Thank you to all who attended VOICES Annual Information Forum and Commemorative Luncheon this past anniversary weekend. Those of you who could not attend were with us in spirit. We were very pleased to see many families who have been with us in the past, and to welcome some new families to our growing community of strength and support.

We hope everyone who attended the Information Forum on September 10th gained some valuable insight into the important topics facing the 9/11 family community four years after the attacks. Soon our website will feature transcripts of the panels and presentations to give those who could not join us the opportunity to learn more about these vital issues.

Sunday’s Commemorative Luncheon was a great success thanks to all of you who took time out of a very difficult day to share your strength with fellow family members. Every year, we are inspired by the tremendous emotional support our families provide for each other. We were very pleased that four Congressional leaders for 9/11 legislation attended our Luncheon to accept VOICES 2005 Building Bridges Awards. We offer our congratulations once again to award recipients Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA), and Congressman Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) along with our thanks for their efforts to enact reforms in America's intelligence and security services to make our country safer. VOICES also honored the Robin Hood Foundation with a Building Bridges award for their outstanding support to organizations providing services to those impacted by 9/11.

We hope all who attended the Luncheon found it to be a fitting environment to remember and celebrate the lives of our loved ones. We know many of you attended other memorial events in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, and hope you had a peaceful and healing observance. We hope all of you, especially those who could not join us this year, will accept an early invitation for VOICES fifth anniversary commemoration event.

We have posted some pictures from the Information Forum and Commemorative Luncheon on our website and will be adding many more soon. Thanks again to all who made the event possible: our dedicated VOICES staff, the fine staff at the Marriott Financial Center Hotel, and most of all our wonderful families.

Warm Regards,

VOICES is working to raise awareness on the need for better national preparedness for terrorist attacks and natural disasters. Hurricane Katrina shows us once again that four years after 9/11, America is still unprepared to respond effectively to disasters of all kinds. The lack of coordination and communication that plagued rescue efforts on 9/11 still has not been resolved, and VOICES has pledged to keep the pressure on our leaders to make these common sense reforms before it is too late. To read more about VOICES position on these issues, please read a Press Release sent to the national media on Wednesday. VOICES believes that national preparedness begins at home, and we encourage you to visit our “September is National Preparedness Month" page by clicking here to see readiness tips of the day updated daily and listings of important preparedness resources.

On Wednesday, the 9/11 Public Discourse Project released a report critical of the progress made thus far by Congress and the executive in the areas of homeland security, emergency preparedness and response. The report is the culmination of a three month investigation into the status of implementing the forty-one recommendations put forth over a year ago by the 9/11 Independent Commission.

The former commissioners cited minimal progress across the board, expressing considerable concern over the lack of headway made in the reallocation of the broadcast spectrum for first responder communications. According to former Chairman Thomas Kean, lives could have been saved in the early days of Hurricane Katrina had this and other recommendations been implemented.

Another recommendation which VOICES actively supports is the screening of checked baggage and cargo on passenger airlines. According to the report, this is a considerable safety concern that remains unaddressed because of a lack of funding.

Please click here to read a copy of the 10-page report, or visit the PDP section of VOICES’ website for some recent news articles.

America's 9-11 Memorial Quilts believes it is important to remember the innocent victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on this nation with our memorial Victims’ Quilt. Many of you may have seen the quilt at the Voices of September 11th Commemorative Luncheon on September 11th of this year. A section of the quilt is seen to the left. Pending permission from a family member or liaison, the Victim’s Quilt will contain all individuals who perished on 9-11-01 including WTC employees, vendors, visitors, children, Police, Fire, Port Authority, EMS, and those lost in the Pentagon and Flights #93, #11, #175 & #77. Also included will be a representation of lives lost by the deadly bacteria Anthrax in the aftermath of 9-11, along with other symbolic photos, poems, and images of emergency vehicles. Families are able to include the photo of their choice to have their loved one honored upon these quilts. America’s 9-11 Memorial Quilts has the utmost respect for family members and will not print faces on the quilts without permission.

When complete, the quilt will be dedicated and donated to all families through the 9-11 memorial organizations for permanent placement in an appropriate memorial. There are also eight smaller memorial quilts that are under construction to honor the FDNY, NYPD, New York/New Jersey Port Authority police and staff, EMS, Pentagon, Flight 93 and the NY State Court Officers. These quilts will be dedicated to all families with permanent placement for the entity for which it was designed. For example, the Pentagon quilt will have a home at the Pentagon memorial site.

It is our hope to memorialize those we lost in a compassionate and uplifting way, with great respect, dignity and honor, to heal hearts and preserve memories for years to come. Please know our hearts and thoughts remain with all families always. We appreciate your consideration in helping us honor our lost loved ones by sharing the quilting information with others. By reaching out to the nation and the world we wish to reach all families to inform them about this loving and compassionate project so they have a chance to decide if they would like to preserve their loved ones name and face upon the national quilts. Our hearts thank you for your time and consideration.

Please send photos to:

America's 9-11 Memorial Quilt Organization
Jeannie Ammermann, President
1278 Sweetwater Lane #101
Naples, Florida 34110
Phone 239-594-9966 or cell 239-293-0136
Email: quiltmaker@comcast.net
www.911memorialquilts.com

Sep 15, 2005

Long Island Rep. Peter King has been tapped to lead the House Homeland Security Committee, giving him a powerful role in GOP leadership ranks — and the chance to bring big bucks home to the Big Apple... More

Sep 14, 2005

Four years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the federal government has failed to enact crucial homeland security reforms that could have saved lives and improved the sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina... More

Sep 12, 2005

On the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, throughout our nation and around the world, the victims of those attacks are remembered with heartfelt thoughts and prayers... More