By Ann Marie Barron
Staten Island Advance
NEW YORK — Former Staten Islander Pete Davidson, a well-known stand-up comedian, actor and writer, is helping support a national movement by the not-for-profit 9/11 Day, calling on Americans to perform good deeds in memory of those lost on Sept. 11, 2001.
Davidson’s father, Scott Davidson, was an FDNY firefighter killed in the line of duty in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Twenty-five years later, after that terrible day, the nonprofit 9/11 Day wants Americans to join together once again — as the nation did in response to 9/11 — and engage in charitable service and good deeds.
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The goal of 9/11 Day’s “UNIITE For Good” campaign: 1,000,000 good deeds pledged by Sept.11, transforming the 25th anniversary of 9/11 into an extraordinary national expression of unity and doing good, according to a media announcement by the nonprofit.
Davidson posted a video on the 911day.org website encouraging Americans to join him in honoring those lost in or affected by the attacks, not only through remembrance, but through action.
Davidson will kick off “UNIITE With Me,” a national friend-to-friend and social media challenge in which celebrities, influencers and Americans across the country perform or pledge good deeds and invite others to do the same.
“You try to make the day a little bit lighter,” Davidson says in the video. “9/11 is usually a tough day, but this organization, 9/11 Day, does something cool where you do a good deed. Let’s show up for each other. I think my dad would have loved that.”
Davidson’s video message can be viewed at 911day.org, as well as on 9/11 Day’s YouTube, Facebook, and other social channels.
“9/11 will always be a hard day,” said Davidson. “But I also grew up seeing what came after — people showing up for each other. Twenty-five years later, we can honor the people we lost by doing the same for our community.”
At a time when Americans feel deeply divided, we believe there is no more meaningful tribute than to rekindle the remarkable spirit of unity and goodness that transformed America and much of the world in the days following the attacks,” said David Paine, president and co-founder of 9/11 Day. “We are honored to have Pete Davidson help share his story, and encourage Americans and others to join together as we did 25 years ago, and remember by doing good,” Paine said.
One million good deeds
At the center of the campaign is a new interactive web application at 911day.org that provides ideas for good deeds, allowing visitors to choose something meaningful to them, pledge to do it, and add their commitment to a growing interactive map representing people across the nation and beyond who are choosing to “UNIITE For Good.”
Good deeds can be as simple as helping a neighbor, donating blood, thanking a first responder, supporting a food bank, checking on someone who is lonely, mentoring a young person or volunteering with a local nonprofit.
The campaign aims to generate at least one million pledged good deeds by Sept. 11, creating a visible demonstration that Americans with different backgrounds, beliefs, politics, cultures and life experiences can still stand together around something fundamental: helping one another.
“The premise of the campaign is intentionally accessible: You don’t need to run into a burning building, as my brother did on 9/11, to make a difference,” said Jay S. Winuk, co-founder and executive vice president of 9/11 Day.
Winuk’s younger brother, Glenn Winuk, an attorney and volunteer firefighter/EMT, was killed in the line of duty in the collapse of the World Trade Center South Tower. “You simply need to do something good to help someone else, and that’s how we can help keep the promise to ‘Never Forget’ for generations to come.”
Visitors to the 911day.org website can also access free lesson plans for teachers, and get other helpful resources.
UNIITE For Good
9/11 Day’s campaign was created in partnership with David&Goliath, the nonprofit organization’s award-winning marketing agency. It is built around a deliberately unexpected spelling of a familiar word: UNIITE.
The two “I”s turn the idea of unity into a visual call for individuals to come together — person to person — through action.
Across campaign imagery, the two “I”s become people, objects and symbols associated with service and everyday acts of good: volunteers standing side by side, grocery bags left for a neighbor, work gloves in a community garden, paint cans at a neighborhood restoration project and other simple representations of people helping people.
“As an agency, we talk a lot about building movements that make a real difference in people’s lives,” said David Angelo, founder and creative chairman of David&Goliath. “We’ve always believed creativity should leave the world a little better than we found it.
“The good in us has always been there,” Angelo added. “We saw it on Sept. 11 . We’ve seen it every year since. Now it’s about inspiring the next generation to keep it going.”
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