Page 46 - Trump Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success

trum_c06.qxd 11/30/07 3:34 PM Page 25

R EMEMBERING S EPTEMBER 11, 2001

Since then, the Trump Organization has always had an
annual memorial of some sort on September 11. The first year,
we forfeited our annual Trump Organization Christmas party
in order to give the funds that would normally be used for that
event to charity. All of us felt it was the right thing to do, and it
was. Since then, we have had a memorial in the lobby and atrium
of Trump Tower each year, and I attend as do other members of
the Trump Organization.
In 2006 and 2007, we had the September Concert perform at
Trump Tower on 9/11, and it was open to the public. The Sep-
tember Concert was founded in 2002 on the first anniversary of
9/11 with the message of peace through music. Haruko Smith,
the founder, and Veronica Kelly, the vice chairman, have done
an amazing job. My son Eric introduces the concert, and all of
us attend. It’s a meaningful celebration and a positive response
to a day that shouldn’t be forgotten.
It takes time for us to help coordinate this event and to
make the space available in our very busy building, but it is
worth every minute of it. That’s just one example of why it
pays to never give up—you’ll eventually be in a position to
give back.
I host many charity events at my golf courses and have the
annual Red Cross Ball at my Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach.
These events don’t just happen—they require a lot of planning
and that means time and effort, not to mention money. Owning
properties is a lot more than just ownership—it’s about making
them useful. If you plan to go into real estate just to make money
or to feel powerful, that’s not enough. If you can see your gains
as a way to share, you will find your work will be much more
rewarding—and probably more profitable in the long run.
Every year we host the Salvation Army in our lobby to kick
off the holiday season. This has become a tradition. A band
plays, the media is there, I give a brief speech, and the Salvation
Army gets some of the recognition it deserves for the great job

25