kday@nhhr.org

A MESSAGE FROM KELLYANN DAY, MSW

Dear Friends,

It is hard to believe that it has been 10 years since the 9/11 tragedy.  In some ways, things haven’t changed and in other ways, they are very different.  I can’t help but be shocked when I think about  how much has changed since 2001.   Ten years ago, my daughter was 2-years-old and this year she started middle school and is transforming into an independent and exemplary young woman.   During the summer of 2001, the unemployment rate in New Haven was 3% and today it is 10%.  Ten years ago it cost about $600 to rent a decent 2 bedroom apartment in New Haven or one of the surrounding town, but this year, the rent for the same apartment is $1100.  As I look back to how many phone calls NHHR received from families in need of shelter, I am shocked by the increased numbers.  In 2001, NHHR received a total of 335 calls for shelter.  In this current year, we received 1,969 calls and the numbers are increasing every day.  In August alone our family shelter received 453 phone calls for shelter.  
What has not changed in the past 10  years is our collective commitment to help those in need.  This  remains as strong today as it was 10 years ago.  We are a community dedicated to remembering and honoring those who suffered a personal loss on 9/11/01.  No one will forget the victims or the families and how that event changed our lives.  Much has been written about how this event brought communities together in order to help those in need, to offer support to victims and their families and to connect neighbors and friends for mutual support.  When events such as 9/11 happen, we pull together, for our own benefit and the benefit of others.  People open their homes to others, offer their time and donate money to help those in need.  This has not changed over the past 10 years.   I was recently reminded of this during the recent hurricane.  Many people were without power and some lost their home.   Everyone knows someone who needed help and everyone helped someone.   Neighbors opened their homes so people could take showers, friends provided food or the use of a generator,  civic groups volunteered their time to help clean up, strangers came from out of town to help fix power lines.  Events such as 9/11 and hurricane Irene bring out the best in people.  NHHR is fortunate that we have front row seats and see the best of people helping people on a daily basis.  On a daily basis, we at NHHR see people helping people.  We recently asked for backpacks for kids who would otherwise not have them, and the community responded with over 400 backpacks and many school supplies!  We have asked for help purchasing uniforms for children who cannot afford them, and the community responded with help.

It makes me feel good to know that our community is just as committed to helping today as they were 10 years ago.  In the ensuing decade, 9/11 has come to define America's resilient spirit.  There is a growing volunteer movement filled with people determined to erase 9/11's shadows while paying tribute to those who lost their lives.  Across the State and the country, people are participating in a National Day of Service and Remembrance on 9/11.  What better way to honor the memory of those who died, then to turn the date into something positive.

Sincerely,

Kellyann Day