New Yorkers 'pay it forward' after 9/11By Kathleen Toner, CNN

Last weekend, more than 300 volunteers helped rebuild 13 New York homes damaged by Superstorm Sandy

Long Beach, New York (CNN) –

Some New Yorkers mark the anniversary of the September 11 attacks by going to a memorial service or observing a moment of silence.

For the past 10 years, Jeff Parness has been helping others.

Every September, Parness brings hundreds of volunteers from New York to help another disaster-stricken community in the United States.

"It was our way of saying, you know, New Yorkers will never forget what people from around the country and the world did for us in our time of need after 9/11," said Parness, a 2011 CNN Hero. "So that's how the mission started. It was just to pay forward the kindness that we experienced."

Over the past decade, Parness' nonprofit, New York Says Thank You, has assisted victims of wildfires in San Diego, tornadoes in the Midwest and Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana.

Many of those who receive help are so inspired that they travel across the country the next year -- often at their own expense -- to volunteer with Parness' group and help someone else.

The result is a unique disaster-response organization.

"All of our volunteers are survivors. They survived, whether it was 9/11 or Katrina or tornadoes. So they all share that common bond," said Parness, who quit his job as a venture capitalist to work on his nonprofit full-time.

This year, Parness' mission has come full circle.

Last weekend, more than 300 volunteers -- at least half of whom were from outside the New York area -- helped rebuild 13 homes damaged by Superstorm Sandy in October.

For Parness, a native New Yorker, the work carried extra significance.

"Being able to travel to other disaster sites and help people is one thing. When it happens in your own backyard, you go into shock," he said. "I woke up and realized this was (like) Hurricane Katrina." He pointed out around 650,000 families in New York and New Jersey had damaged or destroyed homes.

More than 2,000 members of New York City's police and fire departments were severely impacted by the storm. And because first responders are a core part of his group's volunteer base, Parness decided to help them. With the support of corporations, foundations and private donors, his group is planning to rebuild 200 homes in all for active-duty first responders in the New York area.

Police officer Charlie Sadler and his wife, Gina, had been married for less than three months when Sandy destroyed their Long Beach home.

"The damage to our home ... sea foam, seaweed, shells and starfish," Charlie Sadler said, "there's no way to understand the sheer devastation that was in the house. The mold, the breathing problems ... our home was completely unlivable."

All of the couple's wedding gifts were under water as well. Ultimately, the house had to be razed, and they didn't have the resources to rebuild.

Their challenges intensified when Gina had a cancer scare in the spring. But on the day of her exploratory surgery, they got the news that Parness' group would rebuild their home.

"We couldn't believe it," Charlie Sadler said. "From sitting in that hospital room and wondering what was going to happen ... to building a brand new home from the ground up.

"It's a feeling of elation. It was unbelievable."

More than 100 volunteers worked on the Sadlers' home last weekend, including Mark Ford, who came from Slidell, Louisiana, to lend a hand.

Ford, a former police officer, lost his home in Katrina. This is his third volunteer trip with Parness' group.

"(After the storm), I had a lot of people help me. The Sadlers needed our help, and so here we are, " Ford said. "Being here gives the Sadlers the confidence to know that they're not alone in this adventure."

For Parness, bringing people together is the most important part of his work.

"We want to lift up spirits and remember not just the tragedy of (9/11), but also the humanity of 9/12.

"We tell people it's never about the buildings. It's always about the people. At the end of the day, it's about giving them hope."

9/11 “hero dog” saved woman trapped in rubble for 27 hours

More than 300 specially trained search-and-rescue dogs were deployed at Ground Zero in the days following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Genelle Guzman-McMillan was working in her office in the World Trade Center when she heard a terrible noise outside. As she raced down the stairs, she felt the building collapse around her.

Twenty-seven hours later, she would be the final living person rescued from the rubble at Ground Zero. She was not found by a human equipped with special gear. Instead, her savior was a dog.

“It’s so awesome that the dogs could have this kind of sense, to find people buried under the rubble,” Guzman-McMillan told Animal Planet for the new documentary “Hero Dogs of 9/11.” “I felt total renewed life in me. ... That was the most joyful moment.”

Genelle’s story was one of several that inspired documentary producer Tanya Kelen. She decided to tell the story of some of the day’s heroes, who just so happened to have four legs and lots of fur. The special she produced, which aired Tuesday night on Animal Planet, spotlighted a number of incredible dogs, as well as the first responders, veterinarians and dog trainers who made their work possible.

There were more than 300 specially trained search-and-rescue dogs at Ground Zero in the days following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. They helped find survivors in the rubble and, later, found trinkets like jewelry that could be returned to victims’ families. Still more canines served as therapy dogs, helping survivors and first responders cope with their emotional trauma.

“We found a number of people who were too shaken up to share their stories,” Kelen said of her meetings with 9/11 survivors. “But Genelle said she had a mission to keep telling her story because she’d been saved.”The important work of search-and-rescue dogs is highlighted in the new Animal Planet documentary, "Hero Dogs of 9/11." Guzman-McMillan was one of about 15 employees from her team of Port Authority workers who all tried to evacuate the building at the same time. She is the only one of the group who lived. “I felt the walls cave in,” she recalled in the documentary. “It was dark and everything was rumbling.” Pinned under cement and steel and unable to move, she prayed and asked God to help her.

Although doctors told Guzman-McMillan that she would never walk again, she defied all odds and now not only walks but runs. She has since married and had two daughters, and she said she has an extremely strong faith.

Another incredible story about a dog’s love on 9/11 involves Michael Hingson, a blind World Trade Center employee who was led safely out of the building by his trusted canine companion, a yellow Labrador retriever named Roselle.

Hingson remembers encountering firefighters on his way out of the building. One of them stopped to pet Roselle and cuddle her, even though guide dogs aren’t supposed to be petted. Still, Hingson doesn’t regret what happened. “It was probably the last unconditional act of love he got,” Hingson said about the fireman, who was killed that day in the line of duty.

After 9/11, Hingson wrote a book, “Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero,” and became public affairs director for a seeing-eye-dog organization. Roselle traveled the world with him and died at the age of 13.

Kelen and her crew also highlighted stories of people like veterinarian Dr. Cynthia Otto. Otto was in charge of health care for the 9/11 search-and-rescue dogs, some of whom got injured from stepping on debris or inhaling smoke. The special also showed how search-and-rescue dogs, many of whom are rescued from shelters, get trained to do their jobs.

“I’ve always been a dog lover,” Kelen told TODAY.com, “but it amazed me how many people didn’t know the story of the dogs at Ground Zero who were in charge of finding survivors.”

Inspiring Stories Since September 11 pt. 1By Larry West

A principal asset

Ada Rosario Dolch was the principal of the High School for Leadership and Public Service, just two

blocks south of Ground Zero, when the planes hit the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.

Although she was worried about her sister, Wendy Wakeford, who worked in the World Trade

Center, Dolch remained calm and led 600 students, plus teachers and other staff, to safety amid the

panic and chaos that followed the terrorist attacks.

For months after 9/11, Dolch and many other New York educators had to double as crisis counselors

for students who were traumatized by the attacks. In the process, she and her colleagues had to learn

self-care techniques that would enable them to keep giving to those who needed them without

burning out. Part of Dolch’s own recovery was very personal. Her sister, Wendy, died on 9/11. In

her memory, Dolch helped to build a school in Afghanistan that opened in 2005.

Today, Dolch is executive director of the Executive Leadership Institute, an organization that trains

and inspires public school leaders in New York City.

A star is born

Celebrity news often involves their lavish lifestyles, short-lived marriages or most recent trip to

rehab, but every so often A-list celebrities do something that inspires us.

Actor Steve Buscemi is best known for his roles in movies such as “Fargo” and “Reservoir Dogs,”

and in the hit HBO series “Boardwalk Empire,” but New Yorkers have another reason to remember

Buscemi. Before he became an actor, Buscemi was a New York City firefighter, a member of

Engine Company 55. After the planes hit the World Trade Center on 9/11, Buscemi went to his

former station and started doing anything he could to help.

The actor ended up working 12-hour shifts alongside other rescuers, sifting through rubble, trying to

save anyone who was still alive, and dealing compassionately with the remains of those who had

died. Not wanting his celebrity to slow the vital work, Buscemi refused to pose for photos and

shunned the limelight as much as possible throughout the rescue effort.

Inspiring Stories Since September 11 pt. 2By Larry West

A gift of life

Nine months after the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, an American

diplomat traveled to a small village in Kenya to accept an unusual gift from the Masai people to the

people of America. Moved by the deaths of the thousands who perished on 9/11, and the suffering of

their families and friends, the Masai decided to give America a precious gift: 14 cows.

Cattle are vitally important to the Masai. The animals are part of the Masai religion, the people of the

tribe measure their wealth by the number of cows they own, and cow’s milk and cow’s blood are

essential parts of their diet. By giving the Americans 14 cows, the Masai were responding the tragic

deaths on 9/11 with a gift of life.

At the request of the Americans, the Masai kept the cows in their village, where they are bred and

tended by a village elder and branded with a distinctive earmark of two bars, which represent the

twin towers. Since the original gift in 2012, the American herd has tripled in size, and the story of

cross-cultural compassion has been turned into a best-selling children’s book: “14 Cows for

America.”

Russian memorial

In 1886, the French people gave the United States the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of freedom from

tyranny; 120 years later, on the fifth anniversary of 9/11, the Russian people gave the Americans

another monument, one that would stand as a statement against terrorism.

To the Struggle Against World Terrorism, affectionately known as “The Teardrop,” was created by

artist Zurab Tsereteli, who was inspired by the worldwide mourning that took place after the attacks

on 9/11. The memorial, a giant stainless-steel teardrop suspended in jagged fissure cut into a bronze-

coated steel tower, is located at the northeast corner of Bayonne Peninsula in New Jersey and is

aligned with the Statue of Liberty as visitors look across the water to New York City. The names of

those who died in the 2001 and 1993 attacks on the World Trade Center are inscribed on the base of

the monument.

Inspiring Stories Since September 11 pt. 3

By Larry West

Walk to Ground Zero

Vowing to raise money to help victims of the 9/11 attacks, four high-school boys—Tad Millinger,

Chad Coulter, Dustin Dean and Brandon Reinhard—made a 650-mile trek from their hometown in

Rossford, Ohio to Ground Zero in New York City.

In 44 days of walking the boys battled blazing sun, driving rain, joint problems, blisters, viruses and

heat exhaustion that forced them to stop at hospitals for medical assistance, but they completed their

mission. Welcomed at Ground Zero by a joyful crowd of family, friends and representatives from

the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, the footsore boys had raised more than $17,000 to

help 9/11 victims during their cross-country journey.

“I’m obviously excited to get it over with because it’s been a really long journey,” Tad Millinger

told ABC News. “But I really love touching people’s lives. It’s an amazing feeling just to know that

the actions you’re doing right now actually mean something to other people.” Perhaps inspired by

his experience, Millinger has since become a volunteer firefighter and EMT.

Be prepared

After Rick Rescorla retired from the U.S. Army, he became director of security for Morgan Stanley

at the World Trade Center. Uneasy about security measures at the Twin Towers and believing that

the building was a target for terrorists, especially after the 1993 bombing, he advised Morgan

Stanley not to renew its lease. Even though his employer disregarded his recommendation, Rescorla

developed emergency evacuation plans and insisted that the entire staff, including senior executives,

take part in drills every three months.

His vigilance paid off. When the plane hit the first tower, Rescorla was ready. The Port Authority

made an announcement telling everyone to stay at their desks. Rescorla ignored the order and

successfully evacuated 22 floors and nearly all of the firm’s 2,687 employees before going back

inside to continue leading people to safety. He was last seen on the 10th floor, heading up the stairs,

just before the second tower collapsed.

Inspiring Stories Since September 11 pt. 4

By Larry West

The miraculous church

St. Paul’s Chapel is the oldest surviving church in Manhattan. George Washington worshipped there,

and members of the Continental Congress prayed with him there on the day he was inaugurated as

president. The church has survived multiple disasters, including the Great Fire of New York in 1776,

when the British occupied the city during the Revolutionary War and about 25 percent of the

buildings on Manhattan burned to the ground.

St. Paul’s also survived the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Although the

church organ was ruined by smoke and dust, a nearby sycamore tree shielded the chapel from debris

as the towers collapsed. In the days that followed, volunteers kept the church open as a place for

firefighters and other rescue workers to eat, rest and receive counseling as they went about the grim

task of pulling bodies from the rubble

Tough tree

There is a Callery pear tree a few yards from Ground Zero that has become a powerful symbol of

resilience and survival. When the tree was found in the World Trade Center Plaza amid the rubble of

the 9/11 attacks, it was little more than a burned and twisted tree trunk only 8 feet tall.

By 2009, the tree had rebounded and flourished, growing to a height of 30 feet and starting to

blossom again each spring. Then, in March 2010, New York City was hit by a severe windstorm that

uprooted the tree and knocked it down. Incredibly, the tree survived again.