World Trade Center (1973–2001)
In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, media reports suggested that tens of thousands might have been killed in the attacks, as over 50,000 people could be inside the World Trade Center, although the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) estimated that approximately 17,400 occupants were in the towers at the time of the attacks. Ultimately, 2,753 death certificates (excluding those for hijackers) were filed relating to the 9/11 attacks in New York City, including one filed for Felicia Dunn-Jones, who was added to the official death toll in ; Dunn-Jones died five months later from a lung condition linked to exposure to dust during the collapse of the World Trade Center. Three other victims were then added to the official death toll by the city medical examiner's office: Dr. Sneha Anne Philip, who was last seen the day before the attacks; Leon Heyward, a man who developed lymphoma and subsequently died in 2008 as a result of dust ingestion during the events following the attacks to the Twin Towers; and Jerry Borg, who died in December 2010 of pulmonary sarcoidosis determined in June 2011 to be the result of dust from the attacks. 2,192 civilians died in and around the World Trade Center, including 658 employees of Cantor Fitzgerald L.P. (an investment bank on the 101st–105th floors of One World Trade Center), 295 employees of Marsh & McLennan Companies (which was located immediately below Cantor Fitzgerald on floors 93–101, the location of Flight 11's impact), and 175 employees of Aon Corporation. In addition to the civilian deaths, 343 New York City Fire Department (FDNY) firefighters were killed in the attacks, as well as 71 law enforcement officers, including 37 members of the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) and 23 members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Ten years after the attacks, remains of only 1,629 victims had been identified. Of all the people who were still in the towers when they collapsed, only 20 were pulled out alive.
September 11 National Day of Service
According to the nonprofit MyGoodDeed, which founded the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance ("9/11 Day") in 2002, the goal of "9/11 Day" is "to keep alive the spirit of unity and compassion that arose in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks in tribute to the individuals lost and injured in the attacks, and the many who rose in service in response." The idea of making September 11 an annual day of service was first conceived in the winter of 2001 by David Paine, a former marketing executive from New York City. In the Spring of 2002 David was joined by his friend Jay Winuk, who had lost his brother Glenn Winuk in the attacks at the World Trade Center, and together they formed the nonprofit group called One Day's Pay. In 2007, the name of the organization was officially changed to MyGoodDeed. In 2009, MyGoodDeed successfully led an effort to designate September 11 under federal law as a National Day of Service and Remembrance, which occurred as part of passage of the bipartisan Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act by the United States Congress, and later, by an amendment to the Patriot Day Presidential Proclamation by President Barack Obama, which formally recognized and established September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act authorized the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), a federal agency, to assist the 9/11 community in building awareness of and support for "9/11 Day" through its national service programs. In 2011, on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, MyGoodDeed, CNCS and the Points of Light Institute/HandsOn Network joined together to organize the largest day of charitable service in U.S. history, with more than 32 million Americans participating, according to research conducted by Horizon Consumer Science on behalf of MyGoodDeed. Today, 9/11 Day continues to engage nearly 30 million Americans annually in various forms of charitable service, including volunteering, donations to charities, and simple good deeds.