"I tell people its not about 9/11, its about 9/12" is what Jeff Parness has to say about his foundation. The New York Says Thank You Foundation was created to help out communities after they've suffered a tragedy. This years event was at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in northwest Iowa. You may recall that 4 boy scouts lost their lives in a tornado last summer.

While the event focused on bring those who have dealt with tragedy together, they also built a chapel over the weekend. The chapel is built in the same spot that the former storm shelter stood. Over 1000 volunteers spent their labor day weekend at the ranch, some coming from as far away as Spain. Many of the building materials were from trees that came down during the tornado.

"I'm sitting back here realizing this structure is pretty special" is how Parness describes today's feeling.

Helping communities that have suffered a loss is something Jeff has been doing for some time. Following 9/11 he wanted to do something to pay respect to a business partner. When his son wanted to help children on the west coast suffering from wild fires, it grew into a yearly event, the weekend before September 11th, to help a community that's suffered tragedy.

"To me it was a way to pay homage to my friend, but I wanted to make a bigger statement that New Yorkers will never forget what people from SD, IA, NE, small towns all over the county did for us in our time of need"

An altar now stands in the place where the chimney of the shelter once stood, the same place where the boy scouts lost their lives. Jeff knows that this weekend's events are another step in healing. "It's always going to be the place where the boys died but it's also going to be a place where all these people from America came together to honor the boys and help their friends and family heal."

If you would like to help out The New York Says Thank You Foundation, visit the news links section of our website.

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