September 13 FIND CommUnity Walk:
"We Will Always Remember" 9/11 Victims

by Judy Silberstein

(September 5, 2003) On Saturday, September 13, at 1:00 AM, people will gather at Memorial Park in the Town of Mamaroneck for the Third Annual CommUNITY Walk.

It’s been almost two years since the World Trade Center disaster of September 11, 2001 when thousands of people were killed or injured, including seven residents of Larchmont and Mamaroneck who left 17 children behind. At the time, many impromptu support efforts or organizations cropped up throughout the country to meet the immediate needs of the victims and their families. Most of these have since disappeared, but Larchmont-based Friends in Deed (FIND) continues to support the local families through a variety of activities.

“The whole idea is - as long as these families are in our community, we will be supporting them,” said Bob Meglio, one of the founders of FIND. “We’re a small ‘family’ here and we’ll take care of our family,” he explained.

FIND has focused on organizing activities that serve two purposes: bringing the community together to remember the victims, and raising funds for the families. This year there has been a celebrity chef cooking demonstration sponsored by the local Rotary in February and a hockey playoff featuring the “Moms” versus the “Dads” in April.

The events tend to be active and sports oriented, perhaps because the idea for FIND was hatched by Bob Meglio and his two running partners, Noel Dennis and Rich Seid. All funds raised each year go straight to the families. The first year contributions were disbursed through direct grants to meet immediate needs. Since then, FIND has set up special “529” education funds for each child that allow money to be put away tax free to pay for college or other training. Last year, the group put away $3,000 for each child they are assisting.

Two of the children have already graduated college, but could use the funds for graduate school or other post-college education. The youngest child is only two and a half, but Meglio hopes the account will put even the youngest through college. He has long-term plans.

“As we get further away from the actual event, we’ve been adapting our programs,” said Meglio. “The fund raising is still important, but FIND now is more about raising the consciousness of the community than about raising money.”

FIND is about letting everyone know that “We still remember the friends that we lost two years ago, and we always will,” he said.

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