Patriot Day Crusade Campaign
The Patriot Day Crusade campaign was started by Jack Cola in 2002. This campaign aims to help the relatives of victims and survivors of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, promote awareness of this tragic event, and develop sensitivity training for businesses to better aid in supporting employees who survived the attacks. This training includes the transitioning of victims back to the workplace, along with guidelines on what companies should do if a survivor experiences a PTSD-related event. Victims of the attack include those who now endure terminal illnesses - first responders on the scene, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), local clean-up workers, or anyone else exposed to the hazards encountered during the rescue efforts.
Mr. Cola himself is a survivor of the attacks on the World Trade Center, escaping from Tower 2 before its collapse. The tragedy stole the lives of many, including several of Cola’s closest friends. About 8 months after the national tragedy, he decided to create a campaign dedicated to helping the survivors of 9/11 rebuild their lives. And as a true New Yorker, Cola poured his resources into the critical rebuilding period that came after the attack, such as the redevelopment of lower Manhattan and the construction of the Freedom Tower, which is on schedule to open in late 2014. Since then, he has taught seminars at the Barclay Center, the New York City Convention Center, many downtown New York firms, and
numerous Chamber of Commerce organizations located throughout the United States in order to further his cause and help ensure that nobody forgets the sacrifices made during one of the darkest hours in American history.
So far Mr. Cola has raised 3.8 million dollars, the most money raised by a single individual for this cause. Contributions to this movement include various companies and CEO's generous enough to support such an important campaign. His ultimate goals are to give all of those impacted by 9/11 free access to the 9/11 memorial, spread the word of Patriot Day, and make sure that everyone remembers what transpired on that horrible morning so the public at large can do their best to prevent an event like this from ever happening
again. The Patriot Day Crusade is still going strong, over ten years after its inception.