On September 11, 2001, I was awoken by the wails of my toddler at 5:00 AM. After hearing on NPR that a plane crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center, I took my year-old daughter out of her crib and headed to the family room to watch the early coverage on CNN. I happened to catch a live shot of the second Boeing 767 dissecting the south tower. Like millions of my fellow Americans, I was aghast at what I saw. And I was in no way prepared for the senseless loss of lives and what this tragedy would mean for my community.