Many in the insurance industry still grieve over the loss of cherished colleagues at AON, Marsh, and other firms on September 11, 2001. We respectfully remember these and all the victims of that sad day.
One Day’s Pay is a nonprofit grassroots movement started by relatives and friends of 9/11 victims who hope to help establish September 11 as a national day of voluntary service, charity, kindness, and compassion. Individuals and companies throughout the nation find creative ways to donate a day of pay or a day of service:
“New York City firefighters will travel to San Diego to help rebuild homes destroyed in last year’s wildfires. Academy Award-nominated actor Gary Sinise (“Forrest Gump” and “Truman”) will assemble school supply kits for Iraqi children in partnership with Airline Ambassadors, who will do the same with children in 11 other cities and then package and ship the kits at major airports. JPMorgan Chase employees will host children with cancer and their families at a Long Island Ducks baseball game. Hundreds of volunteers nationwide will participate in service projects in local HandsOn Network locations, an innovative alliance of volunteer organizations transforming people and communities through service and civic engagement. Bryan Hallum, along with 70 other colleagues at Bell South in Memphis, Tenn., will build wheelchair ramps for the disabled.”
What a wonderful response to the senselessness of the day this seems. If there was any solace to be had in the days following this tragedy, it was in the courage, caring, concern, and kindness that neighbor showed to neighbor — if only we could sustain some measure of that kindness every day. It occurs to me that because most of the day’s deaths occurred while people were at the everyday business of their jobs, perhaps one tribute that many of us who work in insurance-related or risk management fields could make would be to devote a day to making workplaces safer. Thankfully, terrorism isn’t an every day occurrence for us, but on-the-job deaths are. What more fitting tribute to our colleagues and other workers who died while doing their jobs? I think this One Day’s Pay idea has merit.
Tags: 9/11, September 11 2001
