9/11 Hero & Author Michael Benfante Presentation & Book Signing

On Sunday, September 18th at 4 p.m. in the Meeting House, a presentation will be given by Michael Benfante, a celebrated 9/11 survivor who tells a remarkable story in his newly released book, Reluctant Hero.  After the first plane struck the World Trade Center on 9/11, Benfante and a colleague carried a wheelchair-bound woman down 68 flights of stairs, escaping mere moments before the building collapsed. A television crew caught him just as he fled the building, and the national media immediately came calling, including “The Oprah Winfrey Show”, USA Today, the Washington Post, the New York Times, People magazine, and many more. In the aftermath, Benfante began a dark journey fraught with wrenching personal challenges that eventually led to healing and redemption. In his presentation, Benfante will discuss that horrible day in unflinching detail, his resulting personal struggles, and his call to action: a proposal to declare 9/11 a national day of service to remember and emulate those, like him, who were kind to strangers when no one was looking. An informal reception and book signing will take place immediately following Mr. Benfante’s presentation. The event is free and open to the public, sponsored by the John P. Webster Library.