Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund
Encyclopedia
Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund is a 501
charitable organization founded to provide support for families of workers in the food, beverage and hospitality industry who were lost in the attacks on the World Trade Center
in New York on Sept. 11, 2001.
was on the 106th and 107th floors of the World Trade Center
. On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, all 79 employees working there were killed in the terrorist attacks. Elsewhere in the World Trade Center, many other members of the food service industry, including caterers; corporate dining room staff, kitchen staff and chefs; and restaurant delivery people who happened to be in the buildings, lost their lives as well.
A group of hospitality-industry professionals met out of concern for the families of those restaurant and dining room workers who had been killed in the attacks. Many of those who died had been entry-level workers whose families would struggle to pay rent and other basic expenses in the wake of the attacks. Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund was founded to provide short- and longer-term assistance to these families.
With much support from colleagues throughout the industry, the fund was founded by a core group of restaurant professionals: Darlene Dwyer, a public relations consultant in the food industry; David Emil, an owner and operator of Windows on the World
at the time; chef Michael Lomonaco
, executive chef at Windows on the World
at the time; chef Waldy Malouf, chef and co-owner of the New York restaurant, Beacon; and chef Tom Valenti
, chef and owner of the restaurant Ouest.
Fundraising activities included soliciting donations and sponsoring a Dine Out event on October 11, 2001, during which participating restaurants in New York and elsewhere in the country donated 10% of sales that evening to Windows of Hope. Ultimately $23 million was raised for the fund.
Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund board members realized they would need help administering funds and structuring their organization. The fund enlisted the assistance of Community Service Society to provide services the fund itself could not.
According to a Binghamton University
analysis of 9/11 non-profits, the fund's use of the Community Service Society is one reason why Windows of Hope has been a successful example of a 9/11 charity. “Their willingness to acknowledge what they did not know and to use Community Service Society allowed them to be responsive quickly,” said David Campbell, associate professor of public administration at Binghamton University and author of the study, "Organic and Sustainable: The Emergence, Formalization and Performance of a September 11th Disaster Relief Organization".
As David Campbell writes in The Chronicle of Philanthropy
, "... the Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund provides a valuable example of the difference new organizations made in the relief effort and offers lessons for how new and established organizations can work together and make one another stronger."
In 2006, the fund's focus narrowed to assisting with tuition for family members, and the fund contracted with Scholarship America
to manage tuition payments and reimbursements. The fund maintains an educational liaison to support families in their interactions with Scholarship America and with questions and concerns about educational matters.
The fund expects to serve the Windows of Hope families in this capacity through 2022.
501
Year 501 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Avienus and Pompeius...
charitable organization founded to provide support for families of workers in the food, beverage and hospitality industry who were lost in the attacks on the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
in New York on Sept. 11, 2001.
Origins
The restaurant complex Windows on the WorldWindows on the World
Windows on the World was a complex of venues at the top floors of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan that included a restaurant, Windows on the World, a smaller restaurant called Wild Blue, and a bar called The Greatest Bar on Earth, as well as rooms for private functions...
was on the 106th and 107th floors of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
. On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, all 79 employees working there were killed in the terrorist attacks. Elsewhere in the World Trade Center, many other members of the food service industry, including caterers; corporate dining room staff, kitchen staff and chefs; and restaurant delivery people who happened to be in the buildings, lost their lives as well.
A group of hospitality-industry professionals met out of concern for the families of those restaurant and dining room workers who had been killed in the attacks. Many of those who died had been entry-level workers whose families would struggle to pay rent and other basic expenses in the wake of the attacks. Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund was founded to provide short- and longer-term assistance to these families.
With much support from colleagues throughout the industry, the fund was founded by a core group of restaurant professionals: Darlene Dwyer, a public relations consultant in the food industry; David Emil, an owner and operator of Windows on the World
Windows on the World
Windows on the World was a complex of venues at the top floors of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan that included a restaurant, Windows on the World, a smaller restaurant called Wild Blue, and a bar called The Greatest Bar on Earth, as well as rooms for private functions...
at the time; chef Michael Lomonaco
Michael Lomonaco
Michael Lomonaco is an American chef, restaurateur, and television personality. He is best known as the Chef/Director for Windows on the World, the restaurant located atop the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The restaurant was destroyed in the September 11th attacks and many staff members,...
, executive chef at Windows on the World
Windows on the World
Windows on the World was a complex of venues at the top floors of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan that included a restaurant, Windows on the World, a smaller restaurant called Wild Blue, and a bar called The Greatest Bar on Earth, as well as rooms for private functions...
at the time; chef Waldy Malouf, chef and co-owner of the New York restaurant, Beacon; and chef Tom Valenti
Tom Valenti
Tom Valenti is the Executive Chef and co-owner of Ouest Restaurant on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, in New York City. The recipient of many awards for his comfortable cooking style, Valenti is best known for his salmon gravlax and slow-cooked meats, particularly braised lamb shanks...
, chef and owner of the restaurant Ouest.
Activities of Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund
Windows of Hope serves 120 families. Initial assistance included cash grants, then extended to insurance coverage, educational tuition assistance, and case management services to help families cope not only with the loss of their loved ones but with securing settlements from the Federal Victims Compensation Fund.Fundraising activities included soliciting donations and sponsoring a Dine Out event on October 11, 2001, during which participating restaurants in New York and elsewhere in the country donated 10% of sales that evening to Windows of Hope. Ultimately $23 million was raised for the fund.
Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund board members realized they would need help administering funds and structuring their organization. The fund enlisted the assistance of Community Service Society to provide services the fund itself could not.
According to a Binghamton University
Binghamton University
Binghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...
analysis of 9/11 non-profits, the fund's use of the Community Service Society is one reason why Windows of Hope has been a successful example of a 9/11 charity. “Their willingness to acknowledge what they did not know and to use Community Service Society allowed them to be responsive quickly,” said David Campbell, associate professor of public administration at Binghamton University and author of the study, "Organic and Sustainable: The Emergence, Formalization and Performance of a September 11th Disaster Relief Organization".
As David Campbell writes in The Chronicle of Philanthropy
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
The Chronicle of Philanthropy is a biweekly newspaper that covers the nonprofit world. Based in Washington, DC, it is the top news source for charity leaders, foundation executives, fund raisers, and other people involved in philanthropy...
, "... the Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund provides a valuable example of the difference new organizations made in the relief effort and offers lessons for how new and established organizations can work together and make one another stronger."
In 2006, the fund's focus narrowed to assisting with tuition for family members, and the fund contracted with Scholarship America
Scholarship America
Scholarship America is a Minnesota-based American philanthropic organization that assists communities, corporations, foundations and individuals with fundraising, managing and awarding scholarships to students...
to manage tuition payments and reimbursements. The fund maintains an educational liaison to support families in their interactions with Scholarship America and with questions and concerns about educational matters.
The fund expects to serve the Windows of Hope families in this capacity through 2022.