Reflecting on 9/11, Twenty Years Later
Isabel McDevitt is the Executive Vice President of The Doe Fund.
As we recognize the anniversary of the attacks on September 11th, we remember those who lost their lives and honor the extreme acts of heroism exhibited that fateful day. Their loss will not be in vain if we maintain focus on altruism and live by their example.
Twenty years later, in the grips of an enduring pandemic, we have a lot to glean from the days following 9/11. In the wake of uncertainty and upheaval, The Doe Fund found ways to assist, adapt and thrive. We are exhibiting that same spirit today in the face of COVID-19. Our commitment to helping others and to uniting in the common cause of recovery is our north star. This was true in 2001, and it is true today.
When COVID-19 struck, The Doe Fund had no other option but to remain vigilant while continuing to offer the people we serve—people who needed us more than ever before—paid work, housing and vital support services. The pandemic put our Community Improvement Project and the Men in Blue on the frontlines. Their unwavering commitment to helping New York and New Yorkers has made them heroes.
While some things have changed sin 9/11, 20 years later much remains the same. Our resolve and commitment to helping NYC is stronger than ever—demonstrated our participation in the City Cleanup Corps, a major initiative to give a desperately needed post-pandemic makeover to the five boroughs while employing New Yorkers in need; our expanded efforts to combat hunger through emergency food delivery to vulnerable community residents; and our Pest at Rest social enterprise’s enhanced COVID-19 cleaning and sanitizing services.
Being resilient in the face of adversity requires innovation. During the pandemic, The Doe Fund demonstrated that it is nimble, as we pivoted our programming to include remote mock interviews, online workforce development classes, job training in emerging fields, such as skilled trades and institutional kitchens.
In addition to reflecting on how The Doe Fund has evolved over the past 20 years, I find myself remembering my personal experience on 9/11.
The weather that Tuesday morning was gorgeous. Most people remember that.
Just before 8:00AM, I picked up photos from CVS of a family trip to France on which I had gotten engaged ten days earlier. Still on cloud nine, I boarded the subway to The Doe Fund’s Harlem One facility, where at that time I worked as a Job Developer. On the train, I found James, a Ready, Willing & Able participant who worked security in lower Manhattan. He was on his way home to Harlem One after the night shift. We chatted the whole ride north.
James and I exited the subway, wished each other well and parted ways at the entrance of the facility. In the classroom, a few staff members watched a news report of a “commuter plane accident” that had made a hole in the World Trade Center. Not thinking much of the accident, I got to work.
As a job developer, my role was to find mainstream, permanent employment opportunities for the trainees in Ready, Willing & Able. By the time they began seeking “an outside job,” they had not only proven themselves in the program but had proven to themselves their ability to succeed in the workforce.
On the morning of September 11 2001, Ready, Willing & Able trainees and graduates were working throughout the City in our Community Improvement Project, but also for countless businesses in every industry and borough.
Going about our business, we had no idea the world was about to change forever.
When the second plane hit we, the staff and residents of Harlem One knew—like most—that something devastating and sinister had occurred. Al Johnson, the program director, immediately took action, calling cleaning crews in from neighborhoods throughout the city, accounting for grads at work, and sending staff home for safety.
My colleague drove me to 96th street on the West Side and I began the almost 100 block walk south toward what would become known as Ground Zero to my fiancé’s West Village apartment. The image of people streaming toward me, covered in ash, is emblazoned in my mind.
I don’t think anyone who experienced the traumatic images of that day will ever forget. But it is also the resolve to help others and the sense of community that we must not forget. In the days after 9/11, we heard stories of heroism about thousands who had helped their fellow New Yorkers—including many Ready, Willing & Able trainees and grads who found themselves in the wake of disaster.
Thankfully, none of them were hurt or killed despite the number of Ready, Willing & Able-affiliated people who worked in the area— including James, the security guard I rode the subway with that morning who worked just steps from the 1 World Trade.
As I reflect back, there is no comparison or words to soothe the rawness of the stunning and concentrated loss of life on 9/11. But I am heartened when I think how the community recovered and The Doe Fund participated in that recovery. Fast forwarding to today, and that same sense of optimism and resolve still guides us.
