Nearly 1,200 volunteers came together to serve on 9/11 Day of Remembrance

Volunteers at Deer Valley Resort on Saturday for Serve Park City. Photo: Chane Kellerstrass

PARK CITY, Utah — Nearly 1,200 volunteers and 51 organizing partners, including 28 local nonprofits, joined Park City’s second annual 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance on Saturday. Serve Park City commemorates the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, by strengthening the community through service. 

The day began at 8 a.m. with a volunteer breakfast and remembrance program at City Park, where firefighter Bryson Allison addressed the crowd. “I’m surrounded by hundreds of fellow community members all coming together today — not to avenge, not to perpetuate hate or resentment, but to simply do good for others,” he said.

After the program, volunteers fanned out across the city to tackle 35 projects.

Known for its scenic outdoor spaces, Park City saw teams working on beautification and restoration efforts ranging from campus cleanups at local nonprofits to maintenance at Poison Creek, Ross Creek Park, Swaner Nature Preserve, Summit Community Gardens, Summit County Clubhouse and other public areas. Volunteers planted trees, picked up trash along major roadways, and helped preserve open spaces with Utah Open Lands and The Nature Conservancy of Utah.

Service opportunities also included weaving sleeping mats for the homeless with Stitching Hearts, sorting eyeglasses with Hope Alliance, providing feedback to Mountain Mediation, writing letters with Park City Education Foundation and Dream Makers, assembling kits with Jewish Family Services and People’s Health Clinic, organizing libraries, and assisting with animal care at Nuzzles & Co. and Fetch Cares.

“What I love about Serve Park City is seeing everyone come together —from Stein Eriksen Lodge staff and their families, to youth sports teams, school clubs and church groups, along with local leaders and landscapers all working side by side to lift our community,” Marriott said. “Real service was being rendered, and it was inspiring to see all ages, backgrounds and abilities working side by side, fulfilling the mission of Park City Humanitarians: building community through service.”

Marriott also noted the “impressive sight” of over 100 boys and their mothers joining together from the Young Men’s Service League clearing brush and mucking stalls at the NAC campus. The project is part of their annual Ultimate Gift project, through which they dedicate about 500 service hours to a single community effort.

YMSL volunteers worked on landscaping, weeded the NAC’s campus, cleaned out the equestrian corrals, cleaned and organized the bike shed, and repainted areas of the NAC to create a more welcoming environment for the 6,000+ participants the NAC serves annually.

Since its inception in 2002, 9/11 Day has grown into the largest day of service in America. More than 30 million Americans and others participate annually, dedicating time to helping those in need and rekindling the spirit of unity that brought the nation together in the days following the 9/11 tragedy.

Serve Park City is organized by Park City Humanitarians, a grassroots volunteer group promoting service within the community. To get involved, email serveparkcity@gmail.com or visit JustServe.org/ServeParkCity. Next year’s Day of Service is scheduled for Sept. 12, 2026.