This September 11th will mark the 18th anniversary of a day none of us will ever forget.
For me, September 11th elicits many different feelings and emotions. One of those emotions is the power of love, and its unique abililty to take a negative, catastrophic event and loss and turn it into a positive force to change the lives of others who have experienced their own grief and loss. The story of Beyond the 11th is the story of that love. I became aware of Beyond the 11th through one of my closest friends, Donald Ger. Donald met and married Susan Retik, one of the two founders of Beyond the 11th in 2006.
Susan had two young children, Molly, 4 and Ben, 2 and was pregnant with Deena at the time she lost her husband Dave on American Flight 11 from Boston to LA. It was an unfathomable tragedy that not only effected her and her family but rippled through her community and the nation-at-large. Surely at times the loss of Dave felt crippling and insurmountable. But Susan's pain was greeted with unbelievable kindness, support and love from so many - from friends, neighbors, acquaintances and complete strangers along the way. Her world showed-up in kindness - to mend her broken spirit, broken world, and broken heart. In this outpouring, Susan found meaning in her loss - and her own strength - to step-out in faith to begin again. She grasped the enormous power of love gifted to her - embodied and humanized it - and then paid it forward in her non-profit work.
To honor Dave and the power of love, I will be riding for the second time in a 3-day, 260-mile fundraiser to benefit Beyond the 11th, a foundation started by Susan and another 9/11 widow from the Boston area to aid the widows of Afghanistan – among the poorest and most oppressed women in the world. In response to their own unspeakable loss, Susan and team reached out in sisterhood and compassion to train Afghan widows in the essential jobs skills they need to become self-reliant.
Since its inception, Beyond the 11th has provided close to $1 Million in support for these life-changing programs.
I am so inspired by the work of this organization and honored to be riding again to honor all those affected by 9/11. And I would be thrilled if you could donate. Any amount will help me reach my fundraising goal.
Thank you for your support.
JC
Programs supported by Beyond the 11th teach these vulnerable women how to run small businesses to generate income. And how to organize Community Based Savings Groups (CBSGs) where they can save their earnings, and lend them to group members for essentials like school fees and health care for their children.
Impact: Fariba’s story is typical. Prior to joining a CBSG in her Kabul neighborhood, she was isolated and completely dependent on her in-laws. Accompanying her mother-in-law to meetings, she blossomed. She began to speak up, and participate in the group’s decisions. She took out a loan to start a small business. Perhaps equally powerful, she found a vital social outlet. “The CBSG released me from seclusion,” she said.