O-High Foundation launches 9/11 anniversary youth service effort on Long Island

O-High Foundation is rolling out Resilient Long Island for 9/11 Day, a multi-week initiative tied to the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 that blends remembrance, community readiness and career exposure. The program aims to reach 1,000 youth across Nassau and Suffolk counties and connect service work to manufacturing and marine transportation pathways.

Why it matters: - The initiative links 9/11 remembrance to practical service, workforce awareness and community preparedness. - O-High Foundation is aiming to reach 1,000 Long Island youth across Nassau and Suffolk counties. - The program is designed to show how local industries, skills and transportation systems support resilience every day.

What happened: - O-High Foundation launched Resilient Long Island for 9/11 Day to mark the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11. - The multi-week effort runs across five Long Island event hubs. - The program is funded by 9/11 Day / AmeriCorps. - Dr. Subrina D. Oliver, founder, president and institutional chair of O-High Foundation, said the initiative is meant to help young people honor the past through service and understand how community resilience is built.

The details: - Sept. 11 at Turtle Hook Middle School in Uniondale, the initiative begins with a 25th-anniversary kickoff ceremony from 9:25 a.m. to 10:25 a.m. - After the ceremony, eighth-grade students will begin hands-on service and community-readiness work through youth production and kit-building activities. - Sept. 11 at Fire Island Ferries in Bay Shore Marina, the program continues at sunset with Sunset Passage, a dockside ceremony from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. - The Fire Island Ferries event will honor the company, its crews and the Voyager, Explorer and Fireball for service after Sept. 11, 2001. - Current Fire Island Ferries youth employees are expected to help assemble and present First-Responder Honor Packs. - During the week of Sept. 18, Longwood High School in Suffolk will host hands-on kit preparation and community-readiness activities for local households and first responders. - The Longwood service week ends with a Sept. 18 recognition ceremony during the school’s evening football game. - Top Gun Cigars in Wading River will host a Longwood-at-Large First Responder Honor Roll registration on Sept. 11. - Current and retired local first responders can register there for the Sept. 18 activities. - O-High Foundation expects up to 20 First-Responder Honor Packs to be reserved for early participating responders. - On Oct. 20, SUNY Suffolk Grant Campus’s Advanced Manufacturing Training Center in Brentwood will host a Suffolk Salute to Manufacturing. - On Oct. 26, the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City will host a Nassau Salute to Manufacturing. - Youth will help prepare Disaster Readiness Kits, Senior Safety & Wellness Kits, Power & Connectivity Resilience Kits, Multilingual Readiness Card Sets and First-Responder Honor Packs. - The service work follows an age-appropriate production workflow that includes staging, sorting, assembly, quality review, inventory, packaging and distribution. - The October events are meant to connect that hands-on work to manufacturing technologies, training pathways, employers and careers. - The Fire Island Ferries event is also meant to connect the initiative to marine transportation and the role of local vessels and workers in emergency response.

Between the lines: - The program is built to turn a commemorative date into a pipeline for civic engagement and career exploration. - By pairing service with manufacturing and marine transportation, O-High Foundation is trying to make workforce pathways feel tangible to students. - The structure also gives local employers and training providers a direct role in shaping how young people see regional career options.

What's next: - O-High Foundation is seeking partners from manufacturing, MFG Day, workforce development, education, marine transportation and training organizations. - Partners can contribute workforce and career intelligence, training-pathway information, employer connections, youth-facing resources, kit materials, sponsorship, in-kind support and participation. - The October manufacturing events will extend the September service activities into Long Island Manufacturing Month and MFG Day career awareness.

The bottom line: - Resilient Long Island uses the 25th anniversary of 9/11 to connect remembrance with service, preparedness and real-world career exposure across Long Island.