On One Boston Day, designated by Mayor Marty Walsh, people around the city paid tribute those killed or hurt two years ago, as well as those who helped keep the city safe.
Yellow and blue balloons floated through the sky Wednesday in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, released by students there to honor the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings and the first responders who ran to the aid of the injured.
At a school ceremony, students sang about peace on the second anniversary of the attacks - a day that is now known as One Boston Day.
The goal is to shift focus to helping others by taking part in acts of kindness.
"Thanks for helping all the people that's in Boston," said young Brooklyn Marcos to the city's firefighters.
Students delivered cards to firefighters in Boston's North End to say thank you. Boston Police in Charlestown received cards and lunch from students there as a sign of appreciation.
Nearby, Spaulding Rehabilitation received a new wheelchair-accessible van, thanks in part to a grant by the Travis Roy Foundation.
Roy says he knows first-hand the hard work and compassion it takes to recover from a serious injury.
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"We saw the outcomes of the people that were seen coming out of here, and it's fantastic," he said. "This will just be one more tool to round out that experience for them."
"Having something like this on this day is really, really meaningful, and it's going to make a huge difference to our patients, getting them back out into the community and ready to go home and take on the world," said Kim Murnane, who works at Spaulding.
