May 12th, 2011
May 13, 2011
This Friday, May 13th, 6:30pm The Morgan Library and Museum (Pierpont) presents a special evening “Preparing for the 9/11 Anniversary: A Look at the Power of Journal Keeping”. This special evening, organized in conjunction with the exhibition ”The Diary: Three Centuries of Private Lives” Diary Exhibit (which includes the journals of 2 police lieutenants who led 9/11 rescue and recovery efforts) explores the power of journal keeping and encourages those most deeply affected by the attacks to document their experience as this anniversary year unfolds. Presenters include Bill Keegan, Port Authority Police lieutenant attached to the Special Operations Division and named the WTC Night Tour Operations Chief on Sept 12 2001/President of H.E.A.R.T. whose 9/11 journal is on view in the exhibition; Mary Fetchet, Director of Voices of September 11; Maureen McNeil, Director of Education, Anne Frank Center USA; and Christine Nelson, curator of “The Diary”. H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 volunteer Steve Mona, a lieutenant with the N.Y.P.D. and the Commanding Officer of Citywide Vandals Task Force, writings are also featured in the exhibit. Tickets are free. For advance reservations call 212.685.0008 ext. 560 or email tickets@themorgan.org. The exhibition “The Diary: Three Centuries of Private Lives” will be open at 5:30pm especially for program attendees. The exhibit runs until May 22, 2011. The Morgan Library & Museum is located at 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY.
May 14, 2011
Centenary Colleges’ 136th May Commencement Award Recipients
The Dominick Romano Award recognizes individuals who are role models for Centenary students as they explore and come to understand the impact they can have through service leadership, a hallmark of the Centenary Experience. This year the Dominick Romano Award for outstanding community service will be given to H.E.A.R.T. 9/11, a non-profit organization that is comprised of veteran police officers, fire fighters, construction trade union workers, surviving families of those killed on September 11, 2001, and those others who share the belief that we can help ourselves by helping others. The Mission of H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 is to alleviate the suffering of individuals and communities coping with disasters and mass trauma. H.E.A.R.T. 9/11, through its volunteers, developed the physical capabilities and national network to respond - as they did in the case of Hurricane Katrina - to disasters where their skills can help first responders and victims alike. The level of expertise of the volunteers of H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 is unparalleled in volunteer organizations. H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 has successfully completed more than twenty deployments throughout the U.S.A and most recently in Haiti. Bill Keegan and John Viola will be accepting the award on behalf of the organization.
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May 6th, 2011
H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 Profiled on NY1 and ABC7 NYC
Over the past weekend, the H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 organization was profiled on two major New York City News stations. On Friday, Bill Keegan, H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 President, as well as Chaz Rynkiewicz, team member and organizer at Laborers Local 79, were interviewed for NY1, NY1 in a piece that started at 8pm and ran every hour for eighteen straight hours. Both Bill and Chaz spoke at length about the organization’s continuing efforts to rebuild in Haiti, and the ongoing impact their work continues to have in the Haitian community. This Sunday, on the Diane Williams Show, WABC-TV/ ABC 7 New York, ABC Bill Keegan discussed the organization’s relief work in Haiti, shared his thoughts on the upcoming September 11th anniversary and spoke about the future of the H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 team.
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April 13th, 2011
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50 HOUSES IN 6 DAYS
The H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 team has returned from Fond Parisien, Haiti after successfully accomplishing their goal of building 50 homes in six days. (Materials delivery affected our original goal of 60 homes). The days begin at 5am, when all workers rise and meet for breakfast under a dark, still starry sky. After eating, they pile into a mesh-enclosed paddy wagon, destination: job site. The work begins on a construction site that sits on the edge of a tent city, full of refugees who were displaced by the 2010 earthquake. While this may first seem gloomy and dismal, it is instead completely the opposite. Those living in makeshift shacks watch as their homes are built every day, and delight in the prospect of trading in their dusty dirt floors for wooden ones, their industrial garbage bag roofs for those of hard wood and metal. Upon wrapping up construction late in the afternoon, the team often ventures into the villages to play with the children and speak with the locals. This tireless group proves once again that through tragedy there is always resilience. We held an organized soccer match for the Haitian children, made possible by donations from H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 and Local 79 member, Charlie ‘Chaz’ Rynkiewicz. The team originally got the idea after their previous trips to Haiti, struck by the similarities the sport evokes in both American and Haitian children and the parents who support them. Once again H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 has made a difference that will not go unnoticed. We thank the generosity of Jefferies & Co, without whom none of this would have been possible.
Bill Keegan
President, H.E.A.R.T. 9/11
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April 5th, 2011
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60 HOMES IN 6 DAYS
H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 heads back to Haiti April 3-9 taking 24 team members to Love A Child Orphanage in Fond Parisien, Haiti. (This team was originally scheduled for deployment December 5, 2010 but due to the volatile situation in Haiti at the time, the trip was canceled.) In February, a team led by John Viola and Mike Oestrander built a fully functioning primary health clinic to treat the village residents. This mission, our goal is to build 60 homes in six days for amputees and their families which will complete the village. Volunteers on this deployment will be joined by a Brooklyn based filmmaker who will be documenting the trip. H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 is once again making a positive impact on the world. We thank the generosity of Jefferies & Co, without whom none of this would have been possible.
The mission will be blogged on the September 11 National Memorial and Museum website. |
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February 11th, 2011
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Members and Supporters,
H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 is once again deploying a team of experts to Haiti. H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 Executive Board member John Viola will lead a team consisting of construction tradesmen, firefighters and police officers to Fond Parisienne, Haiti to continue our work at Love A Child Orphanage. As you may recall, Love A Child hosted the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, a group of Harvard doctors who treated hundreds of Haitian amputees directly following the January 12, 2010 earthquake. H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 assisted the Harvard team by creating a water redirection system which keeps the rains from washing away the post-op tents, equipment, and thus avoids the bio-hazard of standing water. We also built triage rooms, x-ray tables and reinforced existing operating rooms, as well as rebuilt classrooms that allowed children of Love A Child to continue their education.
H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 now has been asked to build a health clinic for the continuing health issues of the large amputee population at Love A Child and to finish a pod of housing for the victims’ families. Our team will depart from JFK Airport on February 13, 2011 and return on February 19, 2011.
The H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 Executive Board will be organizing additional teams in the near future which will be posted on the H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 News Page. I know we wish all responding members a safe and productive deployment.
Bill Keegan
President H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 |
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November 11th, 2010
The Green School, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
To all members,
H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 has scheduled its next project in our continuing Haiti Earthquake Relief Mission. We will assist in the reconstruction of a large school in Port-au-Prince, the Institution Communautaire Dadadou. This school, known by the Haitian Community as The Green School, was devastated by the January 12, 2010 earthquake, but prior to that it was the center of education for 1800 students. H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 and our benefactor, Jefferies & Company, are hoping to complete this ambitious project so that there will a January 2011 reopening.
We need volunteers - your skill level may range from those who are seasoned craftsmen to those with good intentions. All members will be a part of the team regardless of qualifications. Whether you are a professional or an amateur there is a place and a need for you. This mission will consist of two separate deployments scheduled deployments that will take place in December 2010. The tentative dates are December 04 - 11 and December 12 - 18.
All medical, security, and logistical issues will be addressed before you embark on this mission. Volunteers will be contacted and given detailed information. You will incur no individual expense (except for your personal items). Transportation, meals, billeting, etc. will be taken care of by H.E.A.R.T. 9/11.
We know that time is short so all interested members should notify any of the following H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 board members:
John Viola at johnviola@heart911.org
Tony Sanpietro at tonysanpietro@heart911.org
John Stack at johnstack@heart911.org
Any questions or comments will be responded to promptly. Please join us in this most worthwhile project and help us kick off this holiday season by giving the children of Haiti the gifts of education and hope.
Go to the web site at www.HEART911.org and see the work we have already completed in Haiti. You will see the places we went and people we helped.
Thank you,
The Staff at H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 |
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October 28th, 2010
H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 Responding In Haiti This Winter
Steve Mona, Bill Keegan and Jack Quigley with the Haitian apprentices
A H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 team, headed by Board President Bill Keegan and joined by H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 members Steve Mona and Jack Quigley, has returned from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 ‘s three-day visit was a fact-finding mission to help us with project selection for our continuing response at the Jesuit Novitiate Complex. H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 already has re-established water systems and completed many infrastructure repairs, while training local community members of the Novitiate in various building trade skills. The education of these young Haitians is allowing them to join in the reconstruction of their country as gainfully employed skilled craftsmen.
This H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 team also conducted a security analysis at the Jesuit Novitiate Complex. Bill Keegan said, “We are addressing the security issues with a few simple common sense fixes which will limit access to the complex. Use of identification cards and basic protocols will insure that the community can pursues its work peacefully”.
H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 addressed the growing Cholera outbreak threatening the Port-au-Prince community with local community leaders and the risk associated with bringing H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 volunteers back to Haiti. For this reason, Dr. Victor Politi, our H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 Medical Director, has been tasked with monitoring the outbreak and its progress in the region. He is doing so in consultation with the federal government’s US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the coming weeks, H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 plans the deployment of professional Trade Union H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 members in November and December to complete the rebuilding of dormitories. Upon completion of the living quarters, H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 will then begin the “Green School” project. Prior to the January 12, 2010 earthquake this school served 1,800 students. It is critical to the well being of the community and its future to reopen the doors of this school as quickly as possible. As with other H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 projects, our professionals will train on-site local volunteers, men and women, in skills they can then use to continue rebuilding their country and help them get paid jobs to improve their quality of life.
Bill Keegan urges all H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 members interested in participating to regularly view the www.heart911.org website for further information regarding these important deployments. The completion of these projects will require many members with skills ranging from professional level to novice. There will be work for everyone regardless of skill level. Ask your friends and community contacts to join H.E.A.R.T. 9/11. Invite them to join our mailing list by registering at: www.HEART911.org or by joining our group page on Facebook, look for H.E.A.R.T. 9/11, where we will post updates as well.
The Staff at H.E.A.R.T. 9/11
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September 9th, 2010
President’s Message
Keeping Our Eye On The Mission
From the very first moments following the attacks on the World Trade Center and then the collapse of the Twin Towers, so many of us at H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 have worked through our pain by helping others. During the moments that we felt anger and despair creeping into our souls, we looked outside of ourselves and saw others in more pain. We put aside our sorrow that grew from the overwhelming loss of so many good friends, good people, and reached out to ameliorate others grief. We saw the loved ones of those missing holding pictures while pleading for our help to provide answers, even if those answers were unbearable. We felt a burden of a nation reeling from a cowardly attack on it’s innocent citizens. We did not waiver, but instead fell back to our technical training and our nature to help. We did what we do best, we were moved to action. The country took notice. New York City was no longer on its knees. It was not because of some phony bravado, but rather a searing hope that we may be able to help those who are in more pain than we are.
Yes, it certainly was the worst of times, but it was also the best of times. The witnessing of the pure unadulterated evil, the consequences of the perverse thoughts of a few men, and the faces of those left behind were almost too much to bear if not for the love in the human spirit. While we were torn apart and emotionally defenseless, a dawning took place in each of us, who were sentenced to that hell on earth. We cannot change what happened, but we can try to make tomorrow better - and that mantra took hold. We had our differences. We were approaching the Recovery Mission from different expertise, different perspectives, demolition safety vs. rescue/recovery…etc. Voices were raised, for sure, no shrinking violets here, but in the end we never lost sight of our mission, to bring whatever comfort we could to those in need.
H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 continues that sacred mission today. Whether in Haiti or anywhere throughout the world, we will respond wherever there are pained voices calling for help. During this week, when emotions are vulnerable to the same anger and despair that we fought against nine years ago, H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 members will continue to help others through the transfer of our hard earned experiences and the sharing of our expertise in disaster relief.
I wish our members to know their continued hard work, support, and dedication is much appreciated. My prayers are with all whose lives have been touched by September 11, 2001. May God bless them and their lost loved ones, and may God bless America.
William Keegan
President H.E.A.R.T. 9/11
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September 8th, 2010
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May 7th, 2010
We would like to share with our members a tribute bestowed on our organization. On April 19, 2010, the United States Ambassador to Haiti, Kenneth Merten, met with the H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 teams working in Haiti and was given a tour of several ongoing projects. He presented the members of H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 with a proclamation thanking us for all that we have accomplished in helping the people in that country after the tragic earthquake of January 12, 2010.
Among our many achievements in Haiti are four H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 initiatives that have been successfully completed.
1. H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 immediately deployed to Haiti to participate in the Rescue and Recovery after the devastating earthquake in January that saw over 330, 000 people killed.
2. H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 members went back to Haiti to the Jesuit Novitiate and completed a project that saw the Novitiate’s damaged water supply structure demolished and a new system installed. They also stabilized several buildings that were uninhabitable and made them once again livable. Providing suitable housing for staff and students allows the Jesuits to continue their mission of training the native Haitian novitiates who will then go out into the various Haitian communities.
3. At the request of the Love-A-Child Orphanage, H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 sent a team that built over one hundred desks and benches and chalkboards for the use in their on-site school so that they could resume the education of the people living there. Adjacent to the orphanage, they also constructed X-ray tables and hospital beds at the temporary hospital facility run by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 volunteers built a drainage system to divert the runoff in the area that surrounds the hundreds of tents that are used as makeshift hospital rooms. With the onset of the rainy season and the beginning of this year’s hurricane season, this project was needed to avoid potential further destruction to an already decimated people.
4. H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 teams incorporated local workers whenever possible and taught them the needed skills to complete these projects. These Haitians can now take the newly acquired knowledge and teach others. This is in keeping with the mission statement of H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 that by sharing our knowledge and experience with those we help, they in turn will continue to help others.
The Staff at H.E.A.R.T. 9/11
(You can view the document below)
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