Over 170 people from the local community joined our family of organizations for a three-day remembrance celebration to honor 9/11 first responders (Patriot Day).
The event was organized by Jerri Walker, Project Coordinator and Volunteer at AHRC Nassau and Citizens Options Unlimited, with assistance from several volunteers: Coleen Mackin, Compass and Quality Enhancement Advocate and Trainer at AHRC Nassau; Michelle Rudoff, Compass and Quality Enhancement Advocate and Trainer at AHRC Nassau; April Kloepfer, a volunteer; Noah Probert, a volunteer; the residents of AHRC Nassau’s Circle Drive group home; and the AHRC Nassau Saturday Freeport DayHab.
“This was a time for the community to come together and understand how to better be prepared in the case of an emergency,” Jerri said.
The event was open to community members throughout Nassau. The three-day event kicked off with a First Responder Thank You Brunch for local first responders and their 
families, followed by an Emergency Preparedness Fair and Emergency Kit-Making Event, where attendees received bags with first-aid kits, masks, and other emergency items.
Our family of organizations partnered with several key local businesses and nonprofits for this event: The New York State Office for Emergency Management, Lifesaving Enterprises, Long Island Volunteer Center, Nassau County SPCA, Health & Welfare Council of Long Island, and The Swoondle Society.
A special thank you to the Brookville Police Department and Jericho Fire Department for attending and for all that you do to keep our local community safe!
This was the first event of its kind for our family of organizations and was created with the help of a grant provided by The Arc of the United States and AmeriCorps. We hope to continue with this instrumental project in the future to both educate our community and honor first responders.
The highlight of the event for the people supported by our agency was Lifesaving Enterprises’ hands-on demonstration of how to perform CPR in the case of an emergency. Attendees were able to receive training and replicate giving CPR on dummies.
“The people we support felt really empowered by this training,” Jerri said.