Visit one of Westchester’s Memorial Sites

Twilight Memorial Service - Valhalla
1 Bronx River Parkway
The Rising at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla has become one of the most celebrated 9/11 memorials outside of NYC. Literally rising from the ground and culminating in a spire made of steel rod, this memorial incorporates the names of all Westchester residents known to have died in the attack. Young children may enjoy visiting this memorial simply because it is eye catching and somewhat interactive. Though kids cannot climb the structure, they are welcome to step inside and look up at the way the spokes intertwine and weave in and out of the steel rods. This year on September 11, there will be a twilight memorial service at the plaza that is open to the members of the public of all ages.

Croton Remembrance Memorial - Croton-on-Hudson
Eliott Way
In Sensasqua Park ,on the quiet shores of the Hudson River, sits the memorial Reaching Through The Shadow. This memorial uses one of the fallen beams retrieved from the World Trade Center site and is accessible by a beautiful walking path that is also popular with joggers, skaters and cyclists. This is another beautiful, albeit smaller and quieter, place to take little children to talk about the events of September 11th. The statue is being formally dedicated this year in a memorial service taking place on 9/11 at 5pm.

Emergency Responder Memorial - Peekskill
Also on the shores of the Hudson River, the Emergency Responder Memorial on the Riverfront Green in Peekskill features an anonymous firefighter kneeling in front of the folded uniform of a fallen fireman from Westchester County. Alongside the statue is a plaque engraved with the names of all emergency responders lost in the attacks.

9/11 Memorial Wall - Hartsdale
Another memorial that is beautiful to visit with inquisitive kids is the 9/11 Memorial Wall. Stretching 100 feet long and rising 8 feet high, this gigantic wall is completely covered in tiles hand-painted by local artists to honor the people who lost their lives. The messages are ones of love, hope, peace and a brighter future--the images are not scary for little ones.

Help Others

Serve and Remember - White Plains
198 Central Avenue
Serving and caring for others is one of the most enduring themes to have come out of the tragedy surrounding 9/11. Each year on the anniversary of the attacks, organizations throughout the country host service drives that engage citizens of all ages in helpful and charitable deeds that make our communities a better place. This year, the Westchester County Center in White Plains will be the hub of service projects for Westchester. Throughout the day there will be a food drive, diaper drive and lamp drive taking place alongside hands-on family activities like a “no sew” blanket craft (blankets are made for donation), story telling projects and postcard writing. Families can also be directed to additional off-site service projects that include clothes drives, volunteering at senior centers, clearing hiking trails and learning about emergency preparedness.

Westchester County Blood Drive - White Plains
198 Central Ave
Older children (16 and up) and adults are invited to help save a life and donate blood at the Westchester County Blood Drive in White Plains. Donors must be between 16 and 75 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds. Scheduled donations and walk-ins are both welcome. If you have never given blood before, this is a great time to start!

Books and Other Resources

Very small children don’t even know that the Twin Towers once existed--they have been gone for their entire lives. If you would like to honor the memory of the Twin Towers, but are not ready to discuss the attacks with a young child, consider picking up a copy of Mordicai Gerstein’s The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. It starts with the acknowledgement that the towers are now gone, “Once there were two towers side by side...” but does not get into what happened to them. With a sort of “once upon a time” quality, this story tells the true story of the French aerialist who once walked, on a tightrope, between the two buildings. The story itself is charming and lays the groundwork for a more in-depth discussion later on.

For school-age children, avoiding the facts of what happened on September 11th becomes difficult. They may hear about the events in school or from classmates and are likely to glimpse media images on TV, online or in print media that they do not understand. For child friendly fact based information, this is one of the times when the Internet can be truly handy. Scholastic has an extensive collection of articles that have been published in their news magazines over the years that address the topic in ways that are age-appropriate for kids in Kindergarten through 12th grade. Similarly, Time For Kids has a website dedicated to remembering September 11th. The website, BrainPop, has a FREE 6 minute video about September 11th that is very thorough and explains in animated video and clear language what happened and, to the best of our knowledge, why. The video is recommended for grades 4 and up, though you may want to watch it first to make sure it is appropriate for your child.

If, at any time, you are unsure how to speak to your child about the attacks, consider taking a look at the 9/11 Memorial’s guide to talking with children--it has a lot of great information.