Never Forget: Volunteers are the Everyday Heroes and Heroes Every Day

By Adrian Austin, Chief of Staff, Volunteer Mississippi

Twenty-five years have passed since the tragic events of a day all Americans know as shorthand: 9/11. Although our resolve was tested, we found a way to transform tragedy into togetherness, with people from across the country stepping up to volunteer and serve in countless ways. In 2009, Congress designated September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance, a day to honor the lives lost and the thousands of first responders who answered the call.

For me, this day is personal. I was serving in the Navy Reserve when it happened, and it changed the course of the next two decades of my life.

When the news broke of the attack on September 11, 2001, I was serving in the Navy Reserve and working a civilian job. I wondered to myself, “Is this real?” before watching it unfold with my own eyes. My first thoughts went to my fellow service members and their families. Were they on any of those planes? Were they affected?

My first response was to think about others and how I could help. People across Mississippi and throughout the country had a similar response. The United States became truly united in ways I had never seen. Fire departments, federal agencies, and every branch of the military worked toward the same goal. Everybody was working for the same cause.

That’s the same spirit of service we saw 25 years ago on 9/11, and one that continues through the volunteer efforts of thousands of Mississippians each year in support of families affected by tragedies large and small.

Today, as Chief of Staff at Volunteer Mississippi, I get to spend every day building on that spirit of service. Our work connects Mississippians with volunteer opportunities across the state, supports AmeriCorps programs that place people directly into communities that need them, and recognizes everyday Mississippians who go above and beyond to serve their neighbors, including through our annual GIVE Awards.

I also spend a lot of my time working alongside local organizations, community leaders, and volunteers themselves, making sure the people doing the work on the ground have the support and resources they need to keep showing up. It’s a role that feels like a continuation of everything 9/11 taught me about showing up for people, just in a slightly different uniform.

The 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance underscores the fact that service does not require a uniform or a badge. It requires only the willingness to show up. I believe 9/11 Day of Service is a call to look forward and ask what each of us can do for our neighbors.

That instinct is something we have to hold onto and pass down. Volunteerism is the glue that holds communities together long after the headlines move on. In Mississippi, that means showing

up for veterans navigating the transition back to civilian life, for first responders carrying the weight of what they have seen, and for families who are still rebuilding, whether from a national tragedy or a personal one.

This September 11, I am asking Mississippians to do more than remember. I am asking them to serve.