On Sunday, April 28, Stars of HOPE® will be painted at the 7 Annual 9/11 Memorial & Museum 5K Run/Walk and Community Day. Stars painted at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum 5K Run/Walk and Community Day will be hung on the construction fence surrounding the 9/11 Memorial Glade and will later be given to health advocates and providers, family members, first responders, and lower Manhattan residents at the dedication of the Glade on May 30, 2019.

 “We are grateful to welcome Stars of Hope at our annual 5K Run/Walk Community Day,” said Alison Blais, Chief Strategy Officer at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. “They bring uplifting messages of hope and healing to the community we will honor with the 9/11 Memorial Glade.”

The 9/11 Memorial Glade is a pathway flanked by stone monoliths incorporated into the 9/11 Memorial plaza dedicated to honoring the ongoing sacrifice of rescue, recovery and relief workers, and the survivors and members of the broader lower Manhattan community, who are sick or have died from exposure to toxins at the World Trade Center site in the aftermath of 9/11; it will also recognize the courage, selflessness and perseverance of the men and women of the rescue and recovery effort.

Stars of HOPE is a therapeutic arts program that was created after 9/11 by the New York Says Thank You Foundation. Participants paint 12” x 12” wooden stars with messages of hope that they then send on to disaster sites in need of those messages.

Stars of HOPE and the New York Says Thank You Foundation has participated Community Day since its inception. Stars of HOPE created at the community event have gone to the Nepal community post-earthquake, to Israeli and Palestinian teenagers who lost family members due to the conflict, and to many communities across the United States in response to natural and human-caused tragedies. Over 1,500 Stars of HOPE painted at Community Day have been shared around the world.

If you would like to paint Stars of HOPE that will be given to 9/11- health advocates and providers, family members, first responders and lower Manhattan residents at the dedication of the 9/11 Memorial Glade, please visit our HOPE ALERT for the Memorial Glade. https://starsofhopeusa.org/memorialglade/ 

About Stars of HOPE Program:

Stars of HOPE® USA is the world’s largest and fastest growing healing arts program. We are a unique disaster response and community arts program empowering people to transform communities impacted by natural and human-caused disasters by creating and displaying colorful art and messages of hope and healing. In 2007, Stars of HOPE® started with two families – Today, with the help of over 90,000 volunteers, Stars of HOPE have transformed over 220 communities in 26 countries impacted by disaster and tragedy with messages of hope, healing and resilience. Thank you to our National Community Sponsor KMPG, LLP. Stars of HOPE® is a registered trademark of New York Says Thank You Foundation. For more information and photos, please visit Stars of HOPE USA or Facebook.com/starsofhopeusa