Day of Volunteer Service and Acts of Kindness to Mark One Boston Day

Mayor Michelle Wu and the City of Boston today put out a call to action for community-based organizations, businesses, and City of Boston employees and residents to come together for volunteer events and acts of kindness in recognition of our City’s spirit of care for one another in response to the tragic events of April 15, 2013. One Boston Day, observed on April 15, honors the victims, survivors, and first responders of the 2013 Boston Marathon. 

“One Boston Day honors those forever impacted on April 15, 2013 and recognizes the greatest strength of this City—our people,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We will never forget the people whose lives were lost, the many injured and forever changed, and the spirit of humanity displayed that day and beyond for those most in need. One Boston Day is a living demonstration of our strength when we come together as one.”

Ten years later, City of Boston departments and workers will continue to come together in honor of the day and will be hosting service projects for people to give back to their communities. Mayor Wu today announced that the City is launching a new One Boston Day website to help publicize events hosted by community groups and residents. A 2023 Acts of Kindness Checklist is available on boston.gov/one-boston to provide inspiration and ideas on how individuals can get involved. 

“On One Boston Day, we hope residents, businesses and service organizations across the city will come together and find ways to give back in service to others and their communities,” said Bill Richard Co-Founder of the Martin Richard Foundation.

As we mark this tenth year, the City of Boston and the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) will honor the day with a remembrance event in the Back Bay on Saturday, April 15, 2023. More details about the event will be announced in the coming weeks. 

Organizations, businesses, and individuals who wish to publicize a One Boston Day event can submit information about their event here. The City will continue to add new service and other opportunities over the coming weeks and will be sharing the activities through all communications channels. 

“On April 15, 2013, my family and I were standing on Boylston Street and our lives changed in an instant,” said Audrey Epstein Reny, founder of the Stepping Strong Center. "We experienced an awful tragedy, but also the strength that comes from receiving the best in human kindness. For the past decade, we have kept that special Boston Strong spirit alive at The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where our mission is to turn tragedy into hope for trauma survivors through innovation, collaboration and community outreach.  On One Boston Day, we invite the public to continue this tradition by contributing much needed blood for trauma patients.”

For details on the Stepping Strong Center’s blood drive, visit here. To honor the brave first responders who played a critical role in 2013, the Stepping Strong Center will be offering Stop the Bleed training to empower residents to take action in times of crisis.

The City is also organizing a number of community events on April 15 and welcomes residents to take part. The Office of Civic Organizing, the Mayor’s Youth Council, and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department will be hosting a community clean up at Franklin Park starting at 10:00 a.m. People interested in taking part can sign up here. Details on other City-organized One Boston Day acts of service will be made available in the coming weeks.  

“On One Boston Day, we come together as a city and as a running community,” said Jack Fleming, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Boston Athletic Association. “While it has been ten years since the tragic events unfolded on Boylston Street at the Boston Marathon, we continue to honor and remember all of those whose lives were affected. The Boston Athletic Association is committed to remembering while also celebrating the spirit of strength that has marked one of the most meaningful decades in our city’s history.”

Mayor Wu is encouraging Boston residents to take part in their own individual acts of kindness, including those on the 2023 One Boston Day Acts of Kindness Checklist. Examples from the checklist range from buying a cup of coffee for a stranger to donating blood. Like in years past, people are welcome to share their reflections and acts of service plans for One Boston Day on social media with the hashtag #OneBostonDay.

More on One Boston Day, including the form to register a community event, are available on boston.gov/one-boston