Survivor Tree Seedlings Donated to Uvalde, Waukesha, Little Rock
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
SURVIVOR TREE SEEDLINGS DONATED TO UVALDE, WAUKESHA, AND LITTLE ROCK IN WAKE OF RECENT TRAGEDIES
Through Annual Tradition, 9/11 Memorial Museum Gifts Symbol of Hope to Recovering Communities
New York, NY – September 12, 2023 – Today, The National September 11 Memorial & Museum announced that communities in Waukesha, WI; Uvalde, TX; and Little Rock, AR will be recognized for their resilience as this year’s recipients of “Survivor Tree” seedlings.
The story of the Survivor Tree program began a month after the 9/11 attacks, when recovery workers pulled a tree from the rubble. The tree was placed in the care of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and nursed back to health. In 2010, the tree was brought to the 9/11 Memorial site where it was dubbed the Survivor Tree. In partnership with Bartlett Tree Experts of Stamford, CT, and John Bowne High School in the Queens neighborhood of Flushing, the Survivor Tree program officially launched on the 12th anniversary of the attacks.
Waukesha, WI will receive a seedling in response to the November 21, 2022, incident that killed six and injured 62 when an SUV intentionally plowed into a crowd gathered for the city’s Christmas parade. The spirit of the community remains strong and intact despite the horrific incident. Since then, seedlings have been gifted annually to different communities as a symbol of hope and strength while they recover and rebuild after catastrophes. As the seedlings grow in their new homes, they stand as reminders of perseverance just as the original Survivor Tree does on the 9/11 Memorial Plaza in New York City.
The Uvalde Memorial Hospital in Uvalde, TX will receive a seedling because of the heroic role they played in response to the mass shooting that occurred on May 24, 2022. Nineteen students and two teachers were shot and killed at Robb Elementary School in the small town that day. Uvalde Memorial Hospital was tasked with treating 15 people. 11 of the people that were treated were children, and the hospital handled the tremendous responsibility with grace.
Finally, Little Rock, AR will receive a seedling after withstanding widespread and major tornado outbreaks on Friday, March 31, 2023. The storms tore across parts of the midwestern, southern, and eastern United States, spinning 122 tornadoes in a 24-hour period. As a result, five people were killed, dozens were injured, and tens of thousands were left without power.
While each situation was unique, they were all marked by common threads of resilience and hope. Similarly, the Survivor Tree continues to stand as an icon of the nation’s hope, resilience, and rebirth following the 2001 attacks.
“Twenty-two years after the 9/11 attacks, the original Survivor Tree is still standing tall, inspiring thousands of people who visit the plaza every day,” said Elizabeth L. Hillman, 9/11 Memorial & Museum President and CEO. "We hope the seedlings provide the same sense of renewal in these communities as they seek to rebuild after horrific events.”
Images of the Survivor Tree and seedlings associated with the program are available upon request. Please email press@911memorial.org to request access.
Learn more about the Survivor Tree and the seedling program here.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL SEPTEMBER 11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum is the nonprofit organization that oversees operations for the 9/11 Memorial and 9/11 Memorial Museum. Located on eight of the 16 acres of the World Trade Center site, the Memorial and Museum remember and honor the 2,983 people who were killed in the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. The Memorial plaza design consists of two reflecting pools formed in the footprints of the original Twin Towers surrounded by swamp white oak trees. The Museum displays more than 900 personal and monumental objects while its collection includes more than 67,500 items that present intimate stories of loss, compassion, reckoning and recovery linked to the events of 9/11 and the aftermath The Museum also explores the global impact of 9/11 and its continuing significance through education programs, public programs, live talks and film features that cover contemporary topics designed for diverse audiences. For more information or to reserve a ticket to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, please visit 911memorial.org.
MEDIA INQUIRIES
Erin Gaddis | (214) 673-9435 | press@911memorial.org
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