Some of you know that last year about this time Sophia and I met the founder of New York Says Thank You, Jeff Parness, in Ft. Worth. One of those "accidental" meetings that brings people together that would never probably meet otherwise. It's a God thing. He invited us to the annual NYSTY charity event that was being held in Greensburg, KS that year, to help rebuild a town virtually destroyed by an F5 tornado. We felt called to go and just packed our gear and drove to Greensburg for 3 days to shoot the barn raising led by NYSTY and many citizens of Greensburg. We were welcomed with open arms and had a great time with all the volunteers and the families of Greensburg. It changed us forever. As I said, it is an ANNUAL event. It occurs each year the weekend before 9/11 - often labor day weekend. Firefighters from FDNY, many of whom were present on 9/11 and lost friends and co-workers in the abomination of that day, pack their gear and head to the site of assistance for the year - their way of saying "Thank You" to all the people who helped them in the wake of 9/11. Each year as they "pay it forward", people from the area helped the year before also trek to the new site. The volunteers have grown from a few to hundreds each year. There's always room for more. If you're looking for a way to "pay it forward" check out this organization. Maybe we'll see you in Souix City this September. "What we do is NOT about 9/11. What we do is about 9/12." Here's some more info and a link to read more about this wonderful organization. click here
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