Dear John xxxxxx,

This year, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. called on all of us to come together and address the needs in our local communities by organizing service projects for the September 11th National Days of Service and Remembrance. 

We are truly speechless by how many of you answered that call. Thousands of volunteers participated in over 225 service projects in 44 states and Washington, D.C., in communities across America.  

On behalf of Team Kennedy: Thank you for your extraordinary service. 

We are so inspired by your creativity and how you designed projects to meet the specific needs of your communities. 

In Mobile, Alabama, a group gathered to provide haircuts to the homeless. In Hawaii, a former Peace Corps volunteer organized a ukulele “Kanikapila,” a family jam session, in a nursing home. In South Dakota, volunteers did groundskeeping work for a Veterans and first responders retreat center focused on healing PTSD. 

In Utah, volunteers taught foster children preparing to transition to independent living how to cook healthy meals affordably. In Maryland, families washed fire trucks and EMS vehicles. Volunteers joined home building projects in South Carolina and Vermont, and others worked on home repair projects for neighbors in need in Texas.

“It felt refreshingly exhilarating to actually do SOMETHING to make a difference in our city.” - Volunteer Sally Rubin

Many projects focused on the environment. Dozens of beach, river, lake, canal, trail, park and street cleanups generated hundreds of bags of trash from the Skagit River in Mount Vernon, Washington, to the Mississippi River in St. Louis, Missouri, and the streets near a homeless shelter under the elevated subway in New York City. 

Many projects focused on food access at urban farms, faith based groups, food banks, homeless shelters, and more. 

Other projects focused on peace and healing by incorporating meditation, yoga, arts and crafts, healthy food for those with chronic illness, and education outreach for individuals on Skid Row and in the Tenderloin districts of California.

Mr. Kennedy participated in a service project at Abenaki Springs Organic Farm in Walpole, New Hampshire, which is still recovering from a flood several months ago. He worked with 20 other volunteers to weed the cauliflower patch, achieving in a few hours what would normally take weeks. 

After a moment of prayer in remembrance of the lives lost on 9/11, Mr. Kennedy described his own experience of loss and tragedy at that time when he joined the rescue and recovery at Ground Zero.

“Honoring the Soul's lost on 9/11 by the creek was powerful, setting an intention to breathe peace, love and light into their memory, rather than memorialize the traumatic sadness of their passing.” - Volunteer Bren Logan 

He talked about how we process grief and try to make some kind of sense and order amid chaos, and reminded us of how 9/11 unified our country. He also reminded us how this unity was hijacked toward war.

He said, “I’m running for this office because I want to underscore that aspirational reason of what happened after 9/11 toward unity in our country and the unity around the highest ideals of our country.”

This Day of Service is the beginning of a much larger movement of healing and change.  We at Team Kennedy feel humbled and inspired by how many of you have told us that you plan to continue this service work.

Thank you to all the hosts and volunteers that made this initiative such a success. May we all continue to inspire each other.

Warm Regards, 

Team Kennedy 

[email protected]

https://www.kennedy24.com/