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HEART 9/11 AND UNION CARPENTERS
REBUILDING PUERTO RICO
Every year, the UBC Eastern District hosts a conference that brings together staff and rank-and- le members from four regional councils for a day and a half of interactive presentations and work sessions. One of the highlights of this year's agenda was a presentation from Heart 9/11 founder Bill Keegan.
On September 11th, 2001, Bill Keegan was serving as a Port Authority Lieutenant. In the immediate aftermath of the terror attacks, he was assigned to the position of Night Operations Commander of the World Trade Center Rescue and Recovery Mission. Over the next nine months, Bill would spend every waking hour overseeing the dedicated team of highly trained rst responders and volunteers who committed their lives to the heartbreaking WTC Recovery effort.
HEART 9/11's vision is to assure that small and large communities alike have access to the unique skills of highly trained and experienced New York Police Department (NYPD), Port Authority Police Department (PAPD), Fire Department of New York (FDNY), Greater NY Building Trades and emergency personnel in times of crisis, whether across our country or internationally.
Bill said that, of all the volunteers present after the rescue effort had been exhausted the hard labor of recovery began, it was the expertise of the building trades, including Union Carpenters, that got the work moving. That experience led Bill to form Heart 9/11, a 400 member volunteer organization with a single mission.
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Heart 9/11 and Union Carpenters have been on the ground in the aftermath of natural disasters all over the world. Most recently, we have partnered our efforts again to help our fellow Americans rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Carpenters from all over the country were the rst to reach out to Heart 9/11 after Maria. Last year, General President Douglas McCarron called on then Eastern District Vice President Michael Capelli to begin working with our sister regional councils to send teams of volunteers to help rebuild homes. Even today, two years later, a sea of blue tarps can be seen where roofs should be. Foundations continue to erode, and residents fear what will happen when they must weather the next hurricane season with only a thin blue layer to shield them from 200 mph winds.
Throughout his presentation, Bill repeatedly praised the compassion and care of our members. In the years since he founded Heart 9/11, he said he doesn't see this kind of involvement and support from corporations. Bill described our volunteers as " ne, committed people who only want to help others." He closed out his presentation with this: "In times of crisis, I have seen the importance of hope and faith. Taking your grief and doing something good with it can literally change your life and the lives of others."
Today, Eastern District Vice President William Waterkotte is now overseeing this volunteer effort. He put it plainly: "Building lives, communities, and careers are part of our union values. Our mission in Puerto Rico is clear: to build up a middle class and help change lives by providing our fellow Americans with roofs over their heads and a path to a lifelong career."
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