Read Monica Iken's call to action that launched the 9/11 Campaign!
January 12 ,2004 - July 12 ,2008

Good afternoon. Today I’m pleased to announce the launch of a major fundraising effort for the future memorial at the World Trade Center site - spearheaded by September’s Mission. We’re calling it the 9/11 Campaign.

We’re grateful to Governor Pataki and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation for lending their encouragement and support to this family-driven initiative. We’re very proud to be leading the first fundraising initiative in connection with the memorial.

The 9/11 Campaign will support cultural and educational programming for the memorial.

With the full support of the Governor and the LMDC, September’s Mission will play a leading role to ensure that programming is inclusive of the victims’ families’ diverse perspectives.

Our goal in Phase One of this campaign is relatively modest for a project of this magnitude. We want to raise nine million, one hundred ten thousand dollars by September 11th of this year to support the permanent endowment fund. We can do that if one million people make a donation of nine dollars and eleven cents.

Reaching this goal will allow modest programs to take place now, and in the years to come, before the memorial is actually built. Our goal is to eventually raise over one hundred million dollars to support a dynamic range of programs.

Like other memorials and museums around the world, this memorial will depend on private donations to fund construction, operations and programs. Many public and private organizations will be involved in this effort. In cooperation with The World Trade Center Site Memorial Foundation to be launched later this month, we will work to make programming excellence a priority. September’s Mission is pleased to be among those that will play a leading role.

Every donation made to the 9/11 Campaign will be added to the principal of the endowment fund. This fund is entirely separate and segregated from September’s Mission’s operations account. Interest earned will be used to provide stabile annual funding for the memorial and its programs.

For the victims’ families, this is especially meaningful. We want to make sure that future generations not only remember, but have the resources to honor the memories of our loved ones.

There are vast opportunities for educational and cultural programming. Examples include programs that help children understand the events of September 11th - international conferences that promote world peace and tolerance – and programs that will help put a face, a story and context behind the lives of my Michael and all of the people who were senselessly murdered on 9/11.

I’d now like to welcome Kevin Rampe, president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, who graciously agreed to be here today. Kevin?

Thank you Kevin.

So, today we’re issuing a call to action for every American and our friends in the international community to make a donation to the 9/11 Campaign. Show the world that every life counts and each person makes a difference by making a donation in memory of those lost. We’re asking that donations include the numbers 9 and 11. So for example, it can be nine dollars and eleven cents, or nine hundred and eleven dollars. No donation is too small or too large. Everybody – no matter their age – even the little guys, can participate and help make a difference now and in the future.

Make checks payable to the 9/11 Campaign, care of September’s Mission, 548 Broadway, Third Floor, New York, NY 10012. Donations can also be made over a secure PayPal interface on September’s Mission’s Website at: www.septembersmission.org.

To conclude:

September 11th, 2001 was the worst day of my life. I lost the most important person in my life – my husband, Michael Patrick Iken. That’s true for a lot of people.

But, the families have traveled a difficult and unusual path of grieving on a schedule. And grieving will not necessarily end when the design is finalized or the memorial is built. For this memorial to succeed, the heart and soul will not just be in the bricks and mortar, but in what it teaches and what each person takes away from the experience.

Beyond advocacy, a big part of what September’s Mission does is create positive opportunities for the families to come together. The 9/11 Campaign is central to that. Our aggressive plan is to reach the first phase of our goal for the fund by the anniversary of this year.

September 11th will continue to be a national day of mourning. But reaching our goal, and beginning to sponsor programs would mean a lot to the families who worry about whether the world will lose sight of what 9/11 is really about.

The 9/11 Campaign will be a grassroots effort. I’m counting on the victims’ families and everyone that cares about excellence in programming to help September’s Mission shape its success. As a grassroots campaign, our budget is very limited so we’re also counting on you guys in the media to help get the word out.

More than 3,000 people were killed on September 11th, 2001. It’s important to keep their spirit alive, by remembering all the joy that they brought to our lives. That’s what keeps me going, every day.