You can reach us by calling our office at (866) 505-3911 or sending us an e-mail.

Warm Regards,

When: Friday, February 3, 2005 Time: 8 p.m. to Midnite
Where: Nicotra's Ballroom at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1100 South Avenue, Staten Island
Donation: $110 per ticket, $1,100 per table of 10, RSVP REQUIRED
Contact: or (718) 227-0812 for RSVP or more information

Join the friends and family of Joseph Maffeo for a four-course dinner and dancing featuring the music of Tommy Ricardo and T.R. Touch. The event will aso feature a 50/50 "Big Bucks" Raffle and a Silent Auction. Also, the third annual "Staten Island Angel" award will be presented to Dennis McKeon, Co-Founder of St. Clare's WTC Outreach Program and Execuitve Director of Where-to-Turn. All proceeds benefit the Joseph Maffeo Foundation.

Please click here to send us information on your memorial or foundation event. The information will be posted on the VOICES website and included in upcoming e-Newsletters.

VOICES established a Memorial section on our website in 2003-4?. We felt it was important to document the memorial foundations and events established with loving care to honor our loved ones. In addition, we wanted to identify physical memorial sites that have been built in honor of those who died on 9/11.

As the VOICES memorial project has grown, we have also devoted a special place in our weekly e-Newsletter and hard copy quarterly newsletter to publicize upcoming Memorial Foundation Events. We want to ensure that the 9/11 community and other interested individuals are aware of these living tributes, which embody the heartfelt response of families, friends and the broader community. We are honored to continue this important program in 2006!

Above you can see our announcement promoting the Joseph Maffeo Foundation’s Dinner Dance on February 3. We are proud to highlight this exciting celebration of Joseph Maffeo’s life and urge you to support the outstanding Foundation in his honor. All featured Events will be presented in this format.

If VOICES does not have the information on your loved one’s Foundation (visit the Memorial Section of our Website to check), please let us know. You can send us information about your Foundation and fund-raising Events by completing an online form. Or, the form can be downloaded and mailed to our office: Voices of September 11th, 93 Cherry Street, New Canaan, CT 06840. Remember to include photographs and any other pertinent information about your loved one.

Memorial Foundations
Many family members have established Memorial Foundations in memory of their loved one. Often, these funds are designed to benefit an institution associated with their loved one (such as a scholarship to a particular college, the Boy Scouts etc.) or to promote a quality or value that they embodied.

Memorial Foundation Events
Memorial Foundation Events are an important way for Memorial Foundations to raise funds to support their work. VOICES wants to promote your memorial foundation events to the 9/11 community. Contact our office as soon as your 2006 event is scheduled to allow interested participants plenty of time to register or make a donation. Remember to include a photo and all other pertinent information.

Physical Memorials Built to Commemorate those who died on 9/11
9/11 Memorials were built around the world in memory of those who died on 9/11. Some are small plaques, others large stone monuments. We recognize the importance of identifying these heartfelt memorials as a record of the unprecedented showing of American and international support after 9/11. Quote from Don Reynolds.......

Establish an Advisory Board
VOICES is establishing a VOICES Memorial Foundation Advisory Board. This advisory board will be composed of 9/11 family members and other interested individuals who have established a Memorial Foundation, organized a memorial foundation event or built a personal website. This group of advisors will share advice and other pertinent information with other 9/11 family members who are interested in establishing or enhancing a Memorial Foundation. Please contact our office at (866) 505-3911 if you are interested in participating.

An announcement on Dna technology from the nyc medical examiner
New techniques re-open identification progress

The New York City Medical Examiner’s office announced this week that new DNA extraction technology will allow them to continue identifying remains recovered from the WTC site. VOICES has been asked to distribute a letter from Medical Examiner Charles Hirsch with information on the new DNA technology and what it means for 9/11 families. Click here to read the letter. We are also distributing a printable form for family members complete, requesting whether or not they wish to be informed if remains of their loved one are identified in the future. Click here to download the form. Completed forms should be sent to the Medical Examiner’s Office at the address printed on the form.

As a reminder, VOICES mental health professionals and dedicated staff are here to help you through this emotional process. You can reach us Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. by calling our office at (866) 505-3911, or (203) 966-3911. After hours, please leave a message with contact information and we will return your call during the next business day. In addition, you can send us an e-mail at info@voicesofsept11.org.

WTC Families for Proper Burial has asked VOICES to pass on thanks to the many family members and friends who attended the court date last Friday. The display of solidarity showed Judge Hellerstein’s Court the support for the families’ struggle for respectful burial of our loved ones’ remains. Click for coverage of the hearing in the New York Times.

WTC Families for Proper Burial's next court conference is on March 10, 2006 at 1:00 PM. That could be a pivotal day. Time is short, and that means you, we, all have much to do. Click here for a message from Diane Horning at WTC Families for Proper Burial with information on how to get involved in this necessary cause.

wtc rescue and recovery workers face ongoing health problems
Lawsuit filed against city; two emt's died in 2005 from "wtc illness"

The death of NYPD Detective James Zadroga in early January has brought much-needed attention to the chronic health conditions affecting many of the selfless rescue and recovery workers at Ground Zero. However, Det. Zadroga is not the only first responder who has succumbed to what is becoming known as "WTC Illness." EMT Timothy Keller, 41, died June 23, 2005; EMT Felix Hernandez, 31, died Oct. 23, 2005. Their deaths have prompted family, friends and colleagues to talk about the life-threatening risks Ground Zero workers face. "There is no doubt in any of our minds that there is a direct correlation between their deaths and their participation at Ground Zero," Don Faeth, vice president of the Uniformed Emergency Medical Technicians & Paramedics — FDNY, Local 2507 is quoted in a New York Post article on Keller and Hernandez, two “hidden victims” of the WTC attacks.

5,000 First Responders, some already debilitated by illness, have filed a class action lawsuit pending in Manhattan Federal Court that accuses government officials and construction contractors of exposing workers to dangerous levels of toxins at Ground Zero and the Fresh Kills landfill, according to a New York Daily News article. Also, The New York Uniformed Firefighters' Association (UFA) announced Jan. 13 that two of its members and a Battalion Chief have died in recent months due to lung illnesses the union believes are linked to toxic exposures from Sept. 11 and its aftermath. UFA Vice President James Slevin said in a Civil Service Leader article that “the union has been actively involved with the pension board and initially we did not see deaths, only disability cases," Mr. Slevin said. "Now we are concerned that the doctors' timeline is right and that we will see a spike in cancer related deaths."

If you are having respiratory difficulties, unexplained pains, or other health problems that could be caused by your service at Ground Zero, there are resources to help you get the care you need.

Click here for a list of ongoing medical offerings for Ground Zero workers.

January 28, 2006
A Conference Dedicated Toward Identifying Issues And Developing Solutions To Problems Still Faced By The Unsung Heroes of 9/11: Responders, Clean-Up, Rescue and Recovery Workers.
Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Place: Suffolk County Community College, Brentwood Campus
Contact: Jonathan F. Sferazo, 631-423-0277, email: LenaJohn@optonline.net

More information and a mail-in registration form is available in a printable flyer for the event. Click here to download page one and page two of the flyer.

voices Annual fundraising drive helps us serve you better

Voices of September 11th is in the midst of our annual fundraising drive, and we need your help! Your contribution will be applied to our operating budget for 2006. Nearly 5 years after 9/11, Voices of September 11th is an evolving organization. We continue our mission of providing mental health services and special events for all those impacted by 9/11. Our website receives over 3 million hits per year – so we are a clearinghouse of information and resources internationally. In addition, we continue our advocacy work to promote implementation of the 9/11 Commission recommendations to ensure comprehensive strategies for preparedness and response at the federal, state and local levels. Finally, our Building Bridges initiative reaches out internationally to promote understanding, tolerance and acceptance. Click here to read VOICES updated 2006 brochure to learn more about the work we are doing. Click here to donate today. Thank you in advance for your support!

Bureaucracy Hinders 9/11 Commission Recommendations -- An in-depth National Journal investigates why the government's response to 9/11 has fallen well short of the 9/11 Commission's Recommendations for government reform, terrorism prevention and international outreach. (National Journal)

Bravest' families lose bid to sue over faulty 9/11 radios -- Families of New York firefighters killed at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, failed Tuesday to persuade the Supreme Court to allow them to go forward with a lawsuit against New York City and Motorola for supplying the rescuers with faulty radios. (Associated Press)

U.S. Raid Killed Qaeda Leaders, Pakistanis Say -- Two senior members of Al Qaeda and the son-in-law of its No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, were among those killed in the American airstrikes in remote northeastern Pakistan last week, two Pakistani officials said on Wednesday. (NY Times)