“The first thing I remember of that day is that we all thought nothing happened,” says Monsignor Kevin Sullivan. “We thought there had been an accident, that a small Cessna plane went into the World Trade Center.”
On September 11, 2001, Sullivan was the Chief Operating Officer and acting Executive Director for Catholic Charities of New York. “Within a short period of time,” he recalls, “there was another plane, and then we knew that something was wrong.”
He had just left a meeting when he noticed thousands of people heading uptown on foot. “The number of people that were walking in the direction opposite the World Trade Center — you never saw that many people. It was just a flood of humanity.”
In the months after the attacks, New York City charities and nonprofits were working round-the-clock on aid and relief for victims and their families, including the tens of thousands of people whose jobs were lost or displaced due to the physical and economic shock of the attack.
“You had the people we lost in the two buildings. But you also had thousands of workers who were cleaning those buildings, working in restaurants, vendors right next door who were selling coffee, donuts. In an instant, nothing. Those were many of the people who immediately didn’t have a job,” says Sullivan.
An Unprecedented Coalition Takes Shape
The New York Community Trust and the United Way of New York City founded the initial September 11 Fund on the afternoon of the attacks, while many nonprofits, including Catholic Charities branches nationwide, launched their own fundraising efforts.
But in the ensuing weeks, it became clear that a united effort among the region’s leading nonprofits was needed to distribute the large sums of charitable gifts coming in effectively and even-handedly.
On December 14 of that year, at a press conference hosted by the UJA-Federation of New York, the 9/11 United Services Group (USG) announced its founding as the central coordinating body of charitable relief distributions. It named Catholic Charities of New York’s own Monsignor Kevin Sullivan as its chairman.
“The 9/11 United Services Group will respond to the staggering needs of those who have been affected by September 11th,” said Sullivan at the press conference. “During the past three months, thousands have been provided with tremendous amounts of assistance and services by numerous human service organizations. Yet, we are poignantly aware that many have been frustrated by difficulties in receiving the assistance they need.”
The 13 organizations who formed the initial coalition were: American Red Cross in Greater New York; Asian American Federation of New York; Black Agency Executives, Inc.; Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York; Catholic Charities Diocese of Brooklyn; Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, Inc.; Hispanic Federation; Human Services Council; Mental Health Association of New York City, Inc.; Safe Horizon; The Salvation Army; UJA-Federation of New York; and United Neighborhood Houses of New York.
Their work and cooperation expanded to include a total of over 40 agencies.
The function of the umbrella group went beyond distribution; it also made the process of applying for relief far more humane for victims.
As Sullivan points out, “All of that information was stored in one place, so they didn’t have to be traumatized over again by retelling the horrendous pain that they went through.”
Catholic Love for Workers: An Essential Part of Relief
Throughout the recovery effort, the Catholic community echoed concern for working people. Monsignor Sullivan recalls a significant charitable contribution from a well-resourced Westchester Parish. “The message that the minister wrote along with his donations was, ‘Please, remember the little guys.’”
Under Sullivan’s leadership, the USG addressed the economic impact of the attack on the community surrounding the Twin Towers. “You had thousands of workers who were cleaning those buildings, maybe working in restaurants, who were vendors right next door, who were selling coffee, doughnuts. In an instant, nothing. Those were the people who immediately didn’t have a job.”
His work in the immediate aftermath of the attacks involved working with Catholic Charities of New York’s existing union and workers’ association contacts to provide immediate and ongoing relief, working out of a local union hall.
In Chinatown, a close neighbor of the World Trade Center, garment factories had been shut down as a result of the attacks, causing major financial strain to the workers and their community. “For a lot of relief programs at the time, many of the workers and families were not eligible because they lived above Canal Street.” Catholic Charities of New York in particular was uniquely positioned to help these workers.
The relationships that formed during those weeks led to a restaurant run by former employees of Windows on the World, a complex of eateries and venues that had been at the top of the 1 World Trade Center. It achieved critical acclaim and lasted for 11 years, an eternity in New York City’s restaurant industry. Catholic Charities of New York paid its staff’s wages in its earliest days, before the business achieved financial independence.
“The indication was that workers like to work. They didn’t want a handout,” says Sullivan.
Our Place in a Caring New York
Monsignor Sullivan was officially made the Executive Director and CEO of Catholic Charities of New York shortly after the attacks, and faithfully led the organization for 25 more years. He describes the lessons he learned during the 9/11 relief effort as foundational to his role.
“I learned the incredible role that the Catholic Church has, and that Catholic Charities has, in being a partner — convening, coordinating, working with diverse groups who may have some very different perspectives on things. They can be a bridge that brings together partners to foster the common good,” he says.
He adds, “Our response, and the incredibly talented workers who responded, really left a mark that has continued to this day, and showed us the value and the place that Catholic Charities has in a caring New York.”
