9/11 hero's legacy kept alive through nonprofit helping others cope with grief: "Hold the Door for Others"

In the aftermath of 9/11, a nonprofit called "Hold the Door for Others" was created to help people deal with grief. It's a tribute to honor a hero at the World Trade Center who helped people escape.

"His character really came through on those tragic days of Sept. 11," Rob Fazio said as he stood at the Philadelphia 9/11 memorial, remembering his dad, Ron Fazio, who worked at the World Trade Center. 

Ron Fazio was a reinsurance accountant on the 99th floor of the South Tower. He is credited with helping a countless number of people escape.

"He led the charge and held the door to get people out," Rob Fazio said. 

In the aftermath, as the Fazio family searched for Ron, his co-workers explained how he helped so many get out.

"He always put others first, which is why we weren't surprised when he was holding the door on that day," Rob Fazio said. 

His dad was 57 years old and is one of 2,983 names inscribed on the 9/11 memorial in New York.

"I felt a sense of pride, and it lit a fire in me," Rob Fazio explained.  

He was inspired by his father's bravery and decided to create a nonprofit called "Hold the Door for Others."

"Our primary focus is helping people, regardless of any loss or tragedy, is helping them grow through that catastrophe," he said. 

It's a lasting memory like the 9/11 memorial on the banks of the Schuylkill River, which is a steel beam from the World Trade Center symbolically crashing down on a reflective granite base while pointing toward Ground Zero in New York.

"My dad is with me every day," Rob Fazio said. "It's gone from my loss to focusing on other people's growth."

And "Hold the Door" is growing too, with a new AI companion called Dora.

"Dora is designed to walk along with you in your grief and to walk one step in front of you so you can move toward an intentional direction," he said. 

Rob Fazio, who's a psychologist, said the chatbot has plenty of safety features to handle people who might be in crisis. It's another lasting memory.

"I think this year is carrying on my dad's legacy of holding a door to make sure that door doesn't close and we get new generations involved in acts of kindness and helping people. Certainly, I cry, and I grieve, and I think of my dad, but what a gift he gave my family," he said. 

The gift of kindness lives and grows to help others.