Putnam Student Honoring 9/11 Victims Through Acts Of Kindness

One Putnam County 7th grader is encouraging his community to honor 9/11 victims through acts of kindness.

Jacob Cookson attends Prescott South Middle School and learned about the, “Pay it Forward 9/11,” campaign. Cookson said the movement calls others to collect good deeds in remembrance of 9/11, and he wants help fulfilling 500 actions by September 11th.

“It doesn’t have to be big or anything,” Cookson said. “It could be something like as if you are in the Starbucks line, and you buy the person behind you coffee, or help someone like an old lady across the street. It doesn’t need to cost money or be something really big. It’s just something really small that you can do to help other people.”

Cookson said he heard of the campaign after listening to the Broadway musical, “Come From Away.” The story is about a small town that took in 7,000 passengers after 38 planes were ordered to land after 9/11 happened.

“All the planes going across the Atlantic Ocean had to land in a small town with about 7,000 people, and 7,000 people landed in that town,” Cookson said. “And the people of the town called Gander had to house, feed and cloth them for five days, and Pay It Forward 9/11 is made by one of the people that was housed by them, and he made the charity to thank the people of Gander.”

Cookson the Pay It Forward campaign touched his heart, so he wanted to participate.

“I was kind of moved,” Cookson said. “I can’t imagine if here, a bunch of people landed and I can’t imagine everybody deciding to house all of them and instantly going on their feet to help all these people.”

For each act of kindness, students will write the action on a star cutout that will be displayed at the school. At the same time, Cookson said he has placed coin jars at Prescott Middle and Wilson Bank and Trust to raise money for four local charities.