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Mets To Help Fund Program For Tuesday's Children, Families Of 9/11 First Responders

NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) -- The Mets are helping to fund a new charity program for families affected by the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

In a news conference Tuesday at Citi Field, the Mets and Tuesday's Children announced that the team will help pay for The First Responder Alliance Mentoring Program, which will provide trained mentors for children whose parents died due to illness attributed to their time working at ground zero or Fresh Kills Landfill.

"Tuesday's Children celebrates the partnerships with the Mets organization and extends our deepest gratitude for their 10 years of support," Tuesday's Children executive director Terry Sears said. "The Mets have been unwavering in their steadfast commitment to Tuesday's Children, our families and brave first responders. The children we serve have been blessed by the friendship the Mets have so generously offered. This is something they will never forget."

The Mets say it's the third program they have helped fund for Tuesday's Children, a non-profit organization committed to helping people affected by the 9/11 attacks and terrorism worldwide.

For the 10th consecutive year, Mets players will meet and greet the families of Tuesday's Children, signing autographs and taking photos during pregame receptions throughout the season.

The first session was scheduled for Tuesday.

Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon was at the news conference and said in a statement that families are still in need even though a decade has passed since the 2001 attacks.

"The Mets are honored to have worked with Tuesday's Children since its inception," he said, "and are proud to expand our association with this program."

Give your thoughts on the Mets' partnership with Tuesday's Children in the comments below...

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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