Service is a response to Loss that leads to Resiliency.
"When you are hurting, look for something you can do for someone else, no matter how small and do it. That will make you feel better."
-Susan Baer,
General Manager of Newark Airport on 9/11
Resiliency is the ability to "bounce back" from adversity.
2025 program is sponsored by SSP America.
"Reclaiming the Sky" tells the story of aviation employees in Boston, New York/Newark and Washington, DC who performed in extraordinary ways during the attacks on 9/11. The book's key themes around "service" and "working as a community," are reflected in the comment by Susan Baer, the General Manager of Newark Airport, who said, "When you are hurting, look for something you can do for someone else and do it - that will move you forward."
Working in today's aviation industry can be challenging. Nobody knows what challenges lay ahead. In this program, Young Professionals, airport employees forty years of age and under, learn resiliency skills from the 9/11 heroes to perform at their peak and meet future challenges, both personal and professional.
The pathway to moving forward after loss is, as Susan Baer said, to find a "purpose."
The program is offered by the Human Resiliency Institute at Fordham University in partnership with Airports Council Int'l - North America and with support from SSP America as major sponsor.
Watch this short clip with comments by Eric Caplan of Tampa Airport, the 2024 essay winner. Eric and other essay winners were celebrated at ACI-NA's annual conference in 2024 for their leadership.
Next year will be the 25th anniversary of 9/11. We're offering the program in 2025 to keep the focus on the heroes and keep the program growing. Here's how the program works:
SPRING: Registration is open to aviation employees who are forty and under and are employed at ACI-NA member airports or service company members - REGISTER here.
We'll be in touch with a date for a ZOOM Orientation. You'll get support from industry leaders and receive a FREE copy of the "Reclaiming the Sky" ebook. (In some cases, leadership airports may host in-person workshops to support the launch of the 2025 program, continue to check back for updates.)
SUMMER: read the book over the summer at your own pace. "Reclaiming the Sky" profiles airport and airline employees in Boston, New York and Washington, DC. They came to work on the morning of September, 11, 2001 expecting a normal day, only to find that "just doing my job" was to become the creed of heroes. We'll offer an ONLINE workshop in summer, 2025 to give participants a chance to discuss the lessons with Mentors and explore ways to develop "resiliency tools" from the stories. Participants will have a chance to take notes for the essay competition.
FALL: Essays can be submitted online - see below - with a deadline date of August 18, 2025. Winners will be announced by September 5. Essay winners, including first, second and third place, will win cash prizes of $1000, $500 and $250. The three winners will be offered a free registration to the ACI-NA annual conference, where they will be recognized on stage at ACI-NA's conference in Toronto in October, 2025 and presented with their awards.
ELIGIBILTY: Participation is open to the first 30 Young Professionals from ACI-NA member airports and service companies.
Those under 40 years of age who are employees of ACI-NA member airports and service companies are eligible. You'll be asked to commit to read the free Ebook, participate in the summer discussion of the lessons (date to be announced) and be invited to write a 500/700 word essay for the competition.
Are you under 40 and an aviation Young Professional? Any questions about this project, contact Tom Murphy, Director, Human Resiliency Institute at Fordham University at tom@edge4vets.org.
In September 2021 a "pilot" for this resiliency project was offered to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of 9/11. For background on how the success of that pilot has led to this expansion, see this ABC News clip, also return to the HOME page.
