Many of us remember how we felt during those first few hours and days after the September 11th attacks. Angry? Sad? Helpless?  We asked, how could this happen here? Who did this? And more importantly, what can I do to help?

In the immediate aftermath of these attacks, we must fully support the work and the mission of charitable organizations, such as the American Red Cross, the United Way and the Salvation Army. Down the road, as our nation heals, we will also need to do our part to stimulate our economy by continuing to travel with patience and investing financially with confidence.

Since September 11th, the outpouring of help across this country has been no less than tremendous. In the first seven days after this tragedy, Americans contributed over $55 million to the relief effort simply though the websites of charitable organizations. The American Red Cross has also seen an overwhelming response to the call for blood donations.

I encourage all of you to contribute what you can - your dollars or your time - not only now, but also in the coming months and years.

After we have taken care of the victims and their families, we must also look for ways to take care of our nation as a whole. In addition to creating unthinkable pain and hardships for so many families, these terrorist attacks have also made a direct hit to the airline industry, the stock market and other parts of our country's economy.

It is my hope that we will feel comfortable flying again very soon. President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress recommended airline security measures to restore consumer confidence and to prevent these types of heinous acts from happening again. I ask that you continue to support the commercial airline industry by resuming travel plans and purchasing tickets.

Another daunting byproduct of the tragedy unfolded as we watched stock prices drop and some companies file for bankruptcy. The most important thing that we can do for the financial future of this country is to invest - and invest confidently in American companies. Although the World Trade Center towers were destroyed, the foundation of our economy is strong and the American entrepreneurial spirit will prevail to lift up many of these troubled financial institutions.

There are many things that we can do - in the near future and in the coming months to help those Americans directly affected by the attacks. We must not forget the way we felt on September 11th and for the sake of the Americans who lost their lives on that day, we must sustain the relief efforts, support American institutions and stand behind the men and women of our military.

 During this trying time, I am reminded of these words by President Bush, "Nobody can threaten this county. They may be able to bomb buildings and obviously disrupt lives. But we're too great a nation to allow evil-doers to affect our soul and our spirit."

Please go to my website www.house.gov/wamp to learn about ways you can help the victims of the September 11th attacks.