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AMERICAN MORNING
'One Day's Pay'
Aired August 12, 2003 - 09:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Some who lost loved ones on 9/11 want to make the anniversary of that day more than one of mourning and sadness. They want to make September 11th the nation's most significant day of service. Today, they are launching what they call "One Day's Pay," encouraging millions of Americans to commit that day to community service.
Launching the campaign are Alice Hoglan, whose son, Mark Bingham, was killed on flight 93, and One Day's Pay founder David Paine. And they are both joining us from Washington.
Good morning. Thanks for being with us.
Alice, I want to go ahead and start with you. Explain to me exactly how this would work.
ALICE HOGLAN, LOST SON ON 9/11: Well, One Day's Pay is a beautiful idea of people who want to contribute something for that day in honor of people who lost their lives on September 11, would visit the One Day's pay Web site, which is onedayspay.org and select using their zip code a worthy cause within their local area so they could contribute on a local level to a national concept.
KAGAN: Alice, I have to imagine, you have been approached by so many people who would like to have you and Mark's name to their project. A lot of worthy projects out there. What was it about this one that you thought was appropriate to honor his memory?
HOGLAN: After September 11, our family was inundated with an outpouring of love and condolences. One Day's Pay seems to me to recapture that idea, and that's the reason I'm really grateful to be able to lend my support and my name it.
KAGAN: David, let's bring you here in terms of the logistics. Are you talking about a national holiday on September 11?
DAVID PAINE, FOUNDER, "ONE DAY'S PAY": No, we're not. One Day's Pay is entirely a volunteer initiative. We're encouraging people to set aside time on or around September 11 to do something good for someone else. It's literally as simple as that. They can do really anything they want. They can call 1-800-volunteer and find a local volunteer center in their area. They can walk an elderly neighbor's dog. They can give change to a person who might be homeless. It's anything that a person wants to do that is close to their heart.
KAGAN: I know for some time there's been an effort to make Martin Luther King's birthday a day of national service. Do you feel kind of like you're stealing the thunder of that group?
PAINE: No, actually I don't. I think that we're all about trying to build a culture of service in this country, to get people to rekindle that spirit of unity that we saw after September 11. And my feeling is that as people get more interested in service, that all days of service, like Martin Luther King Day, like Make a Difference Day and some of the others, will all stand to benefit by it. I think we're all comrades in this very important endeavor.
KAGAN: And, Alice, let's bring you back in here. Tell us exactly what you envision? How many people? Is the sky the limit?
HOGLAN: Yes, the sky is the limit. It is a fledgling concept. It's beautiful. I'd like to see September 11 come around, and instead of people thinking about the horror and the devastation of September 11, 2001, instead to focus on September 11, 2003, 2004, 2005 and the beautiful things that they have thought of to do on behalf of their neighbors in honor of September 11.
KAGAN: And while I have you here, I do need to ask you about the congressional report that came out, Alice, over the last week that does talk about and indicate the belief by some it was the hijackers that brought down United flight 93 and not the passengers. What's your response to that?
HOGLAN: That's an unfortunate misconception, an unfortunate interpretation. The congressional report has the testimony of FBI director Robert Mueller, and in that, Robert Mueller correctly testifies that the hijackers did discuss between themselves, what will we do? What will we do? The passengers are coming at us? Should we put the plane into the ground? The plane was flying 600 miles an hour over very low terrain. So it's not a bit surprising that it would go underground in the course of a struggle.
In any case, that kind of horrible thing, I'm hoping to let it fade from my memory, and that's the reason I'm here today, the message of hope.
KAGAN: Understandable, and it's incredible how many times your family must be faced with having to deal with this and answer questions. And congratulations to you to finding a positive cause.
HOGLAN: Thank you.
KAGAN: It's called One Day's Pay, and tell us the Internet site one more time if people want to participate?
PAINE: Onedayspay.org.
KAGAN: 2003, September 11. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.
PAINE: Thank you.
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