UB Honors College's '9/11 Day of Service' Grant to Focus on Buffalo's East Side

Buffalo, N.Y. The University at Buffalo Honors College was awarded a $500 9/11 "Day of Service" grant from State Farm and Youth Service America to learn about, remember and honor 9/11 through community service-learning projects.

On Sept. 11, at 10 a.m., 50 UB Honors College students will gather on the East Side of Buffalo to help local activist Elizabeth Triggs create a new garden in a vacant lot recently turned over to the community by the city. Triggs leads the None Like You/We Care Block Club.

The lot, located on the corner of Sycamore and Johnson streets, will be transformed into a 9/11 "Never Forget" community action garden.

"Images from 9-11 are forever seared into the minds of Americans," said Steve Culbertson, president and CEO of Youth Service America. "A whole generation of young leaders has no first -hand memory of this significant day. These projects allow them to learn about 9-11, remember and honor those lost and commit to sustaining our democracy through service."

The creation of this "Never Forget" community garden will address one of Youth Service America's "9 for 9/11", a series of lessons about 9/11 with related ideas for service-learning projects. This day of service presents local officials with an opportunity to demonstrate their support for engaged citizens who are attempting to beautify, organize and otherwise rebuild their communities.

UB Honors College students say they hope this garden will stand as a tribute to the spirit of togetherness and community involvement that allowed for both physical and emotional rebuilding following the 9/11 attacks.

The effort is aided by generous donations from Fisher Bus, Home Depot, Elber's Landscaping, National Grid, the City of Buffalo, Tops Markets, Casa Di Pizza, Lucky Mart and Grassroots Gardens.

Each year, the University Honors College invites UB's top 325 entering freshmen to participate in its community of scholars. Through an honors curriculum that emphasizes experiential learning such as research, internships and service, and benefits like programming, advisement and preferred housing, the Honors College seeks to create a small college atmosphere within a major public research university.

For more information about Youth Service America, visit http://www.ysa.org.

For on-site press arrangements, please contact Krista Hanypsiak at 445-7507.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system that is its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.