On September 11, 2001, David Paine, CEO of PainePR (www.painpr.com) a public relations firm in Irvine California, stood in front of his television set in California wondering if his brother Andrew had escaped the terrorist attacks that struck the World Trade Center. Andrew was last heard from calling home from his office at One World Financial Center next door, recounting how he'd seen the first plane strike and witnessed people jumping from the World Trade Center. Although Paine did not know it at the time, Andrew narrowly escaped the collapse of the World Trade Center during evacuation of his building.

One of Paine's close friends, Jay Winuk was not as lucky. Jay lost his brother Glenn, an attorney at the firm of Holland & Knight and a volunteer rescue worker, in the collapse of the World Trade Center South Tower. Glenn's remains were found six months later with a borrowed medical kit by his side.

Weeks afterwards, inspired by a news story he read about Mike Piazza and other members of the New York Mets donating a day's wages to the rescue and recovery effort, Paine came up with the idea of creating a national organization that would encourage all Americans to similarly donate "a day's payment of service," or "myGoodDeed," as he called it as a way to remember 9/11 each year.

In 2002, he and Jay Winuk joined together with friends and relatives of 9/11 victims to form the nonprofit group, myGoodDeed Inc., securing its 501(c)(3) tax exempt status in 2003. Over the next two years, the group received prominent endorsements from the U.S. Congress and 9/11 Commission Chair Thomas Kean. Also joining the effort as partners were many leading nonprofits including the American Red Cross, Points of Light Foundation, Hands On, Habitat for Humanity, Youth Service America and other prominent groups.

In 2006, myGoodDeed successfully launched the national online initiative called myGoodDeed.org with funding from JP Morgan Chase Foundation, Ambac and KPMG. The group also secured promotional support from America Online and MySpace. Under the myGoodDeed initiative, individuals and organizations are invited to visit www.myGoodDeed.org and pledge to perform at least one good deed on 9/11 and other good deeds throughout the year to honor the victims and heroes of the terrorist attacks, and help rekindle the spirit of unity and compassion that existed in the nation in the weeks following 9/11.

Leading up to the 5th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, myGoodDeed.org received more than two million hits in less than 45 days. More than 100,000 people from throughout the nation posted good deeds, including actor Gary Sinise, U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne. Major media outlets including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, Today Show, CNN and Fox and Friends profiled the initiative. Even politicians pledged to stop campaigning for the day.

Paine and Winuk, who also heads his own marketing and public relations organization Winuk Communications, have each made a commitment to personally devote 20 percent of their time annually for 10 years (until September 2011) to promote the initiative (mostly after hours and sometimes during hours). Paine and his wife of 20 years, Laney, also have contributed $100,000 of their personal savings. Paine's new business partner, Cossette Communication Group, has supported his involvement and even helped produce radio and television PSAs that aired in 2006 nationally for the first time.

"I can honestly tell you that myGoodDeed has required some very big personal and professional sacrifices. My family has been supportive but I know it is very hard on them because of all the added travel. My wife and I have three teenagers to raise, so this takes its toll. But every time I think about giving it up, I keep coming back to the importance this has for me and others around me, and the need to make sure that 3,000 individuals didn't lose their lives for nothing."

Paine hopes to ultimately create a lasting and constructive legacy for the victims and heroes of 9/11, "something positive," he says, "remembering not just the losses suffered, but also the unity the nation once shared, and can share again."

In his professional life at PainePR, David is widely regarded as one of the field's most creative innovators in the area of agency management. His firm is well known nationally for its progressive humanistic work environment, which featured employee-friendly programs long before they were popular. PainePR's operational innovations include profit sharing for all employees, casual attire five days a week, paid sabbatical programs, open book financial reporting, participatory management structures including quality circles for process improvement, automatic raises for employees and elimination of traditional titles common in the agency business. In 2006, his firm was named the "Best Agency to Work For" in the United States.

David speaks frequently at national PRSA conferences and Counselor's Academy functions, talking about humanism in the workplace and social responsibility by corporations.

Jay S. Winuk, Vice president and Co-founder

Jay Winuk is president of Winuk Communications, Inc. (www.winukpr.com), a full-service, national award-winning New York-based public relations firm. Jay is the brother of Glenn J. Winuk, who died at the World Trade Center on 9/11. Glenn was a partner in the law firm Holland & Knight LLP, located about a block from Ground Zero. When the Towers were hit, Glenn, a 20-year volunteer firefighter and EMT, raced from his law office to join the rescue effort. He died when the South Tower collapsed. Jay helps direct the Glenn J. Winuk Humanitarian Fund, which honors Glenn's heroism by making scholarship grants to educational institutions and community service-oriented organizations and initiatives. Jay has 25 years of communications experience in the agency, corporate and not-for-profit sectors. Before founding Winuk Communications in 1994, Jay was director of public relations for Radio City Productions, one of the world's leading live entertainment companies, and was an executive at two of the nation's largest public relations firms. He holds a master's degree in public relations/public affairs from Boston University.

Javier Fernandez, Treasurer

Javier Fernandez serves as controller at PainePR, a national public relations firm that provides pro bono administrative management and public relations services to myGoodDeed.org. Prior to joining PainePR, Javier held several growth-oriented positions with some of California's leading companies. Previously, he was a senior auditor for the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration in Laguna Niguel, Calif., where he was part of an elite national task force responsible for the design, implementation and consultation of new auditing and national financial review policies for the agency.

Frederick T. Dombo III, Board Member

is a partner at the Washington, D.C. based law firm O'Connor & Hannan, where he advises clients on federal and state legislative and administrative matters, mainly on issues pertaining to appropriations, commerce, the judiciary, foreign affairs, finance and sectors of the technology industry. A focus of his law practice is on matters of federal and state campaign finance and government ethics, including laws and regulations regarding permissible corporate activities and the formation and operation of political action committees. He has also practiced in the areas of immigration, white-collar crime and Native American legal and government relations issues.

Dana Farbo, Board Member

Dana Farbo is a founder and CEO of Creative Priority, where he oversees a wide range of work for top clients like Novartis Pharmaceuticals, DuPont, Wyeth and ING Direct. Dana founded Creative Priority in March of 2001 with three principle ideas - hire only top creative talent, provide outstanding client service and develop strategic expertise to help clients achieve their communications goals. Dana prides himself on the intelligence and creativity of his team and on the firm's strategic approach to marketing communications. His focus is to help his team understand the clients' needs and to provide the vision and managerial expertise to ensure the firm's continued success. With Dana's leadership, Creative Priority has won numerous awards including two of online advertising's highest honors, Ad:Tech 2002 Interactive Best Direct Response Award and Best of Show Award. Before founding Creative Priority, Dana was vice president of client services for Nethod LLC, a Euro RSCG Company. There he worked with healthcare clients providing interactive solutions for their business needs. On the client side, Dana cut his teeth in communications and marketing with American Cyanamid Company. His past communications work has won several awards, including an Effie, Mobius and The London International Advertising Award.

Alice Hoglan, Board Member

Alice was in Saratoga, Calif., helping care for her brother and sister-in-law's newborn triplet boys when she received the early-morning call from her son, Mark Bingham, alerting her that his flight, United Airlines Flight 93, had been hijacked. But it wasn't until the phone call was disconnected and Alice turned on the TV, that she learned what really was happening on her son's plane. A determined Alice tried to call Mark back and left two messages on his cell phone. "Mark, this is your mom," she said in the first message. "It's 10:54 a.m. [Eastern]. The news is that it's been hijacked by terrorists. They are planning to probably use the plane as a target to hit some site on the ground. So, if you possibly can, try to overpower these guys if you can- 'cause they will probably use the plane as a target. I would say go ahead and do everything you can to overpower them because they're hell-bent. You know the number here. OK, I love you sweetie. Bye." Mark never received his mom's messages. But everyone who knew him said they weren't surprised that he and the other heroes on board that morning --including Jeremy Glick, Todd Beamer and Tom Burnett -- did exactly as Alice suggested. They said Alice taught her only son to know the differences between right and wrong. She taught him the importance of helping others in need. "I first learned how amazing Alice is the first time I came to California in 1989," remembered one of Mark's friends, Amanda Mark. "We were driving down Interstate 5 on our way to Lake Arrowhead when we saw a car on fire on the side of the road." As full as the freeway was with traffic, nobody stopped to help the people with the burning car. But "Alice pulled over, had us pull all of the luggage out of the trunk, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and put out the fire. And you wonder where Mark got his fire?" Today Alice is still focused on service. When she's not making long haul trips as a flight attendant for United Airlines, she's traveling the country making speeches about her passions in life: airline safety, equal rights, her son Mark and the Mark Bingham Leadership Fund, which provides an annual scholarship to the University of California at Berkeley for a student who shares Mark's interests, including sports, teamwork, leadership and heroism.

Ed Moed, Board Member

Ed Moed is co-founder and managing partner of Peppercom, a prestigious communications consultancy based in New York City. Ed was recently named a finalist in Ernst & Young's prestigious "Entrepreneur of the Year" award. He provides expert commentary on a host of crisis communications, public relations and partnership subjects for various media and has been a guest speaker and panelist at numerous business and communications conferences. Ed also serves as a pro-bono marketing consultant to Rebuilding Together. He is a trustee of his alma mater, Drew University, and is actively involved with the American Diabetes Association and New Jersey Cares.

Lisa Orloff, Board Member

is executive director of World Cares Center, Inc., September Space. Lisa founded September Space, a highly innovative, new community center based on the volunteer spirit that swept New York City in the days following 9/11. The center provides a permanent location where people can find social and emotional support to help them cope with the residual effects of the terrorist attacks. Its doors are open to everyone -- volunteers, rescue/recovery workers, uniformed personnel, survivors and their families -- and all events are free. Besides overseeing the operations and fundraising activities of the center, Lisa also organizes, develops and promotes a variety of programs, events and workshops currently offered at September Space including Family Fun Day and the Tuesday Healing Night. Lisa is a member of the NYCVOAD Volunteerism Leadership Team, which created a strategic disaster response plan and after-care program for New York City's volunteer community. Lisa also promotes September Space and volunteerism through a lecture series for school children entitled "The Giving Spirit".