Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 11 / Trend E.Mehdiyev /
Today members of the U.S. Embassy community, the representatives of IREX Azerbaijan, American Councils Azerbaijan, and UGRAD and FLEX programs alumni performed a day of public service to commemorate the attacks of September 11, 2001 on New York City and Washington D.C., the embassy told Trend.
The volunteers delivered donations from the U.S. Embassy community and offered up their time in service of the Azerbaijani Street Children's Shelter, setting up new beds and appliances. Ambassador Richard Morningstar visited the site and offered remarks in commemoration of the 11th anniversary of the attacks.
In the spirit of President Obama's overall call to service, September 11 has been designated as a National Day of Service and Remembrance by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act in 2009.
Americans are encouraged to serve the communities in which they live to provide a respectful and productive way to rekindle the sense of unity and sympathy that prevailed in the days following this tragic event.
Ambassador Morningstar stated: "What we are doing here today is an effort by our Embassy to give back to the Azerbaijani community by working with this shelter and making their children's lives a little bit easier. Our combined efforts here at this shelter should be symbolic of the United States-Azerbaijani relationship. We are working together with our Azerbaijani friends to enhance that relationship and improve the lives of those who live here."
The majority of the funds used for this donations are provided by a grant from the J. Kirby Simon Foreign Service Trust - a charitable fund established in the memory of Kirby Simon, a Foreign Service Officer who died in 1995 while serving in Taiwan.
The Trust is committed to expanding the opportunities for community service, professional fulfillment and personal well-being of Foreign Service Officers and Specialists and their families. The Trust has been funded with contributions from Kirby Simon's colleagues, friends and relatives and other persons interested in the purposes of the Trust.