New York – September 16, 2026 -- The Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA) is marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks by detailing how the automotive industry mobilized hundreds of thousands of dollars and dozens of vehicles for recovery efforts within weeks of the tragedy.
GNYADA seeded a $250,000 disaster relief fund within two weeks of the attacks
On September 26, 2001, GNYADA announced the Greater New York Auto Dealers Disaster Relief Fund with an initial $250,000 contribution from the Association, calling on dealers, manufacturers, suppliers, and other dealer associations to add to the pool.
Association leadership abroad triggered a national dealer response
GNYADA President Mark Schienberg was in Frankfurt for the auto show with New York Auto Show Chairman John LaSorsa and GNYADA Board Chairman Michael Caruso when the attacks occurred. With U.S. airspace closed and cell service disrupted in New York, Schienberg contacted Mark Herrmann, GNYADA's representative to the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), setting in motion the NADA Survivors Relief Fund. That fund collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in dealer contributions within weeks.
Dealers donated 18 vans to the American Red Cross for rescue operations
Beyond financial contributions, New York-area dealers provided 18 vans directly to the American Red Cross to support relief work. Automakers and dealers nationally supplied hundreds of vehicles, generators, and ATVs to agencies operating at Ground Zero and other affected sites.
GNYADA funded restoration of a Bronx fire truck damaged at the World Trade Center
The Association financed the restoration of a fire truck from a volunteer Bronx firehouse that was severely damaged responding to the World Trade Center. The restored vehicle was dedicated at the 2002 New York International Auto Show in a ceremony attended by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen.
First Responders Appreciation Day now anchors the Auto Show's community programming
GNYADA has continued to build first-responder recognition into the New York International Auto Show, resulting in First Responders Appreciation Day, which offers complimentary and discounted admission to eligible fire, police, and EMS personnel and their families.
"Twenty-five years later, we remember the lives lost, the families forever changed, and the extraordinary courage of the first responders who ran toward danger," said Schienberg. "Dealers didn't just write checks. They provided vehicles, equipment, their time working at ground zero helping feed the 1st responders, and they reached out to families who had lost everything."