MyGoodDeed, which represents the interests of many 9/11 organizations, was the first group to formally call for September 11 to be designated as a federally recognized National Day of Service and Remembrance. Progress was made early when, in 2002, President George W. Bush declared September 11 "Patriot Day" to honor both the victims and heroes of the September 11 attacks, and highlighted the spirit of service by launching USA Freedom Corps. In 2008, President Bush amended the Patriot Day proclamation to specifically include "volunteering" as an appropriate form of remembrance. A year later, the U.S. Congress, in a bi-partisan action, passed the Serve America Act, which for the first time authorized the President of the United States to formally designate 9/11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. President Barack Obama subsequently launched United We Serve, a national service initiative that culminated on September 11, 2009. President Obama amended the Patriot Day proclamation on September 10, 2009, to officially and permanently make 9/11 a National Day of Service and Remembrance, as requested by Congress and the 9/11 community. In 2010, the Corporation for National and Community Service, HandsOn Network and the 9/11 Memorial joined with MyGoodDeed to form a national organizing committee that managed the 9/11 National Day of Service annually.
