COVINGTON — For weeks after Sept. 11, Covington teen-ager Justin Ham couldn't shake the horrific image of a hijacked airliner crashing into the World Trade Center.

Justin Ham created a public service announcement on behalf of the Twin Towers Orphan Fund. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        “Since that day, I think I watched CNN more times than I ever had (before),” said the 17-year-old Holmes High School senior. “You just can't get something like that out of your mind.”

        Like many people, Justin found himself drawn to the coverage of the national tragedy and wanting to do something to help.

        The question was: What to do?

        While brainstorming ideas with his mother, Peaselburg neighborhood activist Susan Ham, she remembered a commercial she'd seen for the Twin Towers Orphan Fund to benefit the children orphaned by the Sept. 11 tragedies.

        “You hear a lot about the Red Cross and the United Way (fund-raising efforts), but there hadn't been as much publicity about this one,” Ms. Ham said.

        So Justin, intrigued by the idea of helping victims close to his age, has organized a local relief effort for the Twin Towers Orphan Fund.

HOW TO HELP

• What: Twin Towers Orphan Fund   • Purpose: The fund was created to provide long-term educational and welfare assistance, including mental and physical health care benefits, for children newly orphaned by the attacks of Sept. 11.   • Address: Checks can be made out to the Twin Towers Orphan Fund, c/o Family-to-Family, 900 22nd St., Bakersfield, CA 93301   • Telephone: (661) 633-9076   A tax-deductible receipt will be provided. This is a program of Garden Pathways Inc., a 5013c organization.   • Web site: www.ttof.org

        Justin's is one of dozens of Tristate relief efforts to benefit the victims of the Sept. 11 tragedies, and one of several now under way at Holmes High School.

        Unlike other fund-raisers at his school though, Justin's is an individual effort and is not being done to fulfill a community service requirement.

        “He came up with this on his own,” said Bill Grein, principal of Holmes High School. “He's not just doing it here at Holmes. He's pretty much trying to do it districtwide.”

        On Saturday, for national Make A Difference Day, Justin, his brother, Nick, 15, and 11 friends bagged groceries and solicited donations for the Twin Towers Orphan Fund at six locations in Covington.

        The young activist also has raised about $1,300 from penny drives at Covington's Latonia and Glenn O. Swing Elementary Schools.

        And for the next three days, Justin will take his penny drive to Holmes High School's 50 home rooms, after promoting it on the school's closed circuit television program.

        As an extra incentive, Mr. Grein is offering a special breakfast to the homeroom that raises the most money.

        “A lot of people will say, "We've already donated money (to 9-11 relief efforts),' but when we explain that it all goes to the orphans, a lot of them will give again,” Justin said. “I'm hoping to raise about $5,000.”

        Created by more than 40 public relations professionals throughout the United States, the Twin Towers Orphan Fund was established to provide long-term educational assistance and mental and physical health care benefits to the children who were orphaned by the Sept. 11 tragedies.

        On their Web site, supporters of the Twin Towers Orphan Fund describe the project as “a 100 percent volunteer-supported activity.” Unlike some well-known national charities, no donations are being spent on administration, management or marketing costs, they say.

        No stranger to community service, Justin has spent most of his teen-age years helping his mother clean up their Peaselburg neighborhood and doing other projects for the annual Make A Difference Day.

        In school, Justin has been in an advanced academic track since fourth grade. The National Honor Society member also takes college-level classes through Holmes' international baccalaureate program, and he has helped Ninth District and Latonia Elementary Schools troubleshoot their computer problems through his involvement with the Cisco Systems computer networking program.

        A member of Holmes' varsity soccer team, Justin works part time as a bus boy at Zebo's Bistro in the Cincinnati Marriott at River Center, and he hopes to play baseball and run track later in the school year.

        “Without a doubt, I'm proud of him,” Ms. Ham said. “I've been doing (community projects) for about 10 years, and he's always asking, "What can I do to help?'”

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