KETTERING — As the nation marks the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks today, Kettering resident Tracy Janess is remembering her sister, Kristy, who was killed at the World Trade Center. Kristy was among the 2,977 people killed in the 2001 attacks.
In her sister’s honor, Janess established Secret Smiles of Dayton, a local non-profit organization dedicated to helping families in need across the Miami Valley.
Since its founding, the organization has provided more than 12,000 beds to children throughout the region.
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Three months after her June 2001 wedding, Kristy was at work in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 when the second plane struck the building.
Tracy was getting coffee with a friend in Dayton when her husband rushed in to find her.
“All I remember is seeing him walk through those doors, and I screamed. I’ve never seen a look like that on his face,” Janess said. She added, “It still hurts every anniversary.”
Despite the ongoing grief, Janess chooses to focus on how her sister lived. “I try not to put so much emphasis on that day when I think of her,” Janess said.
“She wouldn’t want us to remember her just on her death, but for her life, and she had a beautiful life.”
Before her death, Kristy and her best friend Meredith, both graduates of the University of Dayton, began quietly helping local families in need in New York. “Meredith found this family and didn’t want them to know that it was her, you know,” Janess said.
“After they did the first, you know, took care of this first family. It felt so good that they thought, let’s just try it again and it grew.”
Following Kristy’s death, Janess decided to start a similar charitable initiative in her own community. “Let’s just start here and help a family, and then it kind of grew the same way. Let’s help another family. Let’s help another family,” Janess said.
That effort became Secret Smiles of Dayton, which continues to assist local children and families. “We’ve had the ability to see firsthand people struggling, and we’ve been able to say, ‘We’ll help. We’ll help you.’ That is what I am eternally grateful to Kristy that she gave me the opportunity to be able to do this,” Janess said.
“In every smile that I see, I see her; I see her happiness and her joy.”
If you’d like more information on Secret Smiles of Dayton, click here.
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