Most of us remember exactly where we were on September 11, 2001 when the world, as we know it, changed forever.

I was in my offices in Kissimmee, Florida interviewing a man I wanted to hire in my insurance agency. We represent the Knights of Columbus Insurance here in Florida, and I mention that only because of the relevance it has to this story.

The world came to a stunned standstill when the news of that solemn day unfolded. Each new revelation seemed to be more horrific than the previous. By the end of the day, a worried world wondered about its fate.

All air traffic was temporarily grounded. Little did we know at the time that terms like RED ALERT (SEVERE THREAT OF TERRORISTS ATTACKS) would become a part of our routine nomenclature in weeks to come.

The real heroes and sheroes of 9-11 were those people who gave their lives trying to save others. Countless stories and movies have documented the courageous efforts of so many. In the aftermath of it all, unfortunately some took advantage of a sad and somber situation. Many organizations were collecting money to help victims and little, if any, made its way to the folks they promised to help.

The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic men's fraternal organization of with nearly 1.8 million member families in some 22 countries throughout the world today. They made a conscious decision to do something quickly to reach out to help.

Within hours, money started to flow into the home offices in New Haven, CT from members wanting to do something. Millions were quickly raised to assist the policemen, firefighters and EMT's who lost their lives on that faithful day. Even more money was matched and pledged by the Board of Directors of this organization, whose roots were established in 1882 by a young priest in St. Mary's Catholic Church in New Haven, CT.

I'm proud to say that 100% of all monies collected by the Knights of Columbus were donated in their entirety to those brave victims of 9-11. My fellow General Agents and Field Agents in New York literally shut down their business operations and mobilized to identify victims.

Race, color, sex and creed did not matter. Altogether, some $4,000 was paid out to each victim's family of that horrific terrorist attack. The Knights of Columbus was the first and only organization to pay out 100% of the money it collected to the families of those who lost their lives trying to save others.

Scores of testimonials praised the efforts of the Knights of Columbus. In some cases, we were the only reason families were able to eat. And while the sum paid was modest for each family, it was magnificent at the time as it allowed them to bridge their lives until the bureaucracy could catch up.

It was not until the following Thursday that the world seemed to gather its wits and try to return to some level of normalcy. I recall I was doing the play-by-play at Osceola High School in Kissimmee, Florida for the game between arch-rivals Osceola and St. Cloud, Florida. And while it was a road game and I was the normal announcer at St. Cloud, the Osceola coaches called earlier in the day and asked that I take on the task.

I recall as I was driving over to the game, the news came over the radio that the airlines would hopefully begin flying that night. After doing my opening game announcements, which included acknowledging the solemnity of the evening's situation, I played the National Anthem to a tearful crowd that stood to acknowledge their country.

As fate would have it, a Delta Airlines plane was the very first plane to take off from nearby Orlando International Airport. Without missing a beat, all I could tearfully say was, "Tonight's flyover provided by Delta Airlines…. we win… you lose. You can't keep us down!"