Four Words & 12 Years

We met for a brief moment at a local Starbucks in Valencia, California- one month after the tragic events of 9/11/01. Steve Berkery was assigned to LAFD USAR Task Force and had just returned from a tour of duty at Ground Zero, Manhattan. I asked him what moved him the most and he told me it was one FDNY Firefighter's four words, "Please don't forget us."

These four words led me to attempt something that has never been done--design a tribute patch and try and get all firefighters to add it to their uniforms. The 9/11 Patch Project was born and the attempt to notify and get all fire departments on board, began in December of 2001. Funds raised from the sale of the $3 patches would benefit the FDNY's Uniformed Firefighters Association. After 6 months of selling the patches, $15,000 was raised and sent to the UFA on the 1 year anniversary of 9/11. Our initial costs were $18,000 for mailers and about $1.75 per patch. In addition to my full time firefighter/paramedic position, I worked about 40 additional hours per week for nearly 6 months, filling 25-50 orders each day. Orders ranged from many 1-2  patch orders to as many as 500 in one order. By the way, the 500 patch order came from a Hong Kong Fire Officer who bought them for many of his firefighters in China!

Nearly 12 years later, there are over 10,000 organizations in 30 countries that have stepped up to participate in the project. This includes firefighters (domestic and abroad) and deployed U.S. Troops. Photos of firefighters and soldiers were sent in over the years by those proud to count themselves among those who would make a promise to Never Forget.

Even though I was a firefighter reacting to the loss of 343 brothers, it made sense to create a patch with a firefighter, police officer and soldier on it for the 5-year anniversary date of 9/11. Decals, pins, and even a 9/11 Challenge Coin was created later to provide more fund raising merchandise.

How did we survive 12 years?  Aside from the 1st 9 months of fund raising, sales for the 9/11 themed fund
raising merchandise have been very sporadic. So, other fund raising projects needed to be designed and implemented to both raise funds for 9/11 related organizations and for the 9/11 Patch Project Fund; our own fund that was put in place August of 2011 so that we can keep our project running. The 10 Yr 9-11 Manhattan to Manhattan Bus tour was created as a fund raising 10 yr anniversary awareness trip across the United States. The tour ran 9 months--18,000 miles--176 stops and our major sponsor, Fire Careers, drove the bus and met with firefighters and citizens at every stop. $20,000 was raised despite the bus arriving in areas met with some of our nation's largest and most destructive disasters--including Joplin, MO, where the large 40 foot bus had to run for cover. The 9/11 Bus arrived in D.C. in time for the earthquake and in New York right when the hurricane hit Manhattan.

How can you help? We depend heavily on our $911 Sponsor program to keep the project afloat--problem is, many say they will step up and sponsor and few actually do. The program started during the 9/11 Bus trip where we picked up Chicago Firefighters, Philadelphia Firefighters, Baltimore Firefighters, Cataret Firefighters and Northrop Grumman, among others, as $911 Sponsors.

Back then, we put our sponsor logos on the side of the giant bus and thousands would see them as it traveled across the U.S. for months. Today, we do things a bit differently. You see, we feel if you are willing to step up and help us out, we are willing to promote your organization from our website, blog, newsletters, 4 Facebook pages, press releases, trade shows and Twitter. It is no secret that our promotion works--we have plenty of testimonials we can send those with cold feet. Many will still spend thousands for trade magazine ad's when they can spend far less with us and get tons more promotion.

The 9/11 Patch Project is the largest, longest running and farthest reaching firefighter owned 9/11 project in the world. We are proud to make that claim and hope that you consider helping us continue to do great work all over the world to remember the heroes of 9/11. We need heroes too--become ours HERE.

Brett Hill- Former Firefighter/Paramedic & Founder
9/11 Patch Project

Giving Tuesday?

Just got back from a long days work at one of the 4 part time jobs that actually supports my family and I feel as if I have missed yet another opportunity to reach out to folks in hopes to get continued support for the 9/11 Patch Project.

11 years is a long time to run a project that asks folks to remember the heroes of 9/11 and needs donations to keep afloat- especially when there are other equally worthy funds to send money to. Obviously the one that comes to mind is those in need--those who continue to suffer and feel the effects of the Super Storm Sandy on the East Coast.

Still, as the largest firefighter owner 9/11 project in the world, I feel it is my duty to continue beating this drum and breathe life into this worthy project for as long as I possibly can. After all, there are over 10,000 organizations now, worldwide, that have stepped up the past 11 years to purchase the fund raising 9/11 patches and other items. And yes, there is an occasional donation that hits the website--I consider those donations to this non profit effort a rare but greatly appreciated gift. Usually those who step up, do so at the tune of $9.11 to get their name added to the 9/11 WALL of Supporters. I have not counted the names lately, but I believe the count to be over 200 since the WALL began over a year ago. They are names from people, public safety organizations and even companies from all over the world. The 9/11 WALL was created for those who wanted to step up and be counted among the supporters of this project that was originally the response of this firefighter to the loss of 343 brother firefighters.

Belgian Firefighter "Bob"

The project grew over the years to include the sacrifice made by Police Officers, EMS personnel and our U.S. Soldiers. It wasn't the marketing efforts that brought these other heroes into the project--it was deployed U.S. troops and other public safety heroes stepping up to participate in the project on their own. It was firefighters in other countries stepping up to say, there are no borders or politics involved here--there is only a brotherhood of heroes that span the globe and want to remember and honor the fallen heroes of 9/11.

This has fueled my efforts over the years and given me the motivation to grow the project. This picture of a Belgian Firefighter tells a story in itself. It proves that 9/11 truly affected the lives of millions around the globe. They want to step up and be counted, and thousands have over the years.

So on this "Giving Tuesday," I can only hope that the spirit of giving will motivate more folks to continue and step up to be counted. I can only hope that others who come to the Never Forget 9/11 facebook page take the time to learn more about this effort and consider at least a $9.11 donation and get their name added to the 9/11 WALL

Thanks to all who have read this far and thanks to the hundreds if not thousands of you out there that have stepped up to show your support--it means a great deal to me and the other 10 folks I work with that volunteer there time and efforts for this project.

Brett Hill- Founder/ Former Firefighter-Paramedic
9/11 Patch Project

9/11 Patch Project Seeking Partnerships

The idea of partnering came to us when The Decal World contacted us and asked if they could partner with us on a product. They had created a beautiful 9/11 Rhinestone Shirt and wanted to find a charitable 9/11 Organization to donate $10 per shirt to. So we talked and with a week, we had the shirt on our site and began co-promoting it with them.

How does it work? Actually, it is quite simple. We create a product together (using one of our 9/11 Patch designs or one of yours) and you sell it as you do other items on your site. We create a image and profile of the item on our site and it has a button that will click right through to where you offer it on your site. We agree to a portion of each sale that goes back to the 9/11 Patch Project Fund and we are off and running.

You can see how this looks with the 9/11 Rhinestone Shirt on our site now:  9/11 Patch Project Store Once we put this up on our site (took about 10 minutes), we advertised the fund raising deal on Facebook and sold 7 shirts the 1st day! This helps you with sales, gives you the opportunity to add a "give back" item in your store, and helps us raise funds for our project and our fund raising partners; NYC Bravest Scholarship Fund, Terry Farrell Fund & Feal Good Foundation.

We also partnered nearly a year ago, with Capital One, to create the only approved non profit 9/11 Cards. We currently have over 30 card holders. This program kicks back $50 per new cardholder and 1-2% of their purchases on a quarterly basis.

So let us know if you have an idea on an item we can partner with you on. The process does not take long and we could use the help with our fund raising activities. If you are interested in this concept, please EMAIL me with your ideas and we'll see it we can make it work!

Damaging Comments

Every so often, after posting links on FB to purchase the 9/11 Patches and other fund raising items, someone will make a damaging post suggesting this project exploits the heroes of 9/11. These folks don't bother to visit the website to do their homework first--they just decide on the spot that someone is making money off the blood of our 9/11 heroes. They couldn't be father from the truth!

This project, run by a Firefighter for over 10 years, is actually endorsed by the FDNY Uniformed Fire Officers Assoc. and has raised money for three 9/11 Charities over the years, selling these items. Just ask any of the FDNY Firefighters from the Fire & Ice Hockey Team how they feel about wearing the 9/11 Patch.

A simple visit to the website and some quick navigation, people would see that on the DONATIONS page, the charities that we donate to our listed--there are copies of some of the checks we have sent over the years--and there are even thank you letters that came to us from the organizations we donated to. We are even a registered non-profit and reference that several times on different web pages.


If folks really understood all that has gone into keeping this project alive and running these past 10 years they would realize that the founder has actually lost his own money by putting in $75,000 over the ears, when it was necessary to keep it going.

And for four months in 2002 when the project started, the founder filled orders for 4 months straight--selling one $3 patch (at the time) to raise over $15,000. That money raised was donated to the FDNY Uniformed Firefighters Association exactly 1 year form the tragic events of 9/11. How long does it take to raise $15,000 selling $3 patches--patches that cost nearly $2 to make?

True, there are unscrupulous people out there profiting off the events of 9/11--no doubt. But this is definitely not one of them. The project founder has gone to great lengths to provide full transparency about this fund raising and remembrance project--but if you can't take a moment to make a visit to the website and see this, you should absolutely be ashamed of yourself for making any unfounded and damaging comments about this project. Thank God there are folks that know we have been teamed up with NeverForget911 for 3 years and will step in when these comments are made and defend our organization.


Selling the patches, decals and other merchandise to raise funds has always been a difficult challenge. We have to pay vendors for these items and are always chasing inventory to keep items in stock. Hours are spent filling orders--many for a single patch or decal--and when we are down to 1 or 2  of a specific item , we have to order hundreds to keep the costs down.

That is why we recently teamed up with Firehouse Expo to bring the Fully Involved Comedy Tour to 3 nationwide Fire & EMS Expos. These large fund raising events will allow us to bring in more funds to these organizations. Last year with our 10yr 9/11 Anniversary Manhattan to Manhattan Tour, we brought in $6300 each, for the NYC Bravest Scholarship Fund, the Terry Farrell Fund and the Feal Good Foundation.

So if after reading this you want to help, please visit the website and look around at the different ways you can contribute to our goals of remembering the heroes of 9/11 while raising funds for 9/11 related charities.

Hero Bears

The 9/11 Patch Project recently teamed up with Hero Industries to offer the 9/11 Hero Bear to help raise funds for the 9/11 Patch Project and customized Hero Bears as fund raising opportunities for all Fire & EMS agencies around the world.

Working as a firefighter/paramedic for the last 20 years, Hill (9/11 Patch Project founder) knows that handing out teddy bears to kids that are sick or injured can make a tragic experience for them turn into something a little more positive. And when a family has lost their home or apartment to a fire, handing the children a Hero Bear or two can put a smile on their faces--especially after knowing they may have lost most of their own personal toys and stuffed animals.

Having custom Hero Bears to hand out with your departments patch or name stenciled on the back, is one of the best public relations tools you can have for your organization. The custom Hero Bear is also a great fund raising opportunity for your organization. Buying the Hero Bears at wholesale will allow your organization to sell them at a 100% mark up to insure funds can be easily raised.

With EMS agencies, we can even outfit the bear with a blue jumpsuit, a blue helmet and even add your agencies patch or name to the back. The ear tags that come with the bears can even be customized to add specific information about your organization.

Get your 9/11 Hero Bear or have our custom Hero Bear designed today. If you want to use the 9/11 Hero Bear as your organizations fund raiser, contact us today and we can get you the wholesale pricing for multiple 9/11 Hero Bears.

We could use your help!

All four of the 9/11 Patches

You get high quality 100% embroidered 9/11 Patches designed to remember and honor the heroes of 9/11--we get much needed funds into the project.

This is how the project has worked the past 10 years and we are hoping that we can continue doing our great work another 10 years--but it is up to you.

Although the project was created to provide one of four 9/11 Tribute Patches for Fire, EMS, Police and U.S. Military uniforms or other clothing, the patches can be purchased by anyone in the public. Beyond the four patches, the project has created 10 decals that can also be purchased to support the heroes of 9/11 by placing them on your vehicles.

The decals range from 2.5" X 3.5" to 8.5" X 11" and are high quality fade resistant 3M products. The decal material is the same that was used to wrap the 9/11 Bus for the 10 Yr 9/11 Manhattan to Manhattan Tour and is also fire rated.

For those who already have some of the 9/11 Patches and Decals, we would be honored to have your name or your organizations name on the 9/11 WALL. This is a very inexpensive way to contribute while still helping the project raise Funds. Once again, here are the links to the different ways you can contribute to the 9/11 Patch Project:

1. Order your 9/11 Patches and Decals HERE

2. Get quantity discounts and Specials HERE

3. Get your name or organization on the 9/11 WALL HERE

4. Make any size Donation HERE

5. Become a Sponsor for minimal cost HERE

Thanks again to those who have supported the project all these years and thanks to those who decide to contribute in any of the above ways to insure we continue at least another 10 years!

9/11 WALL of Supporters

Since January of 2011, the 9/11 Patch Project has been adding the names of supporters to its 9/11 WALL. To date, there are many names of individuals, companies, fire departments, and other organizations that have stepped up to support the efforts of one of the longest running and farthest reaching 9/11 Projects in the world. Here is how you can contribute:

1. $9.11 X 1 = name, company or organization name
2. $9.11 X 2 = same but with name Bolded
3. $9.11 X 10= company or organization banner with website link on Sponsor Page.

The 9/11 Patch Project is a registered non-profit and these smaller donations insure that the project can continue the work it has been successfully doing around the world for 10 years.

Traffic to the 9/11 Patch Project website averages about 15,000 visits per month. According to Alexa, the website ranking organization, the website is ranked at 1.7 million, globally.

More about the 9/11 Patch Project and the fund raising patches and decals HERE