David Paine and Jay S. Winuk, co-founders of myGoodDeed Inc., a non-profit group created by 9/11 families and friends, contacted the Presidential campaigns of both U.S. Senator Barack Obama and U.S. Senator John McCain yesterday, asking them to honor September 11, 2008 by shifting their focus from politics to service. 

As we approach the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we respectfully request that you not engage in formal campaign activity on September 11, 2008. Rather, we ask that you and your staff will dedicate a portion of that sacred day to community service, honoring the spirit of unity that brought our nation together in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks.

As the Associated Press reports this morning, they got a quick response from both sides. 

McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said McCain did not plan to advertise at all on the anniversary. “Nine-eleven is not a day for politics,” Rogers said.

The Obama campaign said it plans to stop airing anti-McCain commercials on Sept. 11.

“We hope Sept. 11th is a day when Americans come together and reaffirm our resolve to address the common challenges we face together,” Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan said.

It should be noted that Sevugan is an award-winning Teach for America alumnus (NY AmeriCorps ‘98).

Leading members of the ServiceNation coalition, myGoodDeed Inc. also used the letter to remind the candidates about the ServiceNation Summit & Presidential Forum in New York City on September 11-12.  The ServiceNation Summit will bring together 500 leaders of all ages and from every sector of American life —from universities and foundations, to business and politics—to celebrate the power and potential of citizen service, and lay out a bold policy blueprint for addressing America’s greatest social challenges through expanded opportunities for volunteer and national service.

myGoodDeed Inc. was launched to honor the thousands who were killed and injured, to pay tribute to the many who aided in the rescue and recovery efforts, and to remember and rekindle the remarkable spirit of unity that existed in our nation in the days following the terrorist attacks on America.  Their long-term mission is to transform 9/11 into a national day of voluntary service, and give individuals and organizations the power through dynamic online networking to make a difference in the world, one good deed at a time.