9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance

The September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance places a strong emphasis on unity, empathy, diversity and inclusion and bringing groups together to serve and improve our communities.

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September 11, 9/11 Day, is the largest day of service in America with over 30 million people taking part! GW students and students from universities around DC will participate in a 9/11 Day of Service event where they will be packing meals for families experiencing food insecurity, transforming a day of remembrance into a day of action.

Learn More About 9/11 Day Meal Packs

GW first-year students served in honor of 9/11 on Welcome Day of Service this year on August 23rd, 2025.

On September 11th, we invite students, faculty, and staff from ALL programs and at all levels to participate in 9/11 Day meal packing.

When: Thursday, September 11 · 7:30am - 4pm EDT

NOTE: There are morning and afternoon sessions.

Where: Walter E. Washington Convention Center - Exhibit Hall A
801 Allen Y. Lew Place Northwest Washington, DC 20001

Make sure to sign up using the spreadsheet linked HERE

Through 9/11 Day and our Annual Welcome Day of Service, GW honors the legacy of September 11 by channeling remembrance into action. The university’s engagement reflected a continued commitment to civic responsibility and to strengthening connections between campus and community.

When President Obama proclaimed September 11th as a National Day of Service and Remembrance, he called upon all Americans to “…join in service and honor the lives we lost [and] the heroes who responded in our hour of need...”. He went on to say that the goal is to “recapture the spirit of unity and compassion that inspired our Nation following the attacks, and rededicate ourselves to sustained service to our communities.”

9/11 Day is now the nation’s largest annual day of charitable engagement, officially recognized under federal law. Each day of remembrance, we volunteer, donate to charities, and perform other good deeds to promote national unity and empathy, in honor of the victims of 9/11 and those who rose in service in response to the attacks.

Supported By

We are grateful to all of our participants, volunteers, partners, GW community members, and our supporters, 911day.org, AmeriCorps, Youth Service America, and Transform Mid-Atlantic for joining us on our journey of service this year.

Read About the 20th Anniversary and 9/11 Day of Service Back in 2021

Photo Courtesy: (William Atkins/GW Today)

On September 11, 2021, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, GW students, staff, and community members came together to honor the lives lost and the heroism shown on that day, through acts of service across the city. Volunteers cleaned the World War II Memorial on the National Mall, polished its stones, and worked alongside the Foggy Bottom Association to revitalize local spaces, including a children’s playground, dog park, and neighborhood blocks.

Closer to campus, students engaged in projects with Jumpstart and other community partners, creating toolkits for children’s groups and lending their hands to local needs. Though many GW students were not yet born or old enough to remember 9/11, their commitment to serving in its memory reflects the enduring spirit of unity and civic responsibility that the day represents.

READ THE FULL STORY ON GW TODAY