Voices Newsletter



April 28, 2010

Dear Families and Friends,

In the past several weeks I've had an opportunity to reconnect with family members I met in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. It's inspiring to see the resiliency they have exhibited since those initial days when we held meetings in my home for the Connecticut families.

As we are planning our fourth annual Always Remember Gala in advance of the 10th Anniversary, we thought it was fitting that Mayor Giuliani be our keynote speaker. Many families witnessed firsthand that Mayor Giuliani played an important role in supporting our families in navigating the complicated issues we were faced with. The Gala is an opportunity to gather together to both honor the lives lost and acknowledge the resiliency of those who survived. All proceeds will support our work to create the 9/11 Living Memorial Project! Go to our website, www.voicesofsept11.org for more information or to register online.

Through my work I have gotten to know Bill Keegan who worked in the recovery effort at Ground Zero. Like many others whose lives were transformed by 9/11, Bill is now helping those in need through his organization, Heart 911. On Friday, May 13th I am honored to join Bill in a presentation at the Morgan Library in New York City. Admission is free, but reservations are required. We hope you will join us!

Frank and I appreciate the many calls and emails we received following the distribution of the joint letter on the respectful placement of the unidentified remains at the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York City. We know this is a difficult subject, but an important part of our mission is to keep our membership informed. Please contact our office if there are any additional questions.

Finally, families are inquiring about the deadline to submit photographs for the Wall of Faces at the 9/11 Memorial. Our staff is working closely with the families and the Museum to coordinate this effort. We are conducting daily 9/11 Living Memorial workshops in our offices in Connecticut and New Jersey. We are in New York City and in communities in the northeast each week. In May we will also be conducting workshops in Boston, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C.. The 9/11 Living Memorial will be an ongoing project and families can continue to add content over the years to come.

Hopefully you had a wonderful spring holiday. As always, please feel free to contact our office if we can be of assistance.


Warm Regards
Signature
Mary Fetchet & The VOICES Staff
 



CALENDAR OF EVENTS

9/11 Living Memorial
Workshop Appointments


New Canaan, Connecticut
Monday - Friday

New Brunswick, New Jersey
Tuesdays and Thursdays

Tom's River, New Jersey
Tuesday, May 3rd

Wellesley, Massachusetts
Thursday, May 5th

New York, New York (Cantor Fitzgerald Families)
Tuesday, May 10th

Manalapan, New Jersey
Thursday, May 19th

Rye, New York
Thursday, May 19th

Kenilworth, New Jersey
Tuesday, May 24th

New York, New York (Cantor Fitzgerald Families)
Tuesday, May 24th

Paramus, New Jersey
Tuesday, May 31st

For a full schedule of upcoming
workshop appointments Click Here.



VOICES Teleconference Schedule

Tuesday, May 3rd:
Firefighter Mothers' Group
10:00am to 11:00am


Tuesday, May 3rd:
Parents' Support Group
3:45pm to 5:00pm


Tuesday, May 3rd:
Parenting Workshop Group
9:00pm to 10:00pm


Tuesday, May 16th:
Rockland In-Person Group
7:00pm to 9:00pm


Thursday, May 18th:
Siblings' Group
2:30pm to 3:30pm


Tuesday, May 23rd:
Witness/Survivors' Group
4:00pm to 5:00pm


For a full schedule of upcoming teleconference groups Click Here.

For a complete list of events visit our website at www.voicesofsept11.org.

To add an event to our calendar contact newsletters@voicesofsept11.org.




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Mayor Rudolph Giuliani Keynote Speaker at VOICES Gala on June 1st
Always Remember Benefit
VOICES is pleased to announce that Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has graciously agreed to be our keynote speaker at our 4th Annual Always Remember fundraising gala on June 1st at Pier Sixty in New York City. All proceeds from the event will benefit VOICES 9/11 Living Memorial Project and our efforts to support 9/11 families in the process of creating a meaningful tribute to the nearly 3,000 lives lost and document the stories of rescue workers and survivors. Contact Frank Fetchet at ffetchet@voicesofsept11.org or 203-966-3911 with question about sponsorship. Click here to register online. More.

9/11 Memorial Plans For Unidentified Remains
9/11 Memorial
There have been recent news reports questioning the decision made many years ago regarding the inclusion of unidentified remains in the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Mary and Frank Fetchet joined with other 9/11 family members to create a joint letter which summarizes the thoughtful process that was guided by a wide range of family members over the course of many years. More.

Join us for a Presentation at the Morgan Library on May 13th
Power of Journal
Mary Fetchet, Founding Director of Voices of September 11th, Lt. Bill Keegan (RET.) of the Port Authority Police Special Operations after 9/11, Maureen McNeil of the Anne Frank Center and Christine Nelson of the Morgan Library will talk about the power of journal keeping and will encourage participants to document their experience as the anniversary approaches in a Panel Discussion at the Morgan Library on May 13th at 6:30 PM. Admission is free, but reservations are required. More.

VOICES to host 10th Annual Day of Remembrance Forum on 9/10 and 9/11
Day of Remembrance ForumVOICES will host our 10th Annual Day of Remembrance Information Forum on Saturday, September 10th at the Marriott Downtown Hotel. Join us for panel discussions, focus groups, 9/11 Living Memorial workshops, and exhibits of interest to 9/11 families, children, survivors rescue and recovery workers. On Sunday, September 11th we will host our Commemorative Luncheon at the Marriott Hotel, following the service at the 9/11 Memorial. More information will be available in the coming weeks.

This year we plan to expand our Day of Remembrance events to Washington, D.C. On Saturday, September 10th VOICES, in partnership with the Pentagon Memorial Fund, is hosting a Day of Remembrance Information Forum and a September 11th Commemorative Luncheon, both events are at the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. We have also reserved hotel rooms at a special rate. In an effort to better plan for the events, we are asking families and survivors who plan to attend the Pentagon Observation to complete a brief survey by Friday, May 13th. More.


Mary Fetchet addresses Women of Canterbury on April 15
Mary Fetchet was the keynote speaker at the Women of Canterbury Annual Dinner on April 15 on the campus of the Canterbury School in New Milford, Connecticut. Addressing the senior women and their mothers, Mary spoke about her personal journey following the death of her 24 year old son on 9/11 and how her background as mother, social worker and educator influenced the mission of Voices of September 11th. She spoke about how working with the families, survivors and rescue workers has inspired her over the past 9 years. In reflecting about the important role women can play in shaping society, she commented "I feel I have an opportunity and a moral obligation to do this work. I urge you girls to embrace new opportunities, because when you help one person, you help many." More.

R.E.M.A. 2011 Annual Day of Remembrance
Executive Board Member Tony Sanpietro, NYPD retired ESU Detective and Founder of R.E.M.A. (Retired Emergency Man Association), has once again organized, "A Day of Remembrance", honoring those who gave their lives in the line of duty. We invite our members to attend this day of reflection and prayer for our brothers, sisters and their families as we fulfill our promise to "Never Forget". Respond directly to Tony Sanpietro for your reservation. If you can not make the ceremony, I ask you to please take a moment Saturday to bow your head in silence and remember our friends who selflessly gave their lives to help others. More.


New York politicians push to keep tour buses away from 9/11 Memorial area
Noxious, fume-spewing tour buses that clog the streets and choke the air must be kept away from lower Manhattan when the 9/11 Memorial opens in September, a group of downtown pols demanded Friday. More.

New York lawmaker to urge Obama to help fix police radio woes
Some New York police officers still cannot communicate with each other with police radios, even though the issue plagued the rescue effort after the 9/11 attacks nearly 10 years ago, a New York state senator says. More.

Visit VOICES In The News for articles and announcements of interest to the 9/11 community.




FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:

www.voicesofsept11.org

©2009 Voices of September 11th. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

VOICES of September 11th is a nonpartisan advocacy group that provides services and advocates for all those affected by September 11th; promotes public policy reform on prevention, preparedness and response to terrorism; and builds bridges between international communities changed by terrorism. In 2006, VOICES launched the 9/11 Living Memorial digital archive that commemorates the lives and stories of September 11, 2001.