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15 Years On: A Reflection on Our Support for The National September 11 Memorial & Museum

September 08, 2016
Ed Skyler, Executive Vice President | Enterprise Services and Public Affairs

 

Like so many impacted by the events of that tragic day 15 years ago, our support for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum is very personal to Citi.

We were founded on Wall Street over 200 years ago by a group of New York merchants who feared that New York was being eclipsed by rival port cities. They established The City Bank of New York to finance international trade – an important part of Citi's mission today.

The original World Trade Center was the direct descendent of an exhibition that another group of New York merchants organized at the 1939 World's Fair, devoted to the idea of "world peace through trade."

So our belief in the World Trade Center and our commitment to supporting the National September 11 Memorial & Museum lie at the core of our values as a company.

16,000 Citi colleagues were working in lower Manhattan on September 11th. Six of them were lost to their families and to us. As a tribute to them, we became a founding member of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum with a $10 million donation. In addition, the Citi Relief Fund has provided $15 million in scholarships to the families of victims and survivors of 9/11 over the past fifteen years, helping over 800 of them attend college.

We've also sought to honor the memories of all those who were lost by putting our financial resources to work to support the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site and ensure the recovery of lower Manhattan. Citi was the lead underwriter on $2.6 billion of Port Authority bonds funding the construction of One World Trade Center, the retail components of the site and critical infrastructure. And this year, Citi moved its headquarters back to lower Manhattan, coinciding with beginning an extensive renovation of its Greenwich Street complex, in yet another vote of confidence in this thriving neighborhood.

To commemorate the 15th anniversary of 9/11, Citi is involved in several events this weekend focused on service and giving back to our community. On Sunday, ServiceWorks AmeriCorps VISTAs will join Citi employee volunteers to participate in the largest volunteer effort in New York City commemorating the annual 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. ServiceWorks AmeriCorps VISTAs, who are part of Citi Foundation's Pathways to Progress program, will serve as team leads for thousands of volunteers, including hundreds of Citi employee volunteers, to prepare 500,000 meals for New Yorkers in need.

This service event will follow events on Saturday where 80 ServiceWorks AmeriCorps VISTAs will pledge a year of national service. General Stanley McChrystal, retired U.S. Army general and former Commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, will administer the pledge of service to the VISTAs during Opportunity Nation's 2016 National Opportunity Summit, a convening focused on expanding economic opportunities for youth, including an emphasis on making civic engagement opportunities in communities more accessible.

Last night, CEO Mike Corbat accepted the 2016 Distinction in Corporate Service award from the National September 11 Memorial & Museum on behalf of our company. He and Citi would like to thank all the supporters of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum for their commitment to honoring the lives and memories of the victims, survivors and first responders on this 15th anniversary.

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