9/11 Day of Service

Helping City of Fairfax respond to Beech Leaf Disease on the 9/11 Day of Service

Serena Iyinbor — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 18:06:10 +0000

Helping City of Fairfax respond to Beech Leaf Disease on the 9/11 Day of Service Serena Iyinbor Mon, 09/21/2026 - 14:06

Before September 11, 2026, first-year Honors College student Talia Marziale did not know what beech leaf disease was. But on the Honors College Day of Service, Marziale helped the City of Fairfax tackle the disease.

Honors College students mapped beech trees and disease symptoms in Daniels Run Park in Fairfax. Photo provided by Ian Candy/Honors College

Beech leaf disease is a threat to the Fairfax area’s estimated 4.2 million beech trees. A group of first-year 91�� Honors College students, including Marziale, got involved by mapping beech trees and symptoms in Daniels Run Park in Fairfax, which will help the City of Fairfax manage the disease.

A separate group went to local neighborhoods and noted yards with beech trees, so the City of Fairfax can target specific houses with resources to prevent and treat beech leaf disease.

Beech leaf disease is caused by a nematode infestation and is characterized by dark stripes in the leaves when they are held up to light. Without a treatment available for forested areas, beech leaf disease will kill many mature beech trees within the next decade. Beech trees provide canopy and food for local ecosystems, as well as stormwater control with their roots.

“What we're worried about is within 10 years seeing a real decline of our beech forests,” Honors College alum Sophia Chapin, BS Environmental Science '21, told the group.

For some local homeowners, treating beech trees every year is financially inaccessible. Fairfax City received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service in 2024 to promote “tree equity,” which will give Fairfax residents who cannot treat their trees annually the materials to keep their source of canopy and environmental stability. By giving resources to homeowners to either replace or expand their tree canopy, the city is hoping to offset “an inevitable loss” of tree canopy in local forests, Chapin said.

Chapin is spearheading the community forestry effort for Fairfax City as its stewardship coordinator. Part of that effort is series of guest lectures and collaborative partnerships with Honors College classes. She previously guest lectured in Professor Julie Minde’s Honors 260 Public Participation in Environmental Governance class about the city’s Urban Forest master plan.

Photo by Ian Candy/Honors College

In Honors College Connects, Chapin is partnering with a group of Honors College students who are tasked with creating a communication plan to inform residents about beech leaf disease and how best to treat it.

Beech leaf disease is a tremendous task, but Chapin’s Honors College education gave her some of the tools she needs to take it on.

“This is another of what we would call a ‘wicked problem,’ kind of how climate change is a wicked problem. Beech leaf disease, there's not an easy one-stop solution to fix it,” she said. “It's going to take a multifaceted approach involving both private and public sectors. And those are the kind of issues that you take on in the Honors College.”

George Mason alumna Sophia Chapin (right) is spearheading the community forestry effort for Fairfax City as its stewardship coordinator. Photo by Ian Candy/Honors College

A challenge to combating the disease is simply that it is not well-known.

“I think a lot of us, there's basically a green wall outside of our dwellings that we live in and we're not super aware that there's actually a bunch of organisms that have relationships out there that can be more or less in balance,” Richard Todd Stafford, the communications director for the Honors College and an Honors College Connects professor, said. “They can be more or less facing challenge, and humans play a role in the active management of those landscapes in making sure that we have a flourishing environment to live in.”

The Honors College Day of Service taught volunteers how to be good stewards of the environment and community.

Marziale said, “It’s making me learn more about nature and the different diseases that can spread."

The 9/11 Day of Service tradition at George Mason was founded in 2012 by then Honors College Living Learning Community coordinator Kevin Stoy. His hope was that students would “do something for someone or something that’s bigger than yourself.”

Stoy had been in New York on the day of the attacks, and "after seeing that, the way that the community came together, I wanted to make sure that was something that college students understood,” he said. “It was what can and should be a result of when something terrible like that happens.”

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9/11 Day of Service was a day of reflection and community service—for all ages

lclarkg — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 14:12:01 +0000

9/11 Day of Service was a day of reflection and community service—for all ages lclarkg Thu, 09/19/2024 - 10:12

91�� students, faculty, staff, and alumni gathered on Wednesday, Sept. 11, for the 12^th annual Mason Nation 9/11 Day of Service. Since its inception, the day of service has been an opportunity to reflect on the value of individual contributions toward social change and the ways in which individuals can support their community through service projects.

The Mason Nation 9/11 Day of Service took place across locations on the Fairfax Campus, with an opening ceremony and luncheon in the Johnson Center. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Over 200 George Mason students, faculty, staff, and alumni joined the day’s activities. Service activities occurred across campus, a service fair provided a chance to learn about year-round volunteer opportunities, and a luncheon honored first responders, active members of the military, veterans, and volunteers.

The event was hosted by University Life, and the planning team included campus partners from departments and offices around the university.

George Mason ROTC's Patriot Battalion Color Guard at the 9/11 Day of Service ceremony. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Service activities included a clothing, diaper, and wipe drive for Women Giving Back; a book drive to benefit the City of Fairfax Regional Library; assembling blankets and chew toys for the Prince William Animal Shelter; creating cards and flower pots for a local assisted living community, working in the campus Greenhouse and Gardens, and more. In partnership with Van Metre Companies, volunteers put together almost 300 snack bags to support children at Pattie Elementary School in Prince William County.

Volunteers work in the Innovation Food Forest for the 9/11 Day of Service. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Fourth and fifth grade students from Pattie Elementary also participated in the event. Members of the school’s P.O.P. Club (Paws of Positivity), a before and after school service club, visited George Mason for the day. Thanks to a grant from the Harvey S. Lowe, Jr. and Susan Hitchcock-Lowe Foundation, the university provided transportation, lunch, and project supplies for the students.

Students from Pattie Elementary School shared remarks on stage. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

During the opening ceremony and luncheon, students from Pattie Elementary took the stage to share what 9/11 means to them—children who, like many of today’s college students, were not born before September 11, 2001.

Students from the Pattie Elementary School P.O.P. Club joined the service activities. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

“In the P.O.P. club, we give back to our community through acts of service. Service is a way to show kindness and make our communities better. Whether it’s helping a friend, cleaning up trash, or doing something nice for someone, every little act of service counts. When we serve others, we spread positivity and help make the world a better place. So today, let’s think about how we can help out and make a positive change, just like so many people did on that day. Together, we can make a big difference.” –Trey, Pattie Elementary School student

Watch a video from Prince William County Public Schools to learn more about the P.O.P. Club and their visit to George Mason.

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Mason’s 10th annual Day of Service partners with the Patriot Pantry to address student food insecurity

ckearney — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 19:24:17 +0000

Mason’s 10th annual Day of Service partners with the Patriot Pantry to address student food insecurity ckearney Wed, 09/07/2022 - 15:24

91�� hosts the 10th annual 9/11 Day of Service this Friday, September 9, with a focus on food insecurity.

Participants can join in-person and virtual volunteer service projects throughout the day and attend special events including a morning meditation session at 9:30 a.m., a service fair at 11 a.m., and opening ceremonies at 11:30 a.m. in the Hub ballroom.

Mason’s Patriot Pantry, operated by the Student Support and Advocacy Center, is the featured partner.

The Patriot Pantry began in 2014 as a student-led pop-up shop to address student food insecurity. After years of successful operation, it was formalized and integrated into university operations in 2016. Housed in SUB I, Room 3011, the pantry is now the primary resource for students experiencing food insecurity.

You can support Mason students by purchasing food and hygiene products from the Patriot Pantry’s Amazon Wishlist, and adding “9-11 Day” to your order.

Food insecurity means someone lacks consistent access to the food they need to be active and healthy, due to a lack of financial resources, according to the USDA. Between 2018 and 2021, 36% of Mason students indicated they were food insecure, according to research as part of College of Science professor Dann Sklarew’s Environmental Science and Policy 480 Sustainability in Action courses.

Students can request food and hygiene products from the Patriot Pantry through an online order form and pick up their items at the pantry.

In the past four academic years, the number of unique students served by the Patriot Pantry grew by 362%. From the 2020-21 to the 2021-22 academic year, it grew by 90 percent, according to data provided by the Patriot Pantry. During the same year, the Patriot Pantry helped 453 student users and distributed 14,295 pounds of food and supplies (valued at $23,872.65).

Other volunteer opportunities include the Innovation Food Forest, Green Studio, Potomac Heights Vegetable Garden, a waste audit at a pilot compost site, as well as projects connected with Mason Chooses Kindness, the Fairfax Humane Society, and Women Giving Back. There’s also the option to participate in a virtual or in-person 5K: the Arlington Police, Fire, Sheriff and ECC 9/11 Memorial 5K Race.

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9/11 Day of Service

Helping City of Fairfax respond to Beech Leaf Disease on the 9/11 Day of Service

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9/11 Day of Service was a day of reflection and community service—for all ages

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Mason’s 10th annual Day of Service partners with the Patriot Pantry to address student food insecurity

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