It is hard to believe the anniversary events are less than a month away. We have received a great response for the Annual Information Forum and September 11th Commemorative Luncheon, and have enjoyed hearing from each of you.

VOICES Information Forum will be held on Saturday, September 10, 2005 from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm. It is open to September 11th families, survivors and rescue workers. The Forum will include panel discussions, workshops and support groups. A full schedule is available here, and will be included in our quarterly newsletter which you will be receiving by mail next week. Space is limited for each panel, workshop and support group, so we encourage you to pre-register online by clicking here.

The Commemorative Luncheon will be held on Sunday, September 11, 2005, from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm, immediately following the commemorative events at Ground Zero. At the Luncheon we will present the 2005 Voices of September 11th Building Bridges Award to the four congressional leaders primarily responsible for the 9/11 reform legislation: Senators Susan Collins and Joseph Lieberman, and Representatives Jane Harman and Peter Hoekstra. In addition, we will honor the Robin Hood Foundation for their commitment and dedication to the families and all those impacted by 9/11. Space is limited and reservations are required, so please call our office at 203-966-3911 to reserve your place.

We understand that this time of year is often difficult for our families and often compounded by media coverage of the events of 9/11. Our e-Newsletter this week features two reviews (see below) of a National Geographic special, “Inside 9/11,” a two-part, four hour documentary that will air this Sunday and Monday. Our mental health professionals suggest that family members read the reviews and familiarize themselves with the program’s content to make an educated decision on whether to watch.

As always, our mental health staff is available for anyone who may be feeling renewed distress as September 11th approaches. Please contact the VOICES office to speak with a mental health professional or VOICES’ family liaison, Debbie Westfal.

Warm Regards,

On September 9, 2005, former 9/11 Commissioner Tim Roemer will moderate a day long event entitled "Securing America in the 21st Century". This event, cosponsored by New York University and the Center For National Policy, will feature a number of distinguished guests discussing a wide range of issues and assessing the progress made in implementing the 9/11 Commission reforms. Mary Fetchet will be among those speaking at the event. If you were unable to attend any of the 9/11 Public Discourse Project's hearings, this is an excellent opportunity to learn about the current issues we face regarding terrorism and homeland security. Please click here to view a detailed schedule and to RSVP for this free event.

In an effort to ensure the availability of comprehensive affordable health coverage for all those who lost their coverage due to the death of the insured on September 11, 2001, we are reaching out to the families of Marsh & McLennan.

If you are a Marsh & McLennan family member your COBRA may be expiring. Please be aware of your COBRA expiration date; do not let your insurance lapse.

One of the options available to you is the GHI 9-11 Charitable Health Insurance Plan. For information contact Jennifer Jacobs at jenniferj973@aol.com or Liz Mattson at elizabethmattson@gmail.com.

On Monday, WTC Families for Proper Burial, as well as several individual families, filed a lawsuit against Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City of New York petitioning for the removal of remains from the Fresh Kills Landfill. The lawsuit is part of an ongoing effort to force the city into removing the remains of those who died at the World Trade Center from the Staten Island garbage dump so they can receive a proper and dignified burial. To support this effort, please visit WTC Families for Proper Burial, and read the articles below.

"9/11 Families Sue City Over Debris at Landfill" (read)
"WTC Families Sue NYC Over Landfill" (read)

First Annual Run to Remember
Mark Bingham and Tom Burnett

When: Sunday, September 11th, 2005 at 8:00 am
Where: Starting and finishing at Rincon Park on the Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA
Contact: joe@teambingham.org or visit the race website

Make history with the First Annual Run to Remember 9-11. There will be a 5K Run/Walk and a 10K Run. All proceeds will benefit the Mark Bingham Leadership Fund and the Tom Burnett Family Foundation. This will be a special event with beautiful views of San Francisco, special guest speakers and top finisher prizes.

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 the newsletters.

A regional campaign, known as NYC Remembers, was launched this week with a series of radio and television ads encouraging people to spend time on September 11th performing some type of service or charitable activity. The campaign was created by the organization One Day's Pay, whose mission is to establish September 11th as a national day of voluntary service, charity and compassion to "keep alive the memories of giving and selfless service that unified our nation following the terrorist attacks."

One Day's Pay is not affiliated with any charity or organization. It is entirely up to each individual or group to investigate their own opportunities, to decide what they want to do and to plan their own activities. One Day's Pay was founded in 2002 by David Paine, Jay Winuk and Alice Hoglan, along with other friends and colleagues. Jay lost his brother Glenn J. Winuk, an attorney and volunteer firefighter who died during the rescue effort moments after the attack on the World Trade Center. Alice lost her son Mark Bingham, one of the heroic passengers of United Flight 93. David Paine, president of One Day's Pay, is a long-time friend of Jay Winuk.

VOICES strongly supports this initiative and encourages you to take some time during the week of September 11th to reach out to someone in need. Representatives from One Day's Pay will be available throughout the day at VOICES September 10th Information Forum, and will be participating in a panel discussion on Memorial Foundations. Please visit NYC Remembers for more information on this positive and uplifting campaign.

Aug 19, 2005

The summer in New York often ends with a revival of purpose, as vacationers resume their professional paces. In recent years and for many to come... More

Aug 19, 2005

As if we need any reminders that September 11 was a bad day, National Geographic Channel comes along with a quite towering documentary, "Inside 9/11."... More

Aug 17, 2005

The campaign to turn 9/11 from a day of mourning into one of charity and cooperation is about to go high profile... More