2024 Award Recipient, Jillian Smith
On the morning of December 18, 2023, the Wales Police Department responded to a call of a fire at 88 Stafford-Holland Road in Wales. The town was without power caused by severe weather that led to several downed trees and wires.
Jillian Smith, a 26-year-old mother of a baby girl and a Wales native, was alerted by her mother that the neighbors’ house was on fire. She put her baby down for a nap and without hesitation ran next door. She saw her neighbor, Andre Bouchard, coming out of the burning house and attempting to go back inside to find his wife, Madeline, after failing to locate her on his first attempt.
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September 11, 2024 Commemoration
Family and friends of those lost on 9/11/01 once again gathered to pay tribute during official ceremonies at the Massachusetts State House and Garden of Remembrance on Wednesday, September 11th, 2024.In addition to the Reading of the Names,this year we honored our Community of Care with Family Speaker Teresa Mathai and Keynote Speaker Deborah Rivlin, who through the Good Grief program provided support to us when we needed it the most, a video tribute to our Community of Care. Governor Maura Healery and Lt. Gov Kim Driscoll presented the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery.
After the luncheon in the State House Hall of Flags, family members, friends, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and a military escort were present at the Garden of Remembrance for the wreath laying ceremony. The entire Commemoration and a shortened review can be viewed here.
Pat Bavis speaks at Hingham High School
As commemorations around 9/11 near, The Hingham Anchor profiled Pat Bavis, who spoke with students at Hingham High School earlier this year. Pat, whose brother Mark perished in the 9/11 attacks, shared with students his perspective on the tragic events of that day and how his and other victims’ families have coped since then. He spoke as part of the Mass 9/11 Fund program that provides free peer-reviewed teaching resources to educators.
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Free Mass 9/11 Fund History Resources Available for Social Studies Teachers
The Massachusetts 9/11 Fund now offers high school social studies educators 
teaching resources that tell the overlooked story of how the terrorist attacks began with innocent passengers, pilots and crew boarding two planes at Boston’s Logan Airport. A video and accompanying learning guides are available to educators at no cost. They are designed to engage students in classroom discussions and coursework about the impact of 9/11 on families of the victims and local communities across the Commonwealth. They include profiles of victims from Massachusetts and provide proposed discussion questions, full video transcripts, and sourcing of the content cited in the videos. Read the media announcement here.
Remembering Our Loved Ones
We invite you to learn more about our loved ones; what they meant to us, our memories, their special gifts.
Garden of Remembrance
When you are in Boston, please take a moment to visit our beautiful Garden of Remembrance in the Boston Public Garden.This is a memorial dedicated to the 9/11 victims from or with ties to Massachusetts. It is located just inside the Arlington Street entrance. For more photos, an audio description, and a video tour please visit here.
License Plates
The Massachusetts 9/11 Fund shares the proceeds of the United We Stand license plates with local police and fire departments and the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund. These plates can be obtained at any Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles office or through the RMV website. Once you are on the site, scroll down to the middle of the page until you see the section titled, Order a Special/Vanity Plate.