NGS Insider: September 2026 Edition

Twenty-Five Years Later, We Remember

This month marks the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001. We remember the lives lost that day and the generations who answered the call in the years that followed - along with the families who served beside them.

Thousands answered the call to serve in our military. Some made the ultimate sacrifice. Others returned home with their lives forever changed. Their service also shaped the lives of their future and their families.

Twenty-five years later, many children of our fallen and severely wounded post-9/11 Service members are entering college, pursuing technical education, and starting careers. No Greater Sacrifice (NGS) honors the generation that served by investing in the one that comes next.

NGS is dedicated to the children of our nation's fallen and severely wounded Service members, delivering tailored scholarships and resources to improve their quality of life through the pursuit of higher education.

We remember their service. We honor their sacrifices. We stand beside their families. We invest in their children's futures.

Freedom's Future: The Promise Endures Campaign

Today, we launch the Freedom's Future Campaign - No Greater Sacrifice's dedicated year-end fundraising initiative and one of the ways we advance our mission to stand with the families of our post-9/11/01 fallen and severely wounded heroes by providing their children the opportunity to pursue their educational dreams without the financial burden.

As we reflect on the sacrifices made in the years following September 11, 2001, the importance of this work has never been clearer. We invite you to read the Freedom's Future Impact and Donor Report and see firsthand the need and the difference your support makes.

The men and women who gave their lives or were severely wounded in service to this country left behind families who continue to bear the weight of that sacrifice every day. The Freedom's Future Campaign helps us honor them - not just in remembrance, but in action.

Now, more than ever, your support is vital. The same unity and strength that brought our nation together in the face of unimaginable loss is what drives us forward today. Use #FreedomsFuture to share your commitment to standing with those who served - and help us ensure their children's futures are filled with opportunity and hope.

Their parents fought for our freedom. Now it's our turn to fight for their future.

Follow along this fall as we share the stories of Freedom's Future on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Meet Freedom's Future: Kristian Engeldrum

In memory of her father, Army Staff Sergeant Christian P. Engeldrum

Kristian's father, Army SSG Christian P. Engeldrum, was a New York City firefighter who responded to the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Then, six months before Kristian was born, he was killed in action while serving in Iraq. Raised by her mother, Sharon, Kristian has lived in the Bronx her entire life.

Growing up without her father posed real challenges for Kristian - and it also shaped her ambition to help others. While working through her grief, Kristian found a passion for neuroscience, alongside a lifelong love of the arts: she earned a Scholastic Art and Writing Award for a photograph later displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and interned with the Whitney Museum and the Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism.

Today, Kristian is at New York University's (NYU) Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology and interning with the NYU RISE Lab as a ROSES Advocate. She plans to pursue a doctorate and use community and developmental psychology research on behalf of underserved young people - beginning in her own borough, the Bronx.

"NGS has allowed me to continue working towards my educational goals, and I cannot be more thankful for that. Being a part of a community of individuals who share similar experiences has been comforting and reassuring during my time in college. Knowing that people support me and have my back gives me confidence."

— NGS Scholar Kristian Engeldrum

NGS thanks the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund and UBS Manhattan Market for making Kristian's dreams come true!

Give in Remembrance

They answered the call to serve. You can answer the call to support.

Your gift funds the education for the children of our Nation's fallen and severely wounded post-9/11 Service members.

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