President Barack Obama Signs Legislation to Establish Anniversary of 9/11 as a National...

President Barack Obama Signs Legislation to Establish Anniversary of 9/11 as a
National Day of Service and Remembrance

- 9/11 Once Again Inspires a Call to Service -

- Founders of 9/11 Day of Service Attend Bill Signing Ceremony in Washington,
DC -

WASHINGTON, April 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- President Barack Obama today
signed into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which for the first
time includes federal authorization to establish September 11 as an annually
recognized National Day of Service and Remembrance.

"Today President Barack Obama created a historic, enduring and compassionate
legacy that truly honors the 9/11 victims and their families, first responders
and rescue and recovery workers, the soldiers who have take up arms to defend
our freedom and safety, and the many volunteers who spontaneously contributed
their efforts in the immediate aftermath of 9/11," said David Paine, founder
and president of MyGoodDeed.org, the nonprofit group that led a seven-year
campaign to formally establish 9/11 as an annually recognized day of service
and remembrance. "There isn't a better or more fitting way to remember 9/11
than for all of us as Americans to voluntarily set aside time on the
anniversary of the September 11 attacks to help others in need."

"As a 9/11 family member, I cannot think of a more inspiring, appropriate and
constructive tribute to my late brother and all those who perished, were
injured or rose in service -- to rekindle at least for one day each year the
remarkable spirit of compassion and service that unified our country," said
MyGoodDeed.org co-founder and vice president Jay S. Winuk, whose younger
brother Glenn J. Winuk, an attorney, volunteer firefighter and EMT, died in
the line of duty in the collapse of the World Trade Center. "This
groundbreaking national service legislation will greatly benefit the nation in
so many meaningful ways as we face these challenging times."

Paine and Winuk were among a select group of service sector leaders,
government officials and other dignitaries who attended today's ceremony at
the SEED School in Washington, D.C. to witness President Obama signing into
law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.

A New Catalyst for Volunteerism
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and U. S. Rep. Peter King (R-Long Island)
both worked closely with the sponsors of the Serve America Act in the U.S.
Senate and U.S. House of Representatives to draft and include language to
establish 9/11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

"I could not be more proud to work to pass this important provision," said
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), who joined with U.S. Representative Peter
King (R-Long Island) in first proposing to Congress back in 2004 that 9/11
should be designated a national day of service. "September 11 should not only
be a day for mourning -- it should be a day to think about our neighbors, our
community and our country. We can take a tragic day in our nation's history
and turn it into a force for good."

"I have been active in seeking a service day for years," said Rep. King.
"America came together in the aftermath of 9/11, reminding us what it truly
means to be part of this great nation. By making 9/11 a national day of
service, that same spirit of giving will continue in a day of remembrance,
unity and selflessness."

"We greatly appreciate Senator Schumer's, Congressman King's and Secretary of
State Hillary Rodham Clinton's tireless dedication to this cause, as well as
the support we received from Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Orrin Hatch
(R-Utah), and Representatives George Miller (D-Calif.), Carolyn McCarthy
(D-Calif.) and Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), all of whom joined together to include
the 9/11 Day of Service in this important national service legislation," Winuk
said.

Under the new law, the anniversary of 9/11 would be observed annually in ways
somewhat similar to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, although it intentionally will
not be a federal holiday. "We do not wish to see it ever become a state or
federally designated day off," said Paine. "Instead, we hope that
individuals, businesses and organizations will be inspired on their own to
voluntarily engage in community service, perform good deeds of any nature, and
participate in other private and organized activities in remembrance of the
events of 9/11."

To support this observance, the new legislation authorizes the Corporation for
National and Community Service, which oversees federal national service
programs, to make grants and provide other assistance to community nonprofits
and other groups that want to organize 9/11 service and remembrance
activities.

"Our hope is to organize the single largest day of service in U.S. history on
the 10th anniversary of 9/11," said Paine, referring to September 11, 2011,
just two and a half years away. "Though millions of people already support
the MyGoodDeed.org initiative by engaging in charitable service each 9/11, we
realize it will take some time to build widespread awareness of this formal
observance. We are very are confident, however, that the 9/11 National Day of
Service and Remembrance will ultimately play a very significant role in
energizing volunteerism in America, while also bringing a sense of national
healing to one of the worst human tragedies in U.S. history."

MyGoodDeed.org is a 501c(3) charitable organization based in New York. Each
year MyGoodDeed.org organizes activities that encourage individuals and
organizations to set aside time on the anniversary of 9/11 to perform simple
acts of good deeds and service that help others in need. Since the initiative
began as a grassroots movement, more than one million people have visited the
MyGoodDeed.org Web site, from all 50 states and 170 countries, with many
posting their plans to perform good deeds and service projects on 9/11.

MyGoodDeed.org has been supported by private contributions from American
Express, Ambac Financial Corporation, the Jim Fassel Foundation, Keefe
Bruyette and Woods, MBIA and Sony Corporation. Google, Yahoo and AOL provide
in-kind support in the form of free online public service announcements. Other
in-kind assistance is provided by the law firms of Holland & Knight LLP in New
York and Nossaman LLP in Washington, D.C. Work in support of key 9/11
legislative objectives is provided by the 9/11 Day of Service Committee, a
501c(4) nonprofit organization. Visit www.MyGoodDeed.org, subscribe to
Twitter updates at: www.twitter.com/MyGoodDeed, and follow MyGoodDeed.org on
Facebook at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/87522/15257999?m=cc366e79.

Media contact info:

Broadcast media:
Susan Roth at prsue@rothpr.com, 301-530-3539 (office); 202-997-5672 (cell)

Print/Online media:
Jennifer Burke Labriola at burkepr@gmail.com, 203-405-1479 (office);
203-586-9769 (cell)

Other contacts:
David Paine, MyGoodDeed.org, david.paine@MyGoodDeed.org, 949-233-0050;
Jay Winuk, jay.winuk@MyGoodDeed.org, 914-523-3227 (cell)

SOURCE MyGoodDeed.org

David Paine, +1-949-233-0050, david.paine@MyGoodDeed.org, or Jay Winuk,
+1-914-523-3227 (cell), jay.winuk@MyGoodDeed.org, both of MyGoodDeed.org; or
Broadcast media: Susan Roth, +1-301-530-3539 (office); +1-202-997-5672 (cell),
prsue@rothpr.com; Print/Online media: Jennifer Burke Labriola, +1-203-405-1479
(office), +1-203-586-9769 (cell), burkepr@gmail.com, both for MyGoodDeed.org