About The Spirit of 9/12
A movement rooted in remembrance, kindness, and service, born from the day the world came together in the wake of 9/11.
From Loss to Light: Cait’s Journey
When Cait Leavey was just 10 years old, she lost her father, FDNY Lieutenant Joseph Gerard Leavey, who bravely responded to the September 11 attacks. Although she was young at the time, the values he embodied—service, empathy, and joy—made a lasting impact on her life.
As an AmeriCorps alum, Cait has dedicated herself to service, education, and community healing, continually seeking ways to honor her father's legacy. Through The Spirit of 9/12, she channels both memory and action. Each year, Cait brings people together through acts of kindness, art, and unity, transforming grief into grace, loss into community, and remembrance into tangible impact.
A New Chapter: The Holding Frames
In 2025, Cait joined forces with Josh Garcia to co-found The Holding Frames, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that uses expressive arts and community dialogue to help people process grief and collective adversity, through a method called FRAME: Finding Resilience After Major Events. The Spirit of 9/12 is now proud to be one of The Holding Frames’ largest annual events — carrying the same mission forward, turning remembrance into action and pain into shared hope.
From Loss to Light: Cait’s Journey
When Cait Leavey was just 10 years old, she lost her father, FDNY Lieutenant Joseph Gerard Leavey, who bravely responded to the September 11 attacks. Although she was young at the time, the values he embodied—service, empathy, and joy—made a lasting impact on her life.
As an AmeriCorps alum, Cait has dedicated herself to service, education, and community healing, continually seeking ways to honor her father's legacy. Through The Spirit of 9/12, she channels both memory and action. Each year, Cait brings people together through acts of kindness, art, and unity, transforming grief into grace, loss into community, and remembrance into tangible impact.
A New Chapter: The Holding Frames
In 2025, Cait joined forces with Josh Garcia to co-found The Holding Frames, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that uses expressive arts and community dialogue to help people process grief and collective adversity, through a method called FRAME: Finding Resilience After Major Events. The Spirit of 9/12 is now proud to be one of The Holding Frames’ largest annual events — carrying the same mission forward, turning remembrance into action and pain into shared hope.
Our Philosophy
Remembrance with a Purpose
Honoring the love and unity that followed a tragedy, not just the tragedy itself.
Connection Over Time
For five years and counting, this event has kept alive the spirit of human connection that defined September 12th — now carried forward as a flagship program of The Holding Frames.
Everyday
Service
Encouraging small acts of kindness that ripple out into meaningful change.
Five Years of Spirit of 9/12
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Five Years of Spirit of 9/12 *
Five Years of Spirit of 9/12
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Five Years of Spirit of 9/12 *