By Alexandra Marks
Mon Sep 10, 4:00 AM ET

On Sept. 11, Jacob Sundberg of San Antonio has pledged to make eye contact and smile at everyone he meets. Kaitlin Ulrich will bring goody baskets to the police and fire departments in and around Philadelphia. And 100 volunteers from New York – 9/11 firefighters and family members among them – are going to Groesbeck, Texas, to rebuild a house destroyed by a tornado last December.

This is a minute sampling of the hundreds of thousands of people who have pledged to memorialize those killed on 9/11 by doing something good for others.

The heroic acts of all those killed trying to save others that September morning has spawned a growing grass-roots movement. The goal is to ensure that future generations remember not just the horror of the attacks, but also the extraordinary outpouring of humanity during the days, weeks, and months that followed.

"It was the worst possible day imaginable, and in some ways, a remarkable day, too, in the way in which people responded," says David Paine, cofounder of myGoodDeed.org. "We need to rekindle the way we came together in the spirit of 9/11: It would be almost as much a tragedy to lose that lesson."

Sept. 11 has inspired dozens of philanthropic efforts – from groups dedicated to building memorials to foundations designed to improve education in the Middle East. But myGoodDeed has a more universal goal: to turn 9/11 into a day dedicated to doing good – from small, simple things like Lisa Scheive's pledge to help stranded turtles cross the road in Pompano Beach, Fla., to lifesaving efforts, such as John Feal's decision in New York to donate one of his kidneys to help a seriously ill 9/11 worker.

The idea has been endorsed by members of Congress, and at myGoodDeed's urging, President Bush for the first time this year included a call for volunteering in his annual 9/11 proclamation.

After major disasters, Americans have historically tapped a deep reserve of compassion and reached out to others. But in the months and years that follow, those compassionate and civic urges tend to recede. Studies at Harvard's Saguaro Seminar on Civic Engagement in America found that in as few as five months after 9/11, most Americans had gone back to their daily lives and were not more engaged as they said they'd hoped to be. Part of the goal of turning 9/11 into a national day of service is to remind Americans of the inherent joy of giving and to hopefully spur volunteering and charitable acts throughout the year.

"I don't know of any research that's been done on one day of service, but studies have shown that people who do volunteering in high school are more likely to volunteer throughout their lives," says Thomas Sander, executive director of the Saguaro Seminar.

The idea of turning 9/11 into a day of service, charity, and good deeds came from the family and friends of one man: Glenn Winuk, a volunteer fireman and lawyer who worked a block and a half from the World Trade Center. After he helped evacuate his Broadway law offices, he grabbed a medic's bag and ran toward the smoke pouring from the South Tower. That's where his remains were found after the towers fell. Mr. Paine and Glenn's brother Jay had been friends for years. They decided that turning 9/11 into a day of service was best way to memorialize Glenn.

"It completely reflects the way my brother lived his life, and it also specifically reflects how he died," says Mr. Winuk, myGoodDeed.org cofounder. "He laid his life on the line for other people that day."

In 2002, Paine and Winuk sent e-mails to friends and family and suggested they do a good deed, such as donate a day's pay on 9/11. Then the idea evolved, and they founded myGoodDeed.org. In 2004, 100,000 visited their website and pledged to do a good deed on 9/11. This year, those pledging number more than 250,000.

"A lot of people don't know what to do on 9/11," says Paine. "This hits people in their heart and their soul. It connects with something that's fundamental."

It was just last night...I drove past that big hole in the ground on West St. on my way into Brooklyn. Having seen the first attack in 1993 first hand and having been on Ground Zero days after the 9-11 attack, it's extremely difficult to express my feelings every time I drive past that void that once contained the greatest towers on the planet.

It takes a lot to make me teary eyed but every time I see pictures like those in that video, it brings back some horrible memories of that day. I will never forget the sight...the sounds...the smells...all indelibly etched in my mind.

Remember the patriotism in the days that followed? Remember our pledges?
Remember our resolve?
Remember our President as he spoke at Ground Zero?
Remember those thousands of innocents that died?
Remember those first responders that ran in as others were running out?
Remember how angry we were?

The photos in that video need to be shown over and over and over again to those that have again become complacent and apathetic. Remember the motto...WE WILL NEVER FORGET? Maybe that needs to be changed to say something like WE WILL NEVER BECOME APATHETIC!! I guess we won't ever forget but we sure have lost our resolve and patriotism again. We sure seem to be just sitting back on our complacent asses waiting for it to happen again...only the next time will be bigger and better and more devastating than most of you can imagine.

For those of you that don't know, the numbers in my sig represent the number of lives lost at the WTC. Those in blue are the NYPD officers, those in red the FDNY fire fighters and those in black the civilians. The picture was taken from the top of the Met Life building on 42 St., above Grand Central Terminal, about 5 miles north of Ground Zero. The Empire State Building, adorned in red, white and blue lights, is on the far right. The twin beacons of light were from a temporary memorial erected on site.

Thanks to Cameo for posting this as we rapidly approach the 5th anniversary.

Oh yeah, I have much more important things to do than to read the conspiracy theorists' bull****. Referring to them as "some very smart profs" is a slap in the face to some very smart profs.

Charlie