On Saturday, September 10− in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks− children from two shelters participated in a national day of service and remembrance. Held at PS 188 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the event centered on the theme of, “I will,” and encouraged youngsters to celebrate diversity and become actively involved in their communities.

“Although most of the children in attendance were too young to recall that fateful day, they nevertheless learned an important lesson from this event,” said DHS’ Director of Special Events, Antonio Rodriguez, who coordinated the involvement of the shelter groups. “Out of a terrible tragedy came an overwhelming desire to help others. Each of us has the ability to lend a hand in some small way, and carry out the legacy of those who made the ultimate sacrifice on 9/11.”

During the event− which was the product of collaborations between DHS, GenerationOn, New York Cares and numerous corporate sponsors− children decorated cloth placemats to be distributed to families at local food pantries. The children also enjoyed reading multicultural books and creating dream boards of their future aspirations, with the help of volunteers from companies such as Deutsche Bank and Best Buy.

One child explained diversity in his own words midway through the endeavor, stating that, “Just because two people are from different countries, doesn’t mean they can’t be friends.” Many children chose to adorn their placemats with a variety of personal touches− depicting illustrations of their families, flags of their native countries, and writing “I love you” in a multitude of languages.

The effort was just one of many service-themed events held throughout the City and the nation to coincide with the 9/11 anniversary, and also included students from PS 188.

For more information about GenerationOn, visit http://generationon.org/. To find out more about future volunteer opportunities, please visit New York Cares http://www.newyorkcares.org or NYC Service http://www.nycservice.org/.