As we come to the anniversary of that fateful day of September 11th, a day most North Shore residents, including those in Roslyn, won’t forget, Tuesday’s Children was present at the New York Stock Exchange to ring the closing bell on Aug. 21.
The event honored and acknowledged those whose lives have been forever changed by terrorism, war and traumatic loss.
Tuesday’s Children began its mission in response to the tragedy of September 11th under the careful guidance of Terry Sears. The programs developed focused on children who lost a parent and providing programs to aid and assist in the aftermath of acts of terror such as Sandy Hook Elementary School. Many Manhasset children grew up and went into the military in response to this horrific act of terrorism so it is a matter of course that Tuesday’s Children includes military families.
The mentoring program matches kids across the country with carefully recruited and screened mentors. The mentors are trained to help children move forward with their lives in a positive and productive way. The program helps those emotionally scarred build resilience and develop coping skills to make healthy decisions so they can grow emotionally and socially.
Tuesday’s Children has provided long-term support to many families and its mentoring program. At this summer’s Tuesday’s Children Plandome Benefit, the organization honored Matthew Bitter and Doug Kechijian for their outstanding post-9/11 military service to the nation.
Bitter is a Manhasset native and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and served as a Navy SEAL officer for more than eight years.
Kechijian was a para-rescueman in the U.S. Air Force, where he trained and conducted operational missions with elite military units throughout the world. He is a nationally certified paramedic with advanced training in emergency, trauma, and wilderness medicine. In 2015, he was selected as the Noncommissioned Officer of the Year by the U.S. Air Force. He currently serves on Tuesday’s Children’s Military Advisory Board and junior board. The event was a sellout, as always, with the hard work of the board and its members.
For more information on Tuesday’s Children, visit www.tuesdayschildren.org.
Roslyn residents will pause on Sept. 11 day, to remember its own heroes: Thomas and Peter Langone, the two brothers who worked, respectively, for the New York City Police Department and Fire Department; Arlene Fried; William Chalcoff, William; Brett Owen Freiman; Robert Hussa; Joseph Maio; Michael Haub and Marcus Neblett. Their presence can be felt everywhere in the village.
—Joe Scotchie contributed to this article
