5 worship services
• Providing a total of 13,000 volunteer hours

• Because The Salvation Army already provides all of these services 365 days a year throughout the country, it had a ready and willing pool of social workers and counselors available to assist with the needs of the community in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

• The American public donated $86 million to The Salvation Army to respond to the 9/11 attacks.
• The majority of the money was used within the first year and a half following the attacks to provide practical items and services including: food for rescue workers and volunteers, steel-toed boots, socks, eye drops, rest stations and other items related to the recovery and clean-up at Ground Zero.
• Remaining funds were allocated to provide for longer-term needs of victim’s families and others affected by the tragedy.
• Meals and relief services were also offered at the Pentagon and at the crash site of United Airlines Flight #93.

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About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar spent is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide.

The Salvation Army USA National Fact Sheet -- Hurricane Irene What is now Post Tropical Cyclone Irene

Updates

Mass care and feeding for thousands of evacuees and first responders continues to be the top priority.

• Salvation Army damage assessment teams throughout the East Coast are still receiving significant requests for mass care after widespread power outages, downed power lines and trees and localized flooding.  
• Thousands of evacuees are housed in shelters across the region, especially those who live in low lying areas prone to storm surge.
• As reports come in from the northeast, The Salvation Army is focusing resources inland as the region manages flooding events. 

The Salvation Army is already serving thousands living in regions impacted by Hurricane Irene.

• The Salvation Army has served 15,000 meals to first responders and evacuees in New Jersey.
• Nearly 14,000 meals, snacks and drinks have been served in Greenville, Washington, Elizabeth City and Morehead City in the Carolinas. 
• In Norfolk and Spotsylvania Counties, VA, The Salvation Army has already served more than 6,400 meals, snacks and drinks and provided lodging to 265 people. 
• More than 5,000 meals, snacks and drinks have been served at multiple shelter locations throughout Maryland and West Virginia.
• In Connecticut, The Salvation Army has served hundreds of meals to evacuees at shelters as well as to first responders.
• The Salvation Army is feeding at numerous shelter facilities throughout Massachusetts and other parts of New England.

Monetary donations are the most critical need as supplies and personnel are mobilized.

• Donors are encouraged to give online at www.SalvationArmyUSA.org or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769).
• You can also text the word “STORM” to 80888 to make a $10 donation through your mobile phone; to confirm your gift, respond with the word “Yes.”*
• Checks should be sent to Disaster Gift Processing Center, PO Box 1959, Atlanta, GA 30301 and designated “2011 Hurricane Season.”
• Those interested in volunteering should register at www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org.  Please note that disaster service training is a prerequisite for volunteering in a disaster zone and not all registered volunteers will be called upon to serve.
• Due to the high expense and time demands associated with delivering your gently-used household goods and clothing (gifts-in-kind), The Salvation Army cannot guarantee that any individual gifts-in-kind donated now will be sent to the disaster area. In times of disaster, our stores fill these needs from existing, pre-sorted stock. By continuing to donate gently-used household goods to your local Salvation Army store, you not only help your community, but also help us prepare for future disaster relief needs. To find your nearest drop-off location, please go to www.satruck.org.

Your donations make a real difference.

·         A $10 donation feeds a disaster survivor for one day.

·         A $30 donation provides one food box, containing staple foods for a family of four, or one household cleanup kit, containing brooms, mops, buckets and other cleaning supplies

·         A $100 donation can serve snacks and drinks for 125 survivors and emergency personnel at the scene of a disaster

·         A $250 donation can provide one hot meal to 100 people or keep a hydration station operational for 24 hours

·         A $500 donation keeps a Salvation Army canteen (mobile feeding unit) fully operational for one day

Salvation Army Statements

Major George Hood, National Community Relations & Development Secretary

·         “The initial damage reports are leaving us cautiously optimistic that there has not been widespread structural damage or injuries.”

• “But flooding remains a problem, particularly in New England, and there is a significant response ongoing. It is critical that we provide the base of support for damage assessment teams, rescue personnel and survivors to ensure everyone weathers the fallout from this storm safely.”

Major James LaBossiere, Divisional Commander for The Salvation Army in Northern New England

• “Although the severity of the storm has been downgraded, we are taking it very seriously and have alerted our personnel to be ready to move quickly to the areas where they are most needed.”

Major Willis Howell, Divisional Commander for The Salvation Army of the Carolinas

·          “We know this is going to be a long recovery process and The Salvation Army is dedicated to needs of North Carolina and the Mid-Atlantic Coast.”

Major Lewis Reckline Area Commander for The Salvation Army of Tidewater, VA

·         “We’re very fortunate that Irene was not devastating as originally predicted. However, there are still residents, tourists and first-responders that will need supplies, food and support and that is what we aim to do now.”

The Salvation Army USA National Fact Sheet -- Hurricane Irene

Updates

The Salvation Army is already serving thousands in the path of Hurricane Irene.

·         Preparation, feeding and other relief efforts are underway in 15 states from the Carolinas to Maine.

·         In New Jersey, The Salvation Army has served nearly 15,000 meals to first responders and evacuees.

·         The Salvation Army also served nearly 11,000 meals, food and drinks in Greenville, Washington, Elizabeth City and Morehead City in the Carolinas.

·         In Norfolk County, VA, The Salvation Army has served nearly 2,000 meals and snacks and provided lodging to 250 people.

·         Similar activities are taking place up and down the East Coast.

·         In total, The Salvation Army has 370 mobile feeding units and five mobile kitchens ready to deploy to the area of most need.

·         Each mobile food kitchen can make 20,000 meals per day and a mobile canteen can make 1,500 meals per day. The Salvation Army can produce several hundred thousand meals per day when operating at full capacity.

The Army is coordinating closely with local, state and federal officials to meet service demands along the Eastern Seaboard.

·         This morning, The Salvation Army fed first responders and New Jersey State Police along the Garden State Parkway as the state managed contra flow of traffic.

·         Major George Hood, National Community Relations Secretary for The Salvation Army participated in a press conference at Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) headquarters this morning representing National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD). Video from the conference is available here.

·         The Salvation Army encourages all residents in the path of Hurricane Irene to have a disaster plan in place and heed the advice of local officials regarding evacuations.

Salvation Army units in the Caribbean and Bahamas have been assisting with response and recovery efforts in those regions for the past several days.

• In addition to helping evacuees cope with the stress and damage of the storm, units in the U.S. Virgin Isles and Puerto Rico are providing those affected with gift cards to buy food, clothes and other supplies. 
• Representatives of The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Service Team have been asked to partner with the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to survey and assess the damage on the islands of Acklins and Mayaguana.

Monetary donations are the most critical need as supplies and personnel are mobilized.

• Donors are encouraged to give online at www.SalvationArmyUSA.org or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769).
• You can also text the word “STORM” to 80888 to make a $10 donation through your mobile phone; to confirm your gift, respond with the word “Yes.”*
• Checks should be sent to Disaster Gift Processing Center, PO Box 1959, Atlanta, GA 30301 and designated “2011 Hurricane Season.”
• Those interested in volunteering should register at www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org.  Please note that disaster service training is a prerequisite for volunteering in a disaster zone and not all registered volunteers will be called upon to serve.
• Due to the high expense and time demands associated with delivering your gently-used household goods and clothing (gifts-in-kind), The Salvation Army cannot guarantee that any individual gifts-in-kind donated now will be sent to the disaster area. In times of disaster, our stores fill these needs from existing, pre-sorted stock. By continuing to donate gently-used household goods to your local Salvation Army store, you not only help your community, you help us prepare for future disaster relief needs. To find your nearest drop-off location, please go to www.satruck.org.

Your donations make a real difference.

·         A $10 donation feeds a disaster survivor for one day.

·         A $30 donation provides one food box, containing staple foods for a family of four, or one household cleanup kit, containing brooms, mops, buckets and other cleaning supplies

·         A $100 donation can serve snacks and drinks for 125 survivors and emergency personnel at the scene of a disaster

·         A $250 donation can provide one hot meal to 100 people or keep a hydration station operational for 24 hours

·         A $500 donation keeps a Salvation Army canteen (mobile feeding unit) fully operational for one day

Salvation Army Statements

Major George Hood, National Community Relations &Development Secretary

• “Though the North Carolina coast weathered the storm fairly well, we want to emphasize the seriousness of the storm and our cooperation with local officials and agencies.”
• “With more than 2.5 million people under evacuation orders The Salvation Army remains committed 24/7 to providing those impacted with the basic services they need to get through this difficult period.”   

Major Steve Morris, National Capital Area Commander

• “Our hope is that everybody will be praying for the safety and comfort for those affected by this storm.”

Heres an outline of what The Salvation Army is doing concerning Irene.

Updates

The Salvation Army is already serving at shelter locations across the Carolinas while simultaneously staging supplies and equipment to provide immediate relief to those impacted by Hurricane Irene. 

• The Salvation Army is preparing staging locations in Greenville, NC; Charlotte, NC; and Waymart, PA to ready assets which will be deployed after the storm passes.
•  These canteens will provide food, drinks, emotional and spiritual care to survivors and first responders.
• The northeastern United States has 100 canteens and one mobile feeding kitchen which can be deployed while the southern region has 270 canteens and four mobile feeding kitchens; currently, approximately 90 of these canteens have been formally mobilized or placed on standby.
• Each mobile food kitchen can make 20,000 meals per day and a mobile canteen can make 1,500 meals per day. The Salvation Army can produce several hundred thousand meals per day when operating at full capacity.

Local officials from the Carolinas to New England are already calling on the Army for assistance.

• Logistical support will be provided in key areas. For example, The Salvation Army will assist the state of New Jersey with contra flow on the Garden State Parkway, while also providing sanitary trailers and cleaning kits through the eastern United States. 
• The Salvation Army has three satellite communications trucks deployed throughout the region to provide communications service in the event of an outage of normal channels. 
• The Salvation Army encourages all residents in the path of Hurricane Irene to have a disaster plan in place and heed the advice of local officials regarding evacuations.

The Salvation Army units in the Caribbean and Bahamas are already responding to impacts from this devastating storm.

• Several hundred thousand people in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are currently without electricity due to Hurricane Irene and units are responding with support primarily for the sick, homeless and disabled.
• In the Bahamas, an emergency operations center has been established in Kingston and The Salvation Army has begun initial distribution of food and water supplies throughout the region.
• Representatives of The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Service Team have been asked to partner with the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to survey and assess the damage on the islands of Acklins and Mayaguana.

Monetary donations are the most critical need as supplies and personnel are mobilized.

• Donors are encouraged to give online at www.SalvationArmyUSA.org or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769).
• You can also text the word “STORM” to 80888 to make a $10 donation through your mobile phone; to confirm your gift, respond with the word “Yes.”*
• Checks should be sent to Disaster Gift Processing Center, PO Box 1959, Atlanta, GA 30301 and designated “2011 Hurricane Season.”
• Those interested in volunteering should register at www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org; Please note that disaster service training is a prerequisite for volunteering in a disaster zone and not all registered volunteers will be called upon to serve.
• Due to the high expense and time demands associated with delivering your gently-used household goods and clothing (gifts-in-kind), The Salvation Army cannot guarantee that any individual gifts-in-kind donated now will be sent to the disaster area. In times of disaster, our stores fill these needs from existing, pre-sorted stock. By continuing to donate gently-used household goods to your local Salvation Army store, you not only help your community, you help us prepare for future disaster relief needs. To find your nearest drop-off location, please go to www.satruck.org.

Your donations make a real difference.

·         A $10 donation feeds a disaster survivor for one day.

·         A $30 donation provides one food box, containing staple foods for a family of four, or one household cleanup kit, containing brooms, mops, buckets and other cleaning supplies

·         A $100 donation can serve snacks and drinks for 125 survivors and emergency personnel at the scene of a disaster

·         A $250 donation can provide one hot meal to 100 people or keep a hydration station operational for 24 hours

·         A $500 donation keeps a Salvation Army canteen (mobile feeding unit) fully operational for one day

Salvation Army Statements

Major George Hood, National Community Relations &Development Secretary

• “We are taking this hurricane extremely seriously and are working closely with partner agencies to ensure we will can provide a strong response to any impacts of the storm.”
• Our personnel will be working overnight and throughout the weekend to ensure we can meet the needs.

Major David Singletary, EDS Director, Maryland and West Virginia Division.

·         “With the impending landfall of this storm in Maryland, The Salvation Army is readying all our equipment and assembling supplies to provide immediate help to those most affected by the storm.”

Major Willis Howell, Divisional Commander, Carolinas Division

·          “As coastal Carolina residents and visitors are evacuating, The Salvation Army is moving closer to meet them in safe inland areas.  Staging equipment and personnel is a delicate balance between being close enough to quickly respond and avoiding areas of potential harm.”

The Salvation Army to Respond As First Hurricane Approaches

Alexandria, VA – As Hurricane Irene approaches the Southeastern United States as the first hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season, The Salvation Army is preparing staff, equipment and supplies to serve as needed. In the southern U.S. alone, the Army has more than 270 emergency response vehicles including canteens (mobile kitchens), shower trailers, field kitchens, and additional logistics equipment available. The Salvation Army will provide food, drinks and spiritual and emotional care to emergency responders and community members should Irene produce severe storms and damage between Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and the greater Washington, DC area.

“With the threat of Hurricane Irene bearing down on the continental U.S., The Salvation Army is taking every precaution necessary to ready equipment and supplies to provide emergency relief services as needed to anyone who may be impacted by the storm,” said Major George Hood, National Community Relations Secretary for The Salvation Army. “The Army has stockpiled warehouse facilities across the southeastern U.S. with food, water and medical supplies for use in a major disaster.”

While the forecast keeps the eye of the storm off the eastern coast of Florida and into North and South Carolina, there is a significant possibility that as it moves north, Hurricane Irene will produce severe storms with the potential for flooding and numerous tornado warnings. The Salvation Army’s mobile kitchens are strategically placed around Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia/Maryland to support a response along the east coast.  If Irene passes without significant damage in Florida, the units will be available to support neighboring states.

“Personnel from the southern tip of Florida through the Carolinas are monitoring Irene’s path closely and will be ready to respond to the needs of individuals before and after the storm,” said Major Hood. “But as the storm approaches, we encourage residents throughout the potentially impacted states to prepare themselves and be safe.”

The Salvation Army is asking residents of the entire east coast from Florida to the Carolinas and on, to be prepared with an emergency disaster plan. Critical decisions need to be made ahead of time, before the storm makes landfall.

For more information on The Salvation Army’s preparation and response to Hurricane Irene, please visit http://www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org,  

New Rogers Salvation Army Store location!

Front of the Building

As you can see parking will no longer be a problem at this location. Our portion of this building is centered in the picture. To the left is Surplus Warehouse and to the right is Mazzio's Pizza. The front door is located just behind the large black SUV in front of the building.

Front Room

This picture shows a portion of the buildings front room. As you can see it is quite expansive! Some of the walls within this space will be taken down to suit the stores eventual floor plan.



As you peek around the corner to the left of the previous picture you can see that the large space continues for quite a distance. The next wall you see there is actually enclosing a partly finished industrial style kitchen. This may allow for a restaurant to be added to the store! The following two pictures show this kitchen area.

Industrial Style Oven Hood

Serving Area

The Road Not Traveled

One officer’s trailblazing journey with The Salvation Army Haiti

Haiti – Some 42 years ago, 33 year-old Rosemarie Häfeli arrived in Port-au-prince, Haiti ready to fulfill God’s plan for her life. Marching orders in hand, she was greeted by Major Alfred Townsend, the Divisional Secretary, and asked to see the dispensary she had been appointed to in a place called Fond-des-Nègres. “Take it easy,” was his response.

A Lieutenant in The Salvation Army for three years, Häfeli seemingly waited until the last possible minute to become an officer -the cut off age for training was 30 at that time. But God had spoken to her heart so strongly about Haiti when she was only 14 that she spent the next 16 years working toward that goal. Officership was the last piece of the puzzle. “I never wanted to be an officer,” she said. “I wanted to be a volunteer, but The Salvation Army said they weren’t sending volunteers to Haiti; I would have to be an officer.”

Dr. Kuntz, an Envoy of The Salvation Army Switzerland Territory, had recently visited the work in Haiti and planned to give a Saturday afternoon film presentation at the corps Major Häfeli attended. “I wasn’t allowed to go to the Army,” she said. She often told lies to get out of the house. “I don’t know what lie I told, but I told something so I could go.” The film featured pictures of the Army in Delmas 2, “I can still see it,” she said. When Dr. Kuntz finished he said, “So children, when you are grownups, you become something and go and help these people.” That was Major Häfeli’s call. She decided not to lie about her involvement with the Army anymore and shared her plan with her family. “When I grow up, I’m going to be a nurse and go to Haiti,” she said. “[My stepmother] told me I was crazy.”

Major Häfeli was determined to be the best nurse she could. She left home to attend nursing school and specialized in gynecology. She then spent ten years working in a hospital before entering training and serving The Salvation Army in Switzerland for three years before being appointed to Bethel Clinic in Fond-des-Nègres, Haiti. Her family was not accepting of her decisions but, “I had to do what the Lord asked me to do,” she said.

Major Häfeli arrived in Port-au-prince at 9 a.m. on Sunday, October 11, 1969, ready to carry out the Lord’s plans; or so she thought. The appointment she was supposed to take was no longer vacant. When she asked Major Townsend, who she affectionately refers to as “Mr. Take It Easy,” what she was to do, he told her she could start a school.

This school, later to become College Verena, with 100 students and two teachers was set to start the following day. In true Haitian fashion, Major Häfeli took what she was given and made the best of it. On October 12, 1969 two classes were held, with 50 students each, in a wooden shack on the Delmas 2 compound. This was the beginning of Major Häfeli’s trailblazing work with the Army in Haiti.

Over the next 31 years, Major Häfeli would establish 40 schools throughout the country, including both College Verena and Fort National schools in the Delmas 2 area. She was also responsible for establishing the Army’s 30-year relationship with Kindernothilfe (KNH) as sponsors of College Verena and La Maison du Bonheur children’s home.

“I always felt it [wasn’t] enough,” she said. “The need is so big that you feel helpless.” But her efforts were quite the contrary. So much so that President Jean Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier conferred Major Häfeli with the title of Chevalier for her outstanding work in Haiti. Chevalier is a title given to few foreigners, which put her in a category with Mother Theresa, who also received the honor.  The work that Major Häfeli began was not only recognized by the president of the country at the time, but continues to have a profound impact on the lives of children and adults alike. 

Major Häfeli returned to Port-au-prince in August 2011, for the first time after the earthquake. She was met with an overwhelming reception and a few tears by many former students and friends on the Army’s Delmas 2 compound. She was able to see the progress that was made with the demolition and temporary classrooms and Major Jean Volet, fellow Swiss officer and HRD Construction Manager, reviewed the plans for the new College Verena buildings with her.

The last of the original buildings will soon be gone, but because of the hard work Major Häfeli put into its humble beginnings, College Verena will continue to have a meaningful impact on thousands of lives.  “It’s overwhelming for me to see the progress of The Salvation Army,” she said. “It’s really something.”

“The Rogers Worship Center is Back”

Well its official!  Captain Carr says The Salvation Army’s Rogers worship center is up and running again after undergoing some MAJOR repairs this summer.  Our construction team really did an amazing job in the 100 + degree heat to repair damage from this past winter.  Back in April we noticed the roof was leaking.  It was all in big part due to the fact that major trusses in the roof had cracked under the weight of all the heavy snow this past winter!  So when the damage was being done temperatures were well below zero and when the repairs were made it was scorching hot with temperatures well above 100 degrees!  That’s Northwest Arkansas for you!

Captain Carr says when they found out the building was in such GREAT need of expensive repairs it was plain to see they just had to make the building right again.  He says relocating just wasn’t an option because of the real need in this part of the community for the kind of assistance The Salvation Army provides.  Captain Carr says he’s very happy to have the building almost 100 percent back in working order.  There are still a few electrical repairs to be made and this will be done by the end of the week.  So until then if you have any need to contact our Social Services departments please call our area command location at 479-521-2151 or our Bentonville shelter at 479-271-9545 as our phones aren’t up and running at this location until the end of the week.  Basically by next week though things will be back to normal allowing local youth in the area to have their meetings and tasty food on Wednesday’s!

So as you can see, while things are looking up for The Salvation Army, not everyone has been happy with the repairs!  A family of Raccoons had to vacate the premises of the attic!  The roofers found they had munched through all of the duct work to the air conditioner which is kind of a necessity these days! So we aren’t allowing those rough little tenants back in.  The roof is now properly sealed keeping wild animals out.   So it’s back to the great outdoors for them!  God bless em’! 

THE SALVATION ARMY/MHA-NYC PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE

NEW YORK, NY – Members of the 9/11 community, not invited or unable  to attend the national 9/11 10th anniversary ceremony near the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan, will have an alternative gathering place, courtesy of The Salvation Army Greater New York Division and the Mental Health Association of New York City.

Beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 11, 2011, The Salvation Army, in partnership with MHA-NYC’s 9/11 Healing and Remembrance Program, will welcome survivors, displaced residents, first responders, and 9/11 volunteers from all agencies, as well as families of victims not attending the World Trade Center ceremony, to its 1,347-seat Centennial Memorial Temple on West 14th Street for a few hours of reflection in a safe, quiet and comfortable environment.

This “Family Support Center” will feature live streaming of the entire national 9/11 memorial ceremony projected on multiple monitors including on a 20-foot-by-11-foot screen in HD in a press-free environment. Refreshments will be served and supportive services, including child care, mental-health services, and massage therapy, will be available to all who attend.

The Salvation Army location will be the only site featuring a live presentation of the national ceremony in a private theater with these kinds of amenities. 

The Family Support Center will be open from 7:30 a.m. (with the live streaming beginning at 8) until 1 p.m., and guests can arrive and leave at any point during those hours. The gathering is free, but all attendees are required to register ahead of time by calling the Healing and Remembrance Hotline at 1-866-212-0444.

"Due to space limitations and security, a sizable segment of the 9/11 community has never been included in the national annual memorial service,” said Lt. Colonel Guy D. Klemanski, Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army Greater New York Division.  “What we are providing is a quiet, relaxing alternative site where these people can come together as a community, receive support, and give support to each other on this solemn occasion."