Aug 27, 2009 11:56 am US/Eastern
Free NYC Concert To Mark 1st 9/11 Day Of Service
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Family members pay their respects during the 7th annual 9/11 commemoration ceremony held at at the site of the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2008, in New York City.
Shannon Stapleton/Getty Images
Some prominent performers are saying thank you to the 9/11 community and the people who have answered President Barack Obama's call to volunteer.
Gavin DeGraw, The Roots and other musicians are performing in a free concert this Sept. 11 to mark the first time that the anniversary of the terrorist attacks is being recognized as a National Day of Service and Remembrance, organizers announced Thursday.
Members of the Sept. 11 community and volunteers will be among the first to receive the free tickets. Other people can try to snag one of a limited number of tickets being distributed by lottery.
Actor Gary Sinise, talk-show host Jimmy Fallon, the Harlem Boys and Girls Choir, and singer Anjulie will be among the performers at the Beacon Theatre show. It's part of an effort to encourage more people to serve as volunteers, organizers said.
"Our ultimate goal is to leave a positive legacy that honors the victims and those who rose in service," said David Paine, the president of MyGoodDeed, one of the organizations responsible for the event. "We hope to rekindle the spirit of unity and compassion that followed the terrorist attacks."
Paine's organization, which pushed to establish Sept. 11 as a National Day of Service, was also launching a Web site on Thursday. People planning to give of their time on Sept. 11 can go to www.911dayofservice.org to share their plans and learn about volunteering opportunities.
Meanwhile, a symbol of hope and renewal is back home in Lower Manhattan.
After more than seven years in storage, a steel beam known as "The Last Column" became the centerpiece of the National September 11th Memorial and Museum. The column was returned to Ground Zero on Monday.
The 58-ton, 36-foot-tall column, which was once part of the south tower, may be a beam made of metal, but for New Yorkers, and especially those personally affected by the collapse of the World Trade Center, the column means so much more.
"It symbolizes that day. It's a piece of the original tower and it will be here forever," said NYPD Emergency Services Sgt. James Buscemi.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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