Pay It Forward 9/11 Premieres Global “Be Kind” Music Video To Launch 11 Days of Kindness For 25th Anniversary of 9/11

A Cappella Singers Around the World Unite Through Music to Inspire 25,000 Acts of Kindness in Memory of Those Lost on September 11

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, September 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Twenty-five years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, voices from around the world are coming together with one simple message: Be Kind. On September 1, Pay It Forward 9/11 will premiere a new global “Be Kind” music video, featuring a cappella singers from around the world joining their voices in a musical call for kindness, compassion and human connection.

The video will officially launch the nonprofit’s annual #11DaysofKindness campaign, September 1–11, which this year aims to inspire at least 25,000 acts of kindness in honor of the victims killed 25 years ago.

Featuring performances of musician Zak Abel’s uplifting song “Be Kind,” the collaborative video connects singers and communities through a shared message that reflects the spirit of unity that emerged in the days following September 11, 2001.

“Music has an incredible ability to connect people who may live thousands of miles apart, and kindness can do exactly the same thing,” said Kevin Tuerff, founder and president of Pay It Forward 9/11. “As we mark 25 years since September 11, we wanted to begin our 11 Days of Kindness with something hopeful that people could see, hear and share. Our message is simple: remember those we lost by being kind to someone you don’t know.” Tuerff founded Pay It Forward 9/11 after experiencing extraordinary generosity as one of approximately 7,000 airline passengers diverted to Newfoundland when U.S. airspace closed on September 11, 2001. His experience in Gander later became one of the true stories inspiring the hit musical Come From Away.

FROM ONE VIDEO TO 25,000 ACTS OF KINDNESS
The September 1 video premiere is intended to do more than inspire viewers. Pay It Forward 9/11 is asking everyone who watches it to turn its “Be Kind” message into action. People everywhere are encouraged to perform three good deeds for strangers during #11DaysofKindness. An act can be as simple as buying someone a cup of coffee, helping a neighbor, donating to a food pantry, thanking a first responder, volunteering or reaching out to someone who may feel alone.

The organization hopes those individual acts will create a ripple effect resulting in at least 25,000 acts of kindness during the 25th anniversary year.

“Twenty-five years ago, in the darkest of circumstances, strangers stepped forward to help strangers,” Tuerff said. “We can’t change what happened that day, but we can choose how we remember it. Every act of kindness is a way to honor a life, strengthen a community and remind someone that people still care about one another.”

The “Be Kind” premiere launches alongside a series of Pay It Forward 9/11 activities taking place from Washington, D.C., to New York City and Gander, Newfoundland, throughout the 11-day campaign.

11 DAYS OF KINDNESS: SEPTEMBER 1–11:

SEPTEMBER 1 – GLOBAL “BE KIND” MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERE
A cappella singers from around the world came together through music to launch #11DaysofKindness and invite viewers to turn inspiration into action by doing three good deeds for strangers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. TO NEW YORK CITY – KINDNESS ON THE MOVE
Pay It Forward 9/11 will take its kindness message on the rails during a Washington, D.C.-to-New York Amtrak journey, creating opportunities along the route to share the #11DaysofKindness campaign and encourage travelers and communities to pay kindness forward.

SEPTEMBER 3 – COFFEE AND KINDNESS AT XAVIER MISSION, NEW YORK CITY
Pay It Forward 9/11 and longtime supporter John Gallin & Son will bring people together over coffee at Xavier Mission, demonstrating how something as simple as sharing a cup of coffee can become an opportunity for connection and kindness.

50+ “COME FROM AWAY” THEATRES TAKE THE MESSAGE AROUND THE WORLD
More than 50 theatres producing Come From Away are encouraging audiences to perform acts of kindness in their own communities. Tuerff is also connecting with participating theatres through videos, customized content and virtual appearances.

SEPTEMBER 10 – ACTS OF KINDNESS IN LOWER MANHATTAN
Pay It Forward 9/11 will participate in activities with ATS and Pace University to bring a message of remembrance, service and unity to the community just blocks from the World Trade Center site.

SEPTEMBER 10 – A HOMECOMING TO GANDER, NEWFOUNDLAND
Tuerff and Pay It Forward 9/11 board members and volunteers will return to the place where the organization’s story began. At the College of the North Atlantic in Gander, board members and volunteers from the United States and United Kingdom will share stories of kindness and highlight 25 documented acts of kindness honoring 25 people lost on 9/11.

SEPTEMBER 11 – TURNING REMEMBRANCE INTO ACTION: The campaign culminates September 11 with a call for people everywhere to honor those lost by performing acts of kindness and service in their own communities—and to continue paying kindness forward long after the anniversary has passed.

Supporters of Pay It Forward 9/11’s work include the writers and original producers of the hit musical Come From Away, as well as Air Canada, John Gallin & Son, and Love, Tito’s.

Pay It Forward 9/11 asks individuals, families, schools, businesses and community groups to simply do three good deeds for strangers. Encourage those recipients to pay the kindness forward. Share the experience using #11DaysofKindness. Schools, families and homeschoolers can access free downloadable curriculum and kindness resources at PayItForward911.org.

“In 2001, before hashtags and social media, the words ‘United We Stand’ were everywhere,” Tuerff said. “Twenty-five years later, we have an opportunity to showhat those words can mean today. One small act of kindness may seem small, but multiply it by thousands and it becomes a powerful force for good.”

Pay It Forward 9/11 is a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming the anniversary of September 11 into a global movement of doing good through acts of kindness and service. The organization was founded in 2002 by Kevin Tuerff, an airline passenger stranded in Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001. Inspired by the extraordinary compassion shown to him and thousands of other stranded passengers, Tuerff began encouraging people to repay that kindness where they live. Visit payitforward911.org for details.

Julie Dennehy
Dennehy PR
+1 508-479-9848
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
X

Media gallery