Greensburg, Kansas
9/11 Anniversary 2008
September 4-7, 2008
“When the Towers fell down, [people] from a lot of other States came all out to help us. It gives you a good feeling…so we can give them a few days to come here and throw this together…” – Martin Curren, NYC Firefighter
On May 4, 2007 an EF-5 tornado destroyed 95% of Greensburg, KS, demolishing an entire American town in mere minutes. On the 9/11 Anniversary 2008, The New York Says Thank You Foundation brought 200 New Yorkers to Greensburg and working in partnership with Kiowa Country EMA, Kansas 4-H Foundation, and South Central Kansas Tornado Recovery Organization, rebuilt the 14,000 square-foot Main Pavilion of Greensburg’s 4-H County Fairground in perhaps America’s largest “Barn-Raising.” The Pavilion is the focal point of the 4-H County Fairgrounds and serves as the central gathering place each year for the children and families of Greensburg and its neighboring communities. It truly sits at the “heart” of this very special Kansas community.
Leading the rebuilding efforts were FDNY firefighters who survived the 9/11 attacks along with 9/11 family members, Ground Zero construction workers, NYC schoolchildren, scores of other volunteers from the Big Apple and as many as 150 disaster survivor volunteers from previous communities helped by New York Says Thank You.
As volunteers rebuilt the Pavilion, seniors from a local senior center set about the restoration of a 32-foot American flag destroyed by the collapse of the Twin Towers. This Flag will continue to travel around the country, literally stitching together the shared history of tragedy and triumph in New York and communities nationwide. The flag will eventually be displayed at the National 9/11 Memorial Museum when it opens in lower Manhattan.
