By 
Dr. You-Zhi Tang ｜September 13, 2026
25 years ago, I was visiting a client with my colleague on September 11. When we arrived at the lobby of the company, real time news was shown on the TV in the reception area. Suddenly, the horrified sense of the NY World Trade Center under attack appeared on the screen. Everyone was completely shocked and sadden. 25 years later, the memory does not fake, and in my opinion the Gander story is one of the most remarkable Canadian stories to come out of 9/11. Also, the Lewisporte Area Flight 15 Scholarship is perhaps the most beautiful part because it turned a few days of kindness of Canadians into something lasting for decades.
On September 11, 2001, when the United States suddenly closed its airspace, Canada launched Operation Yellow Ribbon, accepting international aircraft that could no longer enter the United States. Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, with a population of only about 9,650, suddenly received 38 aircraft carrying roughly 6,600 passengers and crew – an increase in the local population of almost 70% within hours. Those passengers represented about 95 countries.
What followed is the part people remember. Gander and neighbouring communities, including Lewisporte, Appleton, Gambo, Norris Arm and others, mobilized almost spontaneously. Schools, churches, community centres and private homes became temporary accommodation. Residents cooked meals, supplied bedding and clothing, opened their showers, filled prescriptions, arranged transportation and entertained people who had unexpectedly arrived with virtually nothing accessible because their luggage remained aboard the aircraft. The communities also had to accommodate different religions, diets and cultures.
That also brings me to the memory of a scholarship.
One of the diverted aircraft was Delta Air Lines Flight 15, travelling from Frankfurt to Atlanta. Its passengers were taken from Gander to the small community of Lewisporte, where roughly 800 stranded travellers were being looked after. Among the passengers was Shirley Brooks-Jones of Columbus, Ohio, who had considerable fundraising experience.
When Flight 15 finally departed, the passengers wanted some way of thanking the people who had fed, housed and cared for them, because many passengers remember something striking: the Newfoundlanders simply would not take their money.
During the flight, an idea emerged: rather than simply send gifts, they would create a scholarship fund for local students. A collection was taken among the passengers. By the time the aircraft landed, approximately US$15,000 had been pledged. That spontaneous collection became the Lewisporte Area Flight 15 Scholarship Fund. And this is where the story becomes extraordinary.
What began with roughly $15,000 continued growing through donations from passengers, friends and supporters. By 2007, Newfoundland and Labrador’s government reported more than $800,000 in cash and pledges, with 84 scholarships already awarded. Later accounts put the fund at approximately $2 million, supporting hundreds of young people from Lewisporte and the surrounding area.
There were other similar gestures as well. Passengers sheltered at the College of the North Atlantic in Gander initially collected about $3,500 for a scholarship fund, with roughly $16,000 eventually arriving from members of that group. Stranded passengers also donated money for projects such as Appleton’s Peace Park, and other groups later donated equipment and community facilities.
The broader story eventually inspired the musical Come From Away. The title reflects the Newfoundland expression for someone arriving from somewhere else – a “come from away.” Interestingly, 25 years later the story is still very alive: Gander has just marked the 25th anniversary of 9/11 in September 2026, emphasizing that the anniversary is not a celebration but a remembrance of those who died, those who helped and the friendships that resulted.
The scholarship wasn’t merely a “thank-you.” It transformed hospitality lasting four or five days into educational opportunities lasting generations. And there is a very Canadian/Newfoundland quality to the whole episode. Nobody planned a major humanitarian operation. There wasn’t time. People essentially looked around and said: there are thousands of people here who need somewhere to sleep and something to eat – so we’d better look after them.
That may be why the Gander story remains so powerful 25 years later. It is not really a story about airplanes or even 9/11. It is a story about what ordinary people can become when circumstances suddenly demand the best from them.
