911,We Serve to Remember

Twenty Five years Later, A new Generation is Choosing to Remember 911 through Service.

September 11, 2001, is a day our nation will never forget. We remember the lives that were lost. We remember the families whose lives changed forever. We remember the first responders, volunteers, neighbors, and ordinary people who stepped forward to help others during an extraordinary moment in our nation's history. But remembering is about more than looking back. It is also about deciding what we will carry forward. This year, Affordable Housing For the Carolinas is joining communities across the country in transforming the anniversary of September 11 into a Day of Service and a Day of Doing Good. We are happy to have more than 300 volunteers pack food, senior care packages, and build a storage shed.

A New Generation Will Serve to Remember

Twenty five years have passed since September 11, 2001. Many of the young people participating in our 9/11 Day of Service were not yet born when the attacks occurred. Some of their parents were children themselves. That makes teaching the next generation about this day especially important. We do not want our families to forget what happened. But we also want our young people to understand what happened afterward. Americans came together. People helped strangers. Neighbors cared for neighbors. Volunteers stepped forward. Communities found ways to serve one another during an incredibly difficult time.

That spirit is what we want our young people to carry forward. This 9/11 Day, youth across the Carolinas will turn remembrance into action by helping prepare food and care items for families and older adults in our communities. They will learn that they do not have to wait until they are adults to make a difference. They can serve now!

Turning Something Bad Into Something Good

We cannot change what happened 25 years ago. But we can decide what we do because we remember it. Through this Day of Service, the work of hundreds of volunteers will directly support Affordable Housing For the Carolinas and the families we serve.

Donations and volunteer service will help support our monthly food distributions, aging in place services and care packages, home repairs, housing stability work, and other services that help families remain safely and affordably housed. For a family struggling to make ends meet, food is often one of the first things sacrificed when housing and household expenses become overwhelming. For an older adult, something as simple as a household safety item or aging in place modification can make it easier to remain safely and independently in the home they love. For a homeowner facing a repair they cannot afford, community support can help preserve the home that provides stability for their family. That is what service can accomplish.

Lowe's Is Helping Us Build Something

That Will Last

Our 9/11 Day of Service will also leave behind something tangible that will continue serving families long after September 11. Lowe's has donated a storage shed to Affordable Housing For the Carolinas that will provide much needed space for donations supporting our aging in place care packages/ modifications and food assistance work. Volunteers will have an opportunity to help build the shed as part of this service effort. That means the impact of this project will extend beyond a single day. Every care item stored there, every food donation prepared for a family, and every volunteer who gives their time will become part of something larger.

You Can Serve With Us

You may not be one of the 300 participants already joining us to make a difference. Yet, there is still a place for you:

• Volunteer. Help us build the donated Lowe's shed, distribute food, help with home repairs, or support our community service activities.

• Give. Donate food, senior care items, or other needed supplies.

• Make a financial contribution. Your donation can help Affordable Housing For the Carolinas continue providing food assistance, home repairs, aging in place home modification, or other resources that strengthen housing stability throughout our communities. To donate items or volunteer, contact us at info@ahftc.org or call 704-251-9202. You can also make a financial contribution on our donation page at the following: https://givebutter.com/ahftc .

  
  

25 Years Later, We Still Remember

Our young people may not have witnessed September 11, 2001. But they can know its history. They can honor those whose lives were lost. And they can carry forward one of the most powerful lessons that emerged from tragedy:

When our neighbors need us, we show up. This September 11, more than 300 youth and adults across the Carolinas will show up. They will pack. They will build. They will give. They will serve. And together, we will turn remembrance into action. We Serve to Remember. As Americans, we will never forget.

Affordable Housing For the Carolinas Stability Starts at Home!