The Spirit of 9/12 — Annual Community Healing Art Experience

On September 12, 2001, something remarkable happened. In the wake of the worst attack on American soil, communities across the country came together with an extraordinary spirit of kindness, generosity, and unity. Strangers helped strangers. Neighbors showed up for neighbors. The barriers that normally divide us disappeared, and what remained was the best of who we are.

The Spirit of 9/12 is an annual gathering that honors that spirit — not by dwelling on tragedy, but by channeling remembrance into action, connection, and care for others.
Founded by Cait Leavey, daughter of FDNY Lieutenant Joseph Gerard Leavey who was killed responding to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, The Spirit of 9/12 transforms grief into grace, loss into community, and remembrance into tangible impact. Now in its sixth year, the event brings together community members, corporate volunteers, first responders, families, and anyone who wants to be part of something meaningful.

What Happens at the Event
Held each year on September 12 at Washington Market Park in Lower Manhattan, The Spirit of 9/12 is a free, open community gathering featuring art, music, and connection. At its core is a Holding Frames experience — participants create within simple wooden frames, painting, drawing, or writing messages of care for communities currently navigating disaster, loss, or crisis. No art skills are required. No one is asked to share their story. The experience is guided by trained facilitators using the FRAME Method (Finding Resilience After Major Events), an evidence-based approach grounded in neuroscience and trauma research.

The four pathways of the FRAME Method guide every aspect of the event: creative action regulates the nervous system (Presence), side-by-side creating breaks isolation (Proximity), radical choice at every step restores agency (Power), and contributing messages of hope to other communities builds purpose (Purpose).

Frames created at The Spirit of 9/12 do not stay in New York. They travel to communities across the country that are currently navigating their own crisis — natural disasters, mass violence events, or collective loss. Every frame carries a message from someone who understands what it means to rebuild, and every receiving community knows that someone far away is thinking of them.

How Corporate Volunteers Participate
Corporate teams participate alongside community members, not in a separate track. This is intentional — the power of the event comes from the shared experience of creating together across backgrounds, roles, and experiences. A corporate volunteer sits at the same table as a 9/11 family member, a neighborhood resident, a first responder, and a child. That is the spirit of 9/12.

Companies can engage in multiple ways. Teams can volunteer at the event to support setup, materials distribution, and community engagement alongside THF facilitators. Companies can sponsor the event, funding materials, logistics, and the delivery of frames to communities in crisis. Or companies can do both — send a team to participate and sponsor the event to expand its reach.

For corporate partners, The Spirit of 9/12 offers a meaningful employee engagement experience tied to a nationally recognized date with built-in significance. It is not a team-building exercise dressed up as service — it is genuine community participation that also builds connection among teammates. Post-event impact reporting is provided for CSR, ESG, and employee engagement records.

2026 Expansion
The 2026 event marks the 25th year since September 11, 2001. We are expanding the scope and reach of this year's gathering to match the significance of the moment. Plans include an expanded footprint at Washington Market Park, increased capacity for community and corporate participants, live music, additional art experiences beyond frame-making, and a dedicated Frame Forwards ceremony where completed frames are sent to communities currently in need.

We are actively seeking corporate partners who want to be part of this milestone year — through volunteer participation, event sponsorship, or both.

The Bigger Picture
The Spirit of 9/12 is produced by The Holding Frames, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that creates art-based healing gatherings for communities impacted by disaster, mass violence, and crisis. THF fills the gap between emergency response and long-term recovery, showing up when the cameras leave and staying for years. Past and current partners include the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, S&P Global, and Travis Manion Foundation.

The spirit that emerged on September 12, 2001 did not have to be a one-day phenomenon. Every year, we prove it is not. Every frame created, every hand that picks up a paintbrush alongside a stranger, every message of care that travels to a community in crisis — that is the spirit of 9/12, alive and continuing.

Event Details
Date: September 12, 2026 (annual, recurring)
Time: TBD
Location: Washington Market Park, 199 Chambers Street, New York City
Cost to participants: Free
Corporate engagement: Volunteer participation, event sponsorship, or both
Contact: Through the Benevity portal