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.”
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, The National 9/11 Flag, will continue to travel around the country to be stitched back together by local service heroes in all 50 states. This unique grassroots restoration effort will literally stitch 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 on the tenth year Anniversary of the attacks.
