NEW YORK, Sept. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Twenty-five years after the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA) remembers how the automobile industry pulled together to support efforts in the aftermath of the tragedy. 

When the world was witnessing what unfolded in New York and in Washington, D.C, Association President Mark Schienberg was overseas on business, attending the Frankfurt Auto Show with New York Auto Show Chairman John LaSorsa and GNYADA Board Chairman Michael Caruso. 

With airspace in the US closed, the group immediately began discussing how New York’s car dealers could get involved in the recovery efforts. With limited cell service available in New York due to the collapse of the twin towers, Schienberg contacted Mark Herrmann, the Association’s representative to the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), to help establish a national response. That effort led to the NADA Survivors Relief Fund, which brought dealers from across the country together to support families and survivors of the attacks. Within weeks, the fund had received hundreds of thousands of dollars in dealer contributions.

At home, GNYADA mobilized its members. On September 26, the Association announced the creation of the Greater New York Auto Dealers Disaster Relief Fund, seeded with an initial $250,000 contribution from GNYADA. The Association called on dealers, manufacturers, suppliers, and dealer associations to contribute to relief efforts.

The response went beyond financial support. New York dealers donated 18 vans to the American Red Cross to assist with rescue and relief operations.

The broader automotive industry was doing the same, with automakers and dealers providing hundreds of vehicles, generators, ATVs, and other equipment to agencies working at Ground Zero and elsewhere.

GNYADA also funded the restoration of a fire truck from a volunteer Bronx firehouse that was severely damaged while responding to the World Trade Center. The restored truck was dedicated at the 2002 New York International Auto Show, in a ceremony attended by former New York City Mayor Giuliani and former Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen. 

“Twenty-five years later, we remember the lives lost, the families forever changed, and the extraordinary courage of the first responders who ran toward danger,” said Schienberg. “But we also remember how the automobile industry came together. Dealers didn’t just write checks. They provided vehicles, equipment, their time working at ground zero helping feed the 1^st responders, and they reached out to families who had lost everything.”

GNYADA and the New York Auto Show continue to find ways to honor and recognize the men and women who serve New York and their communities. First responders have remained a recurring part of the Auto Show’s programming and community outreach, culminating in the establishment of First Responders Appreciation Day, which provides complimentary and discounted admission to eligible fire, police, and EMS personnel and their families.

ABOUT GNYADA
Established in 1910, the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association represents more than 400 franchised automobile dealerships throughout the metropolitan New York region. GNYADA advocates on behalf of its dealer members on legislative, regulatory, and industry issues and produces the New York International Automobile Show, North America’s oldest automobile show. The association also operates the Center for Automotive Education & Training (CAET) in Queens, providing education and training for the region’s automotive workforce. 

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SOURCE The Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association