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By Bob Dotson
TODAY.com contributor
updated 9/7/2011 9:31:41 AM ET
Even for believers, what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, seemed unbelievable. On that day of snowing dirt, a little chapel survived the hell that leveled skyscrapers of concrete and steel.
On that terrible day terrorists crashed planes into the World Trade Center, I was standing outside St. Paul’s Chapel, one block from Ground Zero. A dozen modern buildings toppled all around, but St. Paul’s — pieced together with brick and timber — stood without so much as a broken window.
The Rev. Daniel Matthews, rector of the parish of Trinity Church, walked with me through the church’s graveyard, which was covered in ash. The dust of the dead had settled in the chapel cemetery.
Matthews stopped to dust off a headstone. “You know what everyone in the neighborhood is calling St. Paul’s, don’t you? The Little Chapel That Stood.” He looked up and smiled.
“The most astounding thing for me was not the soot and the dust, but the paper,” he continued. “There must have been 10 million pieces. Everybody’s desk wound up flying out the window.”
Some 460,000 tons of debris from the Twin Towers alone had landed nearby — enough concrete to build a 5-foot sidewalk from New York to Washington, D.C. Enough steel to build 20 Eiffel Towers. Sixteen acres of rubble, some of it nine stories deep.
Matthews figured St. Paul’s Chapel was spared to shelter those who were not spared. “It is a symbol of where we have been and where we are going and what we have to do in the future.”
Saving soles
The little church is the oldest in Manhattan. It opened in 1766, a decade before the Declaration of Independence. Most every president has prayed here, beginning with George Washington; he came to St. Paul’s after this country’s first inauguration. Guess what Kathy Fallon was doing in the president’s pew the day I showed up?
“I’m sitting where George Washington and his family used to gather for church, fixing feet.” Fallon said with a smile. She was running a foot clinic.
“It’s appropriate to be in a church,” another volunteer put in with a grin, “because, in a way, we’re saving soles.”
St. Paul’s was a place where Ground Zero workers could rest; get a foot or back rub, a quick meal, and a kind word. “It’s like a M.A.S.H. unit for the soul,” Matthews said. “These volunteers did a great job.”
A thousand of them served 12-hour shifts. They came from all over. On 9/11, foot doctor Fallon drove two and a half hours from her home in Armonk, N.Y. En route, she realized she would miss a celebration: Her husband, Jim, would have to blow out the 42 candles on his birthday cake without her.
Then she had another realization: “Oh my God, my baby is four months today!” The day the towers came crashing down and she rushed to Ground Zero.
“I need to be here,” Fallon insisted. “When my son, James Edward, grows up, he’ll understand what happened on Sept. 11. I think he’ll appreciate that his mom was down here, trying to help out.”
‘They lost; we won’
We all tell our kids, “I’ll be right back.” After 9/11, some children didn’t believe that. Victoria Alonso’s mother, Janet, went to work at the World Trade Center that morning and never returned. Her dad was left to care for a 2-year-old daughter and a baby boy with Down syndrome.
“If I was to tell you I did this by myself, I’d be a liar; I’d be a flat-out liar,” Robert said. “I got my mom, my aunt, my pop to help.”
But he never returned to work at the pizza place he owned in Stony Point, New York. His family substituted for him. “I owe it to my children to be around,” Robert explained. “If I buried my grief in work, my kids would lose both their parents.”
He no longer put off anything that brought them joy. “If we’re lying on the floor and all of a sudden Victoria says, ‘Daddy, I want to go to the park,’ I’m like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to go to the park.’ That’s what I’m thinking, but I say, ‘Let’s go. We’re going to the park.’ ”
Robert shouted “Hang on, guys!” as the kids squealed with laughter. They were riding in a grocery cart, careening across the lot toward dad’s big SUV. “Why should I deprive my children from going shopping?” Robert said. “I see all the other mothers going shopping with their kids. Why can’t I do it?”
He raced alongside the grocery cart, jumped on its rear axle and pushed with a powerful leg. The children exploded with laughter again. “When my kids smile, the terrorists lose,” Robert said with a grin. “The people who killed Janet wanted to destroy our happy lives. They lost. We won.”
Since 9/11 Robert has taught his children to treat every moment like an unopened gift. “I don’t want to be the rain cloud in my family,” he said. “I want to give my kids the incentive to do things and go forward.”
He coached Victoria’s softball team to the New York State championship the year she turned 12. “We all went out and bought rounds of Lipitor,” Robert chuckled.
And toasted his son Robby, too. The 10-year-old learned to walk and read before most kids with Down syndrome because his dad played with him every day.
Robert waited a long time for his family. He and Janet tried to conceive a child for 10 years, then gave up. Two months later, she was pregnant. They considered it a victory, so they named their daughter Victoria.
These days, when Victoria looks in the mirror, she sees her mother. “She was special to me,” Victoria said, even though she can barely remember her mom. “I love her.” She paused. Her eyes welled with tears. “People need to know that.”
The two are much alike. Victoria is an honor student; Janet studied nights and weekends for years and graduated from college in her late 30s. She worked as an email manager on the 97th floor of the World Trade Center. On the day of the attacks, she had just gone back to her job at Marsh & McLennan after staying home to take care of her second baby, Robby.
Janet’s body was found seven months after 9/11, on her son’s first birthday. “God works in funny ways,” Robert sighed. “Hearing the knock on the door and the news that Janet’s body had been recovered from Ground Zero, that was the most difficult. It really knocked me out. It was like September 11 all over again.”
I visited the Alonsos on the first Mother’s Day after 9/11. Robert scooped up his kids and carried them out on the deck in back. “Come on,” he said, “let’s say hello to mommy in the stars.” It was his 13th wedding anniversary.
As Victoria neared her 13th birthday, I asked her, “If your mom were sitting here today, what would you ask her?”
Victoria stared across her backyard in thought, then turned to me. “I’d ask her, ‘What would she want to do with me today?’ ”
Video: After 9/11, daughter thinks about life if mom lived
Good times keep bad memories at bay. The Alonsos spent that 9/11 in the park, near a memorial that their neighbors built to Janet and all the other parents from their New York City suburb who went to work that day but never came home.
Robby wandered to a wall filled with names as his father and sister played catch nearby. “Right here,” he said, pointing to Janet Alonso’s name etched in marble. “This was my mommy.”
The little boy leaned over and scraped his fingers back and forth across his mother’s name. His father watched, then rubbed his own hands together, as if he could scour away painful thoughts.
Robby drew his fingers to his mouth, kissed them and gently pressed them on his mother’s name. “Mama,” he whispered.
We all think about 9/11 once a year. The Alonsos live it every day.
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New sneakers, jeans and school supplies are all part of going back to school every fall for children throughout Westchester County.
Unfortunately, for some nearby families, back-to-school can be a stressful time as parents struggle to buy even the required supplies for their kids every year.
It’s that contrast that has drawn Harrison 8th grader Kevin Enright to spend this summer seeking donations for the Heavenly Productions Foundation, which has pledged 500 brand new backpacks to Yonkers elementary school students this fall.
Kevin, 12, will send e-mails to area corporations as well as friends and family asking them to help the cause. After only one week he has already gathered $900 and hopes to supply about 150 backpacks by the start of the school year.
After volunteering this spring with a local church as part of his obligations for confirmation, Kevin said he was happy to continue his volunteer work with the backpack program this summer.
“Helping out was good, it was fun,” he said. “They liked it so much—they were happy we helped out—so I decided I wanted to do more.”
Kevin’s mother, Nancy Enright, is a childhood friend of the foundation’s founder Kathy Fallon. Fallon has been working with Kevin as well as her son James to fundraise this summer.
“I was very proud, I was surprised and proud,” said Nancy Enright of her son’s decision to volunteer. “I think it’s very important because they actually see first hand something he can take for granted and other children can’t.”
The financial problems for some Yonkers families have been made worse in recent years. Fallon, who is from the Yonkers area, said she was surprised by how many backpacks are needed in just one school. Her foundation has also helped fundraise for children left orphaned after 9/11 and for the Hurricane Katrina relief effort, but said this summer she was drawn to Yonkers.
“They really need it, from what Mayor (Phil) Amicone told me, they’re not doing well,” she said. “A lot of the families are not doing well.”
James, Fallon’s son, is also pursuing donations in the northern Westchester communities of Armonk, Chappaqua, Pleasantville and Bedford. The two will combine whatever donations they are able to garner before giving them away. The specific Yonkers school is being kept a secret until the week before classes start this fall.
If all goes well with the backpacks, Fallon is hoping to use leftover money to fill them with pencils, notebooks and other supplies.
“It’s nice for them to realize that there’s unfortunate children and that they want to help these kids,” Fallon said.
By Zach Oliva
Reposted from: The Daily Armonk
ROCKLAND COUNTY, N.Y. – Armonk’s James E. Fallon received honors alongside his mother and grandmother last week at a Rockland County Irish Feis on Sunday, July 17. Fallon’s Bronxville grandmother Anne Reilly and her daughter Kathy Reilly Fallon of Armonk were recognized in various areas including Irish arts, Irish soda bread, and Irish singing.
Anne Reilly received first place in Irish arts for knitting and second place for her Irish soda bread. James E. Fallon of the Wampus School in Armonk received second place in Irish arts for oil on canvas and second place in Celtic sketch. Kathy Reilly received second place in Irish singing.
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On May 6, 2011, Dr. Kathy Reilly Fallon presented a copy of “Heavenly Skies & Lullabies Book & Cd” to Justin Jordan, a 4 year old boy from Bronx, NY who lost his Dad, a US Soldier serving our Country in Iraq.
Holiday Weekend Event with Hospital’s Music Therapy Department to Deliver Books and Music to Children
(Manchester, CT) April 21, 2011 – Bob’s Discount Furniture, with 40 retail store locations throughout New England, New Jersey and New York, announces today that it has partnered with the Heavenly Productions Foundation to donate 100 copies of Heavenly Skies and Lullabies to children at the Maria Fareri Hospital this Friday, April 22nd.
Earlier this year Bob’s collaborated with Dr. Kathy Reilly Fallon, founder of Heavenly Productions Foundation, to create 1,000 copies of the special Bob’s Discount Furniture edition of Heavenly Skies and Lullabies which were delivered to the Pajama Program, an organization committed to providing warm pajamas and books to kids around the country, many of whom are waiting for a home. This book, which includes a CD of the lullabies, was originally written by Dr. Fallon to comfort children affected by tragic events such as September 11th, Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Haiti.
“I’ve always thought that the true value of our existence as humans is determined by how we help others,” said Dr. Fallon. “I am thrilled to be doing something with such a wonderful program. I was so happy that Bob’s had the connection with the Pajama Program to allow us all to partner together. Everything comes full circle in life, especially when you’re trying to help people.”
On the 22nd, Cathy Poulin, Public Relations Director of Bob’s Discount Furniture and Dr. Kathy Fallon will visit the hospital’s music therapy department to deliver the books sponsored by Bob’s to children in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit & the Pediatric Unit. Together, Kathy and Cathy will also spend some time singing lullabies from the Heavenly Skies and Lullabies CD and celebrating the holiday weekend, spreading Easter and Passover cheer with the children and their families.
“We are very excited to be able to share this book with even more children,” said Poulin. “Dr. Fallon wrote Heavenly Skies and Lullabies to bring comfort to children who are experiencing difficult times in their lives, and we’re honored to be a part of this initiative.”
For more information about Bob’s Discount Furniture and its ongoing charitable contributions, please visit www.mybobs.com/charity.
About Bob’s Discount Furniture
Named the 2008 Furniture Retailer of the Year, with 40 stores located throughout New England, New Jersey and New York, Bob’s Discount Furniture has built strong brand awareness and customer loyalty by providing quality furniture at everyday low prices, combined with a unique and enjoyable shopping experience. First-time visitors are pleasantly surprised by the comfortable atmosphere and vast selection of fashionable and affordable furniture that surpasses their “discount” expectations. As a part of the overall shopping experience, all stores feature a complimentary café with gourmet coffee, ice cream, fresh baked cookies and candy. For more information, visit www.mybobs.com.
About Bob’s Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation
Through the Bob’s Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation and Bob’s Outreach program, Bob Kaufman, Cathy Poulin and all of Bob’s Discount Furniture employees support hundreds of nonprofit organizations with sponsorships and charitable contributions. For over 15 years Bobs Discount Furniture has partnered with the American Red Cross in New England and has through direct in store blood drives raised over 21,000 productive units and over 15,000 units through a blood mobile donated in 2006. Among the many other supported charities are Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters, Easter Seals, The Jimmy Fund, American Cancer Society, March of Dimes, National Conference for Community Justice, The Johan Santana Foundation, The Andrus Children Center , Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and Special Olympics. For more information about the foundation and Bob’s Discount Furniture, visit www.mybobs.com/charity.
Connecticut-based Bob’s Discount Furniture partnered with the Heavenly Productions Foundation to donate 100 copies of Heavenly Skies and Lullabies to children at the Maria Fareri Hospital on April 22.
Earlier this year Bob’s collaborated with Armonk-resident Dr. Kathy Reilly Fallon, founder of Heavenly Productions Foundation, to create 1,000 copies of the special Bob’s Discount Furniture edition of Heavenly Skies and Lullabies which were delivered to the Pajama Program, an organization committed to providing warm pajamas and books to kids around the country, many of whom are waiting for a home. This book, which includes a CD of the lullabies, was originally written by Dr. Fallon to comfort children affected by tragic events such as September 11th and Hurricane Katrina.
Photo Caption: Laurie Park, Music Therapist at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, Dr. Kathy Fallon—Chairwoman of Heavenly Productions Foundation & Jeannie Sweeney, Child Life Specialist at Maria Fareri Hospital – Photo Credit: Kathy Fallon
re-posted from Norhtern Westchester
by: Swapna Venugopal – Posted in Uncategorized on Feb 21, 2011
Bob’s Discount Furniture Store in Yonkers presented a $5,000 check and 1,000 copies of “Heavenly Skies & Lullabies Books/Cd’s” by Kathy Reilly Fallon last week to Genevieve Piturro, founder of The Pajama Program.
Photo Caption: ( L to R) Cathy Poulin of Bob’s Discount Furniture-Director of Outreach, Genevieve Piturro—Founder of The Pajama Program, Dr. Kathy Reilly Fallon—Founder & Chairwoman of Heavenly Productions Foundation.
Photo Credit: Kathy Reilly Fallon