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June has been a very exciting and busy month at the 9/11 Tribute Center, welcoming our 3 millionth visitor since opening in 2006, and joining us in celebration, the comedy legend Joe Piscopo, who also hosted our fundraiser at Gotham Comedy Club just days after. Proceeds went to the 9/11 Tribute Center programs, educating the attacks of 9/11, recovery, rebuilding and the 9/11 community.
We have also introduced the new Tribute audio tour. Visit us and hear 31 personal stories of 9/11 from those who experienced them, and take them home with you.
Best wishes,
The Tribute family
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On June 10, 2013, Joe Piscopo welcomed our 3 millionth visitor, Jack, who was accompanied by his wife Barbara, at the 9/11 Tribute Center. A retired firefighter from Cleveland, Ohio, Jack commented, "We are visiting to pay tribute to the fallen firefighters of 9/11." After a tour through the 9/11 Tribute Center with Lee Ielpi, President and co-founder of 9/11 Tribute Center and former firefighter, continued to walk them to the 9/11 Memorial. Barbara explained, "This is so special to Jack, it means so much to him to be here as a firefighter and have this experience."
Joe Piscopo joined us in the celebration while visiting the Center just days before our comedy night fundraiser with the Laughter Saves Lives Foundation, at Gotham Comedy Club. Featuring the founder of Laughter Saves Lives, John Larocchia, and Jeff Norris, Steve Alleva, Andrew Ginsburg, J Jay boyd and Tom Daddario, the night was filled with laughs and proceeds went to the 9/11 Tribute Center programs.
Let's continue our mission of support and education working toward welcoming four million visitors!
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TRIBUTE CENTER AUDIO TOURS
The 9/11 Tribute Center has released a new audio tour, available in both Spanish and English, taking visitors through 9/11 Tribute Center galleries and onto the 9/11 Memorial. The audio tour gives visitors a deeply personal look into experiences on 9/11 and the recovery. Thirty-one people talk candidly about their escape from the buildings, the 9/11 Memorial, and their experiences during and after the attacks. These audio tours capture the essential mission of the 9/11 Tribute Center - to remember by telling the stories of those who were there. They narrate a walk through the 9/11 Tribute Center galleries where visitors experience artifacts, multimedia, and photographs conveying the history of the terrorist attacks. Then the audio guides take the visitors on a meaningful walk around the 9/11 Memorial, conveying the history of what happened during the attacks and the overwhelming humanitarian response.
Newscaster Soledad O'Brien will be at the 9/11 Tribute Center next month to talk about the importance of this tour to New Yorkers, and to officially greet the first visitors who purchase the Spanish audio tour.
"We think these heartfelt insights will enrich people's appreciation of historic events walking on the 9/11 Memorial," commented Lee Ielpi, the 9/11 Tribute Center's co-founder and the tour's main narrator. "I always tell visitors that when they step onto the 9/11 Memorial they are stepping onto hallowed ground. This place where 1,117 people 'disappeared' (none of their remains have yet been identified) is a burial site for those families," he explains. The tour helps visitors understand the emotional significance of both the memorial pools and the "Survivor Tree." As the tour continues, those who lost loved ones on 9/11 share memories, moving forward and feeling inspired by the rebuilding of the World Trade Center.
The tour features the stories of 9/11 Tribute Center docents - family members, survivors, rescue and recovery workers, volunteers, and residents. "If visitors want to walk by themselves, or do not speak English, we want them to have a meaningful insights a tour can offer," stated curator Meriam Lobel.
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EDUCATION PROGRAMS
The 2012-2013 school year has just ended and the 9/11 Tribute Center has successfully served about 11,000 students in the last year. We were able to provide a conversation with a Tribute Guide for about a third of the visiting students, greatly enhancing their experience and providing them with a deeper understanding of the events of September 11th, 2001. Approximately half of the students visiting were high school students, about 30% were middle school students, and about 20% were elementary students. In addition to students who visited the 9/11 Tribute Center, thousands of teachers, students, and parents utilized our educational toolkit, September 11th: Personal Stories of Transformation, which shares eight examples of triumph and healing out of the trauma and tragedy of September 11th. These inspirational accounts begin to tell the stories of 9/11 and introduce themes of volunteerism and humanity to the viewer.
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HEAR WHAT VISITORS ARE SAYING
We have recently compiled interviews of visitors after their walking tour onto the 9/11 Memorial, with Tribute Center guides. These interviews were conducted to get feedback about what visitors learn from the walking tours with a guide from the 9/11 community consisting of family members who lost loved ones, survivors, rescue and recovery workers or residents who lived in the area on September 11, 2001. Visitors tell us about their experience on the tour, how the personal stories affected them in such profound ways and the importance of educating terrorism. Read what we found out.
"We live in a very cosmopolitan suburb of Chicago where it's like the United Nations. Our junior high is represented by 70 countries. So, for us, the rumors that were out there after the attacks-I had friends of mine, doctors, people who were dark skinned from India, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, wherever, who were being stabbed, it was scary....We had people from my church who were killed [at the WTC]." - Marie K. (Illinois)
"There's hope because we were able to rebuild [here]; we are a country of survivors." - Marie K. (Illinois)
"I think [this tour] was more personal because both guides have a personal story to tell and they seemed more passionate about it rather than someone who just does tours all day long. We just came from D.C. and this was my favorite tour-and we went on probably five or six [tours] there." - Dianna S. (Arizona)
"I think it's very unusual that you have somebody who was actually there or a family member who was deeply affected [as a guide]; I think that adds to [the tour experience]. I like the emotional dimension." - Katie S. (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
"Part of the reason why I wanted to take this tour is because the people giving the tours were actually here and can talk about what it was like that day. And I think that's more effective than if you read it, especially for young people [who] didn't experience it." - Marie K. (Illinois)
"The guides are finding some solace in sharing their stories - it's good, it's good to hear. I think it's when you don't talk that things go bad." - Farley W. (Canada)
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JOIN OUR NEW EDUCATION CAMPAIGN!
Sponsor one class, so that we can educate every
middle school in New York City.
Teach students about the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and
inspire others in their school community to learn more.
Sponsor one class of 10 students with a $100 gift.
Sponsor one class of 30 students with a $300 gift.
Sponsor 5 classes with a $1,500 gift.
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VISITOR CARDS FROM THE TRIBUTE CENTER
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Here are just a few visitor cards from our extraordinary collection:
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WORLD TRADE CENTER NEWS & EVENTS
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The September 11th Widows and Victims Families' Association, Inc., a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization, supports victims of terrorism and their families through education, communication and peer support.
The Tribute WTC Visitor Center, a program of the Association, connects and educates visitors with personal experiences of terrorism. Programs, exhibitions, and tours led by volunteers who experienced the effects of terrorism first-hand convey personal and varied perspectives and inspirational acts of generosity. Programs inspire understanding and compassion among cultures.
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