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
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
September 11 National Day of Service