New York, NY – Home Depot of Manhattan decided to makes its own contribution to the memory of those lost on this tenth anniversary of 9/11 by giving the Ground Zero Museum Workshop: Images & Artifacts from the Recovery ~ a makeover. “Team Depot” – Home Depot’s Charitable division that donates its services through renovations to those in need was so moved by GZMW ~ the tiny Manhattan Museum recently voted #1 Attraction in NYC by TripAdvisor.com ~ that they decided to spruce up it’s shortcomings. The Museum, located on the 2nd floor of an old Meatpacking District warehouse, had a grungy cement alley out back that guests could view as they walked by the windows. Al Manigault, who works with the Chelsea Home Depot thought his team could do better, converting the alley into a botanical “Garden of Life” in memory of those who perished in the WTC attacks. Complete with three giant American flags, the alley is now filled with numerous wooden planter boxes of assorted flowers, a custom wood sign that reads, “We Shall Never Forget” and artificial turf covering the cement.

Gary Marlon Suson, an Honorary FDNY Battalion Chief who served at WTC as “Official Photographer at Ground Zero for the Uniformed Firefighter’s Association” and who founded the highly regarded Museum in 2005, stated, “This is very generous on the part of Team Depot and adds a whole new dimension to the Museum. We used to be embarrassed when guests would walk by the windows and that has now changed. Now, guests will see a tiny, yet beautiful botanical memorial to the victims of 9/11. It’s an incredible transformation.” Affixed also to the outside cement walls by Team Depot are WTC steel and rare window glass as well as the numbers “2,749″ in large, wooden block letters, referring to the number of victims who perished on 9/11. “Home Depot’s giving nature in 2011 is reminiscent of the way NYC came together as a community back in September of 2001 after the WTC attacks. Everyone pitched in to help out and simply wished to make a difference. Home Depot should be enormously proud of what they have contributed; it will emotionally affect in a positive way all our many guests each and every day.”

Home Depot also repainted some areas of the Museum and last year, in 2010, donated brand new hardwood floors to Ground Zero Museum Workshop, recently rated by US News & World Report Travel as the “#2 Best Thing To See in NYC.” The Museum regularly donates thousands to the FDNY Foundation for the Children of Fallen Firefighters as well as to charities for sick & disabled 9/11 recovery workers. The Museum, known as the “Biggest LITTLE Museum in New York” has daily 2-hour tours of 100 Images & Artifacts from the Recovery with self-guided audio tours in Spanish, Italian, French & English. Web: www.GroundZeroMuseumorkshop.com. Tickets at 212-209-3370.