In honour of the 20th anniversary of September 11th, 2001 and in tribute to how compassion and kindness make a difference we speak with Kevin Tuerff who ended up in Gander during 9/11 and has gone on to Pay It Forward every day of his life. .
Kevin Tuerff’s experience as a 9/11 stranded airline passenger in Canada inspired him to develop Pay it Forward 9/11 in 2002, and it has been growing each year. Today he serves as founder and volunteer president of Pay it Forward 9/11, Inc. His 9/11 story is one of the true stories inspiring the Tony-Award winning Broadway musical Come From Away. The character ‘Kevin T’ is referred to as the compassionate “gay lumberjack” in the show and this Pay it Forward 9/11 effort is mentioned in the script of the musical. He is a featured cast member in three related documentaries (HBO Canada, CBC and Fox). In 2018, House of Anansi Press published his memoir (paperback, ebook and audiobook), Channel of Peace: Stranded in Gander on 9/11. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the books is donated to nonprofit organizations helping refugees.
For more information on Kevin’s book visit http://www.channelofpeacebook.com.
For more information on Kevin’s charitable Pay It Forward 9/11 initiative visit http://www.payitforward911.org
