Sometimes, you just need to get out the office to get the job done. That was the case for 9/11 Memorial Museum staff members Amy Weinstein, Jenny Pachuki and Ryan Pawling, who traveled  to Florida for a "workation."

Tasked to interview residents of Palm Beach Gardens, many of whom were responders and family members of victims of to the Sept. 11 attacks, our dedicated crew made a point to get a better understanding of the family members lost on that fateful day.

"We want people to tell us what the person was like. Did they coach little league? What color were their eyes?" Amy Weisntein tells a reporter from The Palm Beach Post.

Members of the community were encouraged to sign up and interview at the Palm Beach Gardens City Hall from Dec. 4 to Dec. 5. Many made reservations and brought photographs to tell a more complete story of their lost loved one.

All are invited to help participate in the creation of exhibitions by sharing memories, objects, photos and other materials with the museum. Donate through our website or contact the Memorial and Museum by phone, 212 312 8800.

By Norm Dannen,  Public Affairs Associate

It’s not too late to RSVP for tonight’s event at 6:30 p.m. at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site, 20 Vesey St. (Between Church Street and Broadway). Come hear three leaders who have met the challenge of service, response and relief, and crisis counseling across the country and the globe.

Jay S. Winuk is co-founder and vice president of MyGoodDeed, the nonprofit organization that led the advocacy campaign to establish 9/11 as an annually recognized National Day of Service and Remembrance, which was signed into law by President Obama in April 2009.  On Sept. 11, 2001, Jay lost his younger brother Glenn J. Winuk, an attorney and volunteer firefighter, who was killed in the line of duty when the South Tower collapsed.  Millions of people from all 50 states and countries all over the world now mark Sept. 11 to serve people and communities in need. Also attending will be Bill Keegan of H.E.A.R.T. 911 and a member of the New York Says Thank You Foundation.

Before the evening begins, the audience will hear some remarks from Diahann Billings-Burford, the city’s chief service officer for NYC Service.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Staff photographer Amy Dreher snaps a lot of pictures at the World Trade Center site, documenting the construction progress of the 9/11 Memorial. Amy also trains her lens on the smaller pieces that may be overlooked with a project of this magnitude. Through “The Lens: Viewing the 9/11 Memorial,” readers of The MEMO blog can share some of the unique vantage points captured by Amy.

Proud card carrier: Bay Crane Operator Andrew "Andy" Calise holds up his 9/11 Memorial Preview Site discount card, and his old memorial glade cobblestone card. Because of Andy's donations to the 9/11 Memorial through the cobblestone campaign, he received the discount card.  It's great to know that the people helping to build the Memorial and Museum are also donors.

By Amy Dreher, Staff Photographer for the 9/11 Memorial

Come meet Jay Winuk,  co-founder of MyGoodDeed.org -- the nonprofit initiative leading the movement to transform 9/11 into an annually recognized National Day of Service -- at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site this Wednesday. The discussion will cover how volunteerism in the U.S. boomed after 9/11.

Hear his story:

6:30 p.m., Wed., Dec. 8

Also attending will be Bill Keegan of H.E.A.R.T. 911, and a member of the New York Says Thank You Foundation. The three organizations and their leaders have met the challenge of service, response and relief, and crisis counseling across the country and the globe.

Learn more about the orgnaizations in the links below:

Due to limited space, it’s highly recommended that you RSVP online. A suggested donation of $10 per person will help support ongoing programming.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

Above: Veteran news anchor Shepard Smith introduces the latest installment of the Fox News series “The Rise of Freedom," which features 9/11 Memorial architect Michael Arad.  In the broadcast, Arad discusses the signature 9/11 Memorial pools, which feature 30-foot waterfalls.  

Arad, a partner of Handel Architects, was working as an architect for the New York City Housing Authority when he entered and won the 9/11 Memorial design competition.

His design for the memorial, which is called “Reflecting Absence,” was picked by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in early 2004. Two years after winning the design contest, Arad was one of six recipients of the American Institute of Architect’s Young Architects Award.

The award honors architects license ten years or less and have shown “exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the profession early in their careers.”

Updated: Read more about Arad in a recent article in the Downtown Express weekly.

By the 9/11 Memorial Staff

The "9/11, Today and Tomorrow" speaker series has returned  for another installment at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site, 20 Vesey St. (Between Church Street and Broadway).

Join Jay Winuk of MyGoodDeed, Bill Keegan of H.E.A.R.T. 911, and a member of the New York Says Thank You Foundation for a discussion covering how volunteerism in the U.S. increased  after 9/11 and inspired President Obama to declare Sept. 11 a National Day of Service. The three organizations and their leaders have met the challenge of service, response and relief, and crisis counseling across the country and the globe.

Come hear their stories:

6:30 p.m., Wed., Dec. 8

Due to limited space, it’s highly recommended that you RSVP online at national911memorial.org/rsvp. A suggested donation of $10 per person will help support ongoing programming.

Norm Dannen, Public Affairs Associate

Good Day NY interviews Ralph Gardner, a Wall Street Journal columnist, about his trip hangar 17 at JKF International Airport.  World Trade Center remnant steel, crushed emergency vehicles and other artifacts recovered from ground zero have been housed there since 2001. Some of the artifacts will be part of exhibits at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.  

Read Ralph's column, Urban Gardener, browse the Hangar photos from the WSJ article.  The steel beams have been sent across the country for use in local memorials. A batch of steel was relocated  to New Jersey in October.

By Norm Dannen, Public Affairs Associate 

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

The above video is from Fox News' "The Rise of Freedom" series documents Pennsylvania memorial that honors victims of 9/11 with steel beam from World Trade Center. Read more about WTC steel being used in memorials across the country on The MEMO.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

The above video is from Fox News' "The Rise of Freedom" series taking a look at what it takes to build America's tallest building - One World Trade Center.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

This flag is on a mission. Hands from across the nation will put their touch on the National 9/11 Flag.

On it's latest stop to Oak Cliff, Texas, students of Erik Jonsson Community School have taken time to care for the flag and remember that all American's, not just New Yorkers, were affected that day.

"I will always be an American," the fourth graders sang to a local community group according to a Dallas Morning News report. "And I will always cry American tears."

The 30-foot-by-20-foot U.S. flag, which was damaged in the collapse of the World Trade Center, is on a nationwide restoration tour. All 50 states will collaborate to stitch pieces of their own retired flag into the WTC fabric. The final flag will make its way back to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in time for the 10th anniversary. Read about one of the previous stops on the MEMO.

Jeff Parness, the flag's caretaker and founder of New York Says Thank You Foundation is committed to thanking Americans for the outpouring of support each year by sending New York volunteers to regions struck by disasters to help communities rebuild.

Future stops for the flag include Pearl Harbor and the Kentucky Dirby next spring. The Cowboys honored it just this past Oct. 25.

When the tour is over, the flag will arrive to the World Trade Center site and symbolize "what America is all about," Parness reiterated in the report .

So keep an eye out, the flag could be coming to a town near you.

By Norm Dannen, Public Affairs Associate for 9/11 Memorial