Ribbon Cutting with Ernie Anastos and Dignitaries

9/11 TRIBUTE MUSEUM By Meriam Lobel

n June 13th, the 9/11 Tribute Museum, an expanded version of the 9/11 Tribute Center that originally opened next to the World Trade Center, held its grand opening ceremony, hosted by award-winning TV anchor Ernie Anastos. Moving three blocks south from Liberty Street to the corner of Rector and Greenwich Streets, the 9/11 Tribute Museum provides a cultural and historical context for understanding the events of 9/11 through personal experiences. “We are so pleased to welcome visitors from around the world to have a chance to hear the people from the 9/11 community share their stories of September 11th,” said Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Adams-Webb. And that is what makes the 9/11 Tribute Museum unique. Founded by the September 11th Families’ Association, the original galleries opened in September 2006 as a place where millions of visitors could learn through a variety of programs and exhibitions, both onsite and online, that utilize history as a means to inspire a better tomorrow.

A SENSE OF COMMUNITY Tribute volunteers are all part of the 9/11 community—family, members, survivors, rescue and recovery workers and residents of Lower Manhattan. These volunteer guides narrate their personal stories to visitors in the galleries and on walking tours and engage with visitors of all ages and from all over the world. The stories about what people lived through on the morning of September 11th and in the immediate aftermath were harrowing, devastating and painful, but they were also inspiring. The theme of making a difference in the world is present throughout the 9/11 Tribute Museum’s galleries. Embracing the tagline “Compassion, Resilience, Service,” the museum’s exhibits focus on the many ways people helped each other in response to the terrorist attacks in 2001 and highlight the creative projects and outreach efforts developed by 9/11 family members, responders and survivors ever since. Inspired by the generosity and kindness they received from all over the world, members of the 9/11 community have changed their own lives by reaching out to help others, developing foundations and service initiatives. “To take your tragedy and try to turn that into something good for other people, now that’s incredible,” says 9/11 Commission Co-Chair Thomas Kean, in a video that plays in a gallery titled Service to the World. 88 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2017

Tribute Volunteer Sharing a Story