Through the support of American Express, SCA brought together over 700 volunteers this weekend to mark the 9/11 National Day of Service & Remembrance with Find Your Park Day of Service Events in New York City and Washington, DC.
In New York City on Saturday, September 10th, volunteers gathered at Governors Island National Monument directly across New York Harbor from the World Trade Center. After observing a Moment of Silence to commemorate the victims and survivors of 9/11 and the first responders and volunteers who gave back in the wake of the tragedy, over 300 volunteers dispersed across the island to continue the legacy of service.
Special thanks to AMERICAN EXPRESS, Governors Island National Monument, Trust for Governors Island, Friends of Governors Island, Billion Oyster Project, and all of our community partners who joined us in NYC…
Employee groups from MUFG Union Bank, the PricewaterhouseCoopers Green Team, and Finsbury; community volunteers from AmeriCorps Sunset Park, ARISTA, InterExchange, the Manhattan Kickers, the Mountbatten Institute, and the New York Public Library; and students from the Borough of Manhattan Community College, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn Latin School, Bryant High School Environmental Club, Chancellor Academy, City College of New York, Collier High School, Columbia Prep, CSI High School for International Studies, East West High School of International Studies, FIorida International University Alumni Association of Greater New York, Hunter College, James Madison High School, Jericho High School, John Dewey High School, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Kazakh National University, LaGuardia Community College, LIU Brooklyn, Lycée Français de New York (LFNY), Marsh Academy of Expeditionary Learning, Mather High School, Millenium High School , Montgomery High School, Morgan Stanley Veterans Employee Networking Group, Mountbatten Institute, National Institute of Applied Sciences, New Jersey City University, New York City College of Technology, Pace University, Parsons the New School for Design, St. John’s University, St. Joseph’s of the Sea High School, Stevens Institute of Technology, Stony Brook University, Stuyvesant High School Environmental Club, Syosset High School, United Nations International School, and York College.
… and thanks to Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens, the Friends of Kenilworth Gardens, KIND Snacks, and all our community partners who joined us in DC…
Community volunteers from Accenture, AAAS – The American Association for the Advancement of Science, AmeriCorps NCCC, Anacostia Waterfront Trust, the Corporation for National and Community Service, Girl Scouts of America (Troops 3247, 4651, 5384, 542, 6192), InterExchange, International Monetary Fund, National Association of Black Accountants-Howard University Chapter, and the The Washington Center; and students from Alpha Phi Omega (Alpha Delta Chapter, Theta Chi Chapter, Zeta Mu Chapter), Bladensburg High School, Blake High School, Brown University Alumni Club of DC, Capitol Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church, Catholic University of America, Eastern Middle School, Filipino Cultural Association of George Mason University (GMU FCA), George Mason University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Hayfield Secondary School, Howard University, James Madison High School, John Hopkins School of Nursing, Kappa Phi Lambda – George Mason University, Korea Economic Institute, The Lab School of Washington DC, McKinley Tech, Miami University, North Bethesda Middle School, Northern Virginia Community College, Takoma Middle School, Theodore Roosevelt High School, UC Davis Alumni Chapter of DC, University of Maryland-College Park, Westland Middle School, and Walt Whitman High School.
Volunteers donned waders and headed into the park’s water lily and lotus ponds to help cut and remove 300 cubic yards of vegetation as part of the park’s annual fall clean-up. While some volunteers were initially hesitant to wade in, others enjoyed getting dirty in the ponds — “the mud is seeping into my socks as we speak, but I’m actually having so much fun!” one volunteer announced. Participants also reinforced eroded trails around the lily ponds, removed invasive species from the native meadow, and installed new benches and exercise equipment at historic Fort Mahan. The work completed by Find Your Park volunteers will help to ensure that the natural and historic beauty of urban public lands can continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. 
