A Tribute in Print

Hopkins resident Julie Caouette had just got off her shift with the Minneapolis Fire Department when the Sept. 11 disaster happened.

She watched the second tower collapse on a TV in Minneapolis’ Station 1. The heroic stories of firefighters charging into the buildings weren’t known yet, but Caouette knew instinctively that first responders in the area would pay a heavy price.

Because she had just taken on responsibility for the department’s uniforms, someone suggested about a month after the attacks that Caouette design a T-shirt that could be sold to raise money for disaster victims.

She drew up a logo that paid tribute to the New York fire department. The design had that department’s blue and gold colors but subtle changes to avoid copying New York’s design exactly.

“FDNY,” the text read. “UNITED WE STAND.”

Caouette already had a heat press in her home, so she started printing T-shirts herself, figuring that would keep her from getting stuck with a bunch of leftover shirts.

But she had no idea how big the project would become.

Dozens of fire departments throughout the state asked to buy T-shirts, especially after she brought them to the annual fire chiefs convention. She put sign up sheets in all 20 Minneapolis stations, but the demand was just as great outside of the big cities.

“Really, the cool part was all these small towns started coming together,” she said.

As the idea started to snowball, the Minnesota Timberwolves invited Caouette to sell the shirts at the opening game. The team introduced the players as usual and played a speech from Pres. George W. Bush. Then it dimmed the lights and about 120 firefighters walked onto the court.

“It was a pretty cool moment,” Caouette said.

In the end, Caouette sold about 11,000 T-shirts—making all but 1,000 or so shirts herself. The sales raised $71,000 for a 9/11 disaster relief fund. 

“It’s like all these people wanted to do something, and they didn’t know what to do,” Caouette said.

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Be sure to check out the joint project by Patch and Huffington Post, "Touched By Terror: Patch Remembers 9/11 in 911 Snapshots." Or check out these stories of how Minnesotans were affected by 9/11:

Apple Valley:
Eagan: Eagan Resident Mike Ferber Hopes Memories of 9/11 Won’t Fade
Edina: Retired Army Vet Spurred to Re-Enlist Following 9/11 Attacks
Fridley: Demand Soared for Speakers on Islam after 9/11
Golden Valley:
Hopkins: and
Inver Grove Heights: VFW Commander: Sept. 11 Changed the Country
Lake Minnetonka: Remembering Wayzata Native Gordy Aamoth
Lakeville: Lakeville VFW Post Manager's Wife Working at Pentagon on Sept. 11
Minnetonka: 9/11 Memories From a Former New Yorker
Mendota Heights: Retired Mendota Heights Pilot Recalls ‘Paradigm Shift’
Northfield: Northfielder Will Never Forget His Birthday in Iraq
Oakdale: Terror and Joy Came Together for Oakdale Family
Plymouth:
Richfield: 9/11 Aftermath: Richfield Couple Waits for Possible Deployment
Rosemount:
Roseville:
Shakopee:
Southwest Minneapolis:
St. Louis Park: 9/11 Attacks Made Being Muslim ‘More Difficult’
St. Michael:
Stillwater:
Woodbury: