Drawing

The World Trade Center Family Center, opened by the South Nassau Communities Hospital in Rockville Centre, Long Island opened to assist 9/11 family members in the area as early as September 18th. In the beginning it was a place for people to get their basic needs met and to find answers and support. In the end, the Center served the community for nearly seven years, assisting over 2,000 people, including 700 children, and hosting 20 different support groups. The World Trade Center Family Center was designed to be an open and warm environment, decorated with children’s artwork and filled with toys, food, and comfortable couches. The Center offered grief counseling, programming to teach lifestyle skills, and community events to foster resiliency. The art therapy program was created by childhood trauma specialists intended to help children process their emotions using art. Prompts used in these art projects included a map of where emotions sit in the body, remembering positive memories of those who were now gone, and messages to the deceased.