The world changed and a life changed on 9/11 Local named to head program for kids who lost parents BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer LONG BRANCH - Tracy C. Burns was teaching a class of preschool students in Old Bridge when the attacks on the World Trade Center took place on Sept. 11, 2001. Burns, along with six of her prekindergarten students, was awaiting news that morning on whether her own father and those of her young charges had made it out of the buildings alive. While Burns' father survived the horrific attacks, the six youngsters in her care were not as fortunate. The experience spurred the Elberon resident to make a career change from teaching to serving others affected by 9/11. On April 30, Burns ended her seven-year teaching career when she was named the New Jersey mentoring coordinator for Tuesday's Children, a nonprofit organization that provides a wide range of support programs to 9/11 families. "I had a personal involvement with 9/11," said Burns in an interview last week. "And six of my students were affected with the loss of parents. "I just realized that I wanted to get more involved and take my career from teaching to social work," she said. "I have to say, I absolutely love what I am doing." The Tuesday's Children mentoring program pairs children who lost a parent on 9/11 with specially trained adult role models who provide guidance, help the children enhance their coping skills and just have some fun. Burns is responsible for expanding and supervising the existing Tuesday's Children mentoring program in the New Jersey area. Other coordinators are responsible for the New York, Boston and Washington, D.C., areas. "One of the most beautiful things about this program is that everybody is on board," Burns explained. "It is not the sort of thing where a parent thinks it is a good idea for the child and the child really doesn't want to do it. "Everybody involved wants to be," she said. "That is why it works so well. And the mentors we have are so generous." There are over 100 children enrolled in the program as well as more than 100 volunteer mentors to act as the children's "older friend," Burns explained. In order to be a mentor, Burns said, volunteers are required to participate in an interview, provide four references and have a background and Motor Vehicle Commission check. "From there, we then pair each of them with a child from our bank of children," she said. "We try to pair a child with a mentor of similar interests. The main criteria is that they are compatible geographically. "We don't like to pair a child and a mentor who are more than a half-hour away from each other." A great number of the children in the program have lost a father figure, Burns said. "The mentors are to provide these children with a fun outlet," she said. "It is a friend away from the family who they can vent to, have fun with and just have an older adult friend." Shared activities include sporting events, picnics, helping with homework, back-to-school shopping or just about whatever the children are interested in doing, Burns said. Mentors are expected to meet twice a month with their buddies in the child's home or community for one-on-one sessions throughout the course of at least one year, although Burns said many of the mentors go beyond the minimum guidelines. And the children and the mentors keep in touch throughout the year via telephone and e-mail, she said. In addition to personal one-on-one events, Tuesday's Children hosts four events throughout the year for all the program's children and mentors. One of the main events this year was a trip to New York City to the Sony Technology lab. Tuesday's Children also hosts events for just the children in the program and their families. The next family event is scheduled for Father's Day June 17 at Sandy Hook. "This is a hard day for many of the families," Burns said. "This is for just the families to come together without the mentors." In just over a month at her new position, Burns said she has received nothing but positive feedback about Tuesday's Children, which was created in 2002. "The children are so grateful to have an older friend," Burns said. "They become close buddies. Many of the relationships have progressed from recreational to personal." When referring to the morning of Sept. 11, Burns said, "Those few hours of uncertainty profoundly changed my life. "From that moment on, I, like many Americans, have felt the overwhelming need to help those who suffered loss in one of our nation's greatest tragedies."