Wanted: Volunteers 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance Projects

As the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 arrives, the United Way of Greater St. Louis has set a challenge: be a hero through service to your community.

The United Way's tribute is through a National Day of Service and Remembrance. All week, the United Way and its agencies will be in St. Louis area communities helping in some way, whether it's cleaning up a cemetery, picking up trash or helping senior citizens with home repairs.

"We have 140 projects throughout the region in a 10-day span," said Evan Krauss, the United Way's volunteer center manager. "We can take as many as 2,000 volunteers on Sept. 10 and 11, especially."

One large scale project related directly to 9/11 is a flag remembrance at Art Hill in Forest Park. More than 3,000 flags will set in the ground to represent people who died as a result of the attacks. Krauss said a big community effort is needed for that to happen.

"We need people to help hammer in the flags on Sept. 10," he said. "We are really needing volunteers for this.

"There will be a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. on 9/11 at the exact time the planes hit the Twin Towers."

If you'd like to help, you can sign up for service projects, view events, and join the 9/11 community blog. For those who have their own service projects in mind, there's a United Way tool kit for support.

The United Way's website has a list of events if you'd like to find a project in your area. If you would like to more information about the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance, email Remember@stl.unitedway.org.