Thousands Turn Out to Raise Six Figures for September 11 Memorial & Museum
More than 4,000 people turned out last Sunday for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum’s 13th annual 5K Run/Walk, raising more than $700,000 for the Lower Manhattan cultural institution that honors the memory of the 2,983 people killed in the terrorist attacks that struck the community 24 years ago.
The three-mile race retraced the steps that many first responders and rescue and recovery workers used to gain access to Ground Zero on September 11. Beth Hillman, the Memorial & Museum’s president, said, “thousands of New Yorkers and others from across the United States took part in this race, not only commemorating the lives lost on September 11, but also reaffirming the service and unity that defined our collective response. We’re especially proud to spotlight a new education campaign, which provides free in-person and virtual access to the Museum for educators and students in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. With 100 million Americans born since September 11, or too young to remember it, our mission to educate and engage the next generation has never been more essential.”
In 2024, the Memorial & Museum welcomed 11.6 million visitors to the outdoor Memorial and 2.4 million to indoor exhibits at the Museum. Last year, it added 5,500 new artifacts to its permanent collection. The $700,000 raised by last weekend’s event is a significant source of income for the organization, coming to slightly more than four percent of its income in the “contributions and grants” category documented in its 2023 financial disclosures (the most recent year for which figures are available), when this tranche amounted to just below $17 million.
The organization is still accepting contributions to the 5K Run/Walk, through its online donation portal, which can be found here.