In 2001, I was a part of the founding team with Tuesday's Children, a non-profit organization that cares for communities impacted by terrorism, military conflict, or mass violence. Since then, I have served as a board member, advisor, and mentor. As a native of New York City, I consider the work we have done – and continue to do – to be very close to my heart.
As the news of the pullout of U.S. troops from Afghanistan remains front and center, I want to take a moment to reiterate our commitment to keeping the promise to the families we have been honored to serve today and every day for the past two decades. We know the news of terror attacks and military and civilian casualties in Afghanistan impacts our families of 9/11 and military communities differently. The reactions I'm seeing vary in nature but range from concern to frustration, anger, anxiety, and doubts about the consequences of these current events and the grief our community continues to endure.
In honor of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we are drawing on the expertise within our organization to support our families during this difficult time. Over the next few weeks, Tuesday's Children will be hosting multiple events, including facilitated conversations among friends exclusively for the 9/11 and Gold Star families to reflect on the time passed and the significance of recent events. Tuesday's Children will also be announcing additional resilience-building, mental health, and wellness programs in the coming months for all the families Tuesday's Children serves.
In addition, Tuesday's Children will be hosting a virtual gala tonight, September 9, at 7:00 pm ET. Following the online event, an in-person gala will occur on Thursday, September 23 at 7:00 pm ET at Citi Field to celebrate our 20 years of service. You can find information on registration and donations here. Lastly, on Friday, September 10 at 8:50 am ET, I am humbled to announce that the NASDAQ Board of Governors has asked me to make opening remarks at the exchange in honor of this momentous anniversary and alongside the 9/11 families and first responders.
To watch this event, visit www.nasdaq.com at 8:50 am ET this Friday and click view today's opening bell ceremony.
We are grateful to our supporters and partners for making these programs possible, and we at Disaster Tech look forward to supporting this vital organization and mission.