A weekly volunteer commitment that began in 2012 has earned Carafello national recognition and, he says, shaped the way he thinks about the people he works with every day
New York, NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — When the National September 11 Memorial & Museum nominated Gregory Carafello for a Daily Point of Light Award, it caught him off guard. “The museum nominated me,” Carafello said. Greg is the Principal Broker at First Choice Business Brokers of New York City and was confirmed as honoree number 8,374 on July 22, 2026.
Greg Carafello and Daughter Rachel
The recognition is tied specifically to Carafello’s service as a museum docent. Each Friday, for roughly five hours, he guides visitors through the museum’s exhibits and testimonies, a routine he has kept since September 2012.
His daughter, Rachel, also pitches in at times to volunteer at the museum, a connection to the site that now runs through two generations of the Carafello family.
Greg dedicates his time alongside six other docents who work the same weekly shift; the group calls themselves “Friday’s Finest.”
“The people at the 9/11 museum are true professionals,” says Carafello. “They’re trained, they take accuracy extremely seriously, and Points of Light recognizing that is just an amazing honor, to tell you the truth.”
Asked what the award means to him personally, Carafello points away from himself and toward the people who show up week after week with no expectation of anything in return.
“It means the dedication of volunteering is something that gets recognized,” he said. “There are people who give their time for no charge, who build their whole schedule around it, just to help someone else understand what happened. This award acknowledges that. It recognizes that people volunteer for the goodness of their heart, and that effort deserves to be seen.”
For Carafello, the reward was never the point. “It’s a good feeling, a good karma feeling,” he said. “That’s not why you do it, but it’s what you find after you do it.”
When asked what he hopes people take from his story, Carafello points to something bigger than his own experience. As a 9/11 survivor whose life is now deeply tied to the museum he serves, he wants every visitor to leave with one idea. “Freedom is not free,” he said. “People pay the price. It’s normally warriors who pay it, but that day, it was just people going to work.”
The Daily Point of Light Award was established in 1989 by President George H.W. Bush and is presented by Points of Light, which describes itself as the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. Carafello’s recognition was detailed in the organization’s announcement, titled “A Carrier of Critical U.S. History.”
Carafello is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor and Certified Franchise Executive with 45 years of experience in business ownership and franchising. After losing his business in the collapse of the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks, he returned on May 1, 2015, and has operated First Choice Business Brokers of New York City from One World Trade Center, Suite 8500, where he has maintained a presence ever since.
The recognition comes weeks ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, a milestone First Choice Business Brokers of New York City plans to mark with additional coverage of Carafello’s story in the weeks ahead.
Business owners and members of the media interested in Carafello’s story can reach him directly through First Choice Business Brokers of New York City.
About Gregory Carafello
Gregory Carafello is a Certified Franchise Executive, a 9/11 survivor, and one of New York City’s most experienced franchise industry leaders. He is Principal Broker at First Choice Business Brokers of New York City, Master Franchisee for Cartridge World across eight states, Area Representative for FastSigns International across all five New York City boroughs, and Co-Founder and President of Executive Franchise Group, LLC. He has volunteered as a docent at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum nearly every Friday since September 2012 and is a confirmed Daily Point of Light honoree. He has guided more than 200 people into franchise and business ownership over a 45-year career and operates from One World Trade Center, Suite 8500, where he has maintained a presence since May 1, 2015. He can be reached at (212) 220-5900 or through businessesforsaleinnewyorkcity.com.
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