DECEMBER 15, 2006

DEAR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS,

Our best wishes to you and your family,

Mary Fetchet

Founding Director

9/11 Remembrance Service at St. Paul's, December 16th

The Holiday Season by Dr. Robin F. Goodman

The winter holidays seem to follow fast on the heels of the September 11th anniversary. Like many occasions, they can be an exciting time for some and a challenging one for others. There are an abundance of public reminders about the holidays – at places of worship, in shopping malls, in the mail, at school, and at work – that may trigger thoughts of holidays past... read full article.

Send Holiday Messages to Troops Overseas

Messages for the soldiers in Joe Coppo Jr.'s unit: C Troop, 40 Brigade, 1st Cavalry (Airborne) continue to arrive in VOICES office. We continue to collect the messages and hope many more of our newsletter readers will take this opportunity to say thanks and happy holidays to these brave young people far from home. You can send a message by email that we will transcribe, or send a handwritten note or card to VOICES at 93 Cherry St., New Canaan, CT 06840 that we will forward to C Troop on your behalf.

Family Tribute to Richard Allen Pearlman

This week we are proud to spotlight the 9/11 Living Memorial Family Tribute for a young man who showed true courage in the face of unimaginable horror and gave his own life in the hope that others might live. Richard Allen Pearlman was only 18 on 9/11, but had already spent four years with the Forest Hills, Queens Volunteer Ambulance Corps. His experience instilled a deep desire to help others, and Richard was to begin EMT training in October, 2001. On 9/11, Richard was at One Police Plaza running an errand when reports came in about airplanes hitting the Twin Towers. Selflessly, he joined the stream of officers heading downtown, aiming to help however he could.

Richard lost his life serving others, and doing what he truly loved. Though he was only among us for a short time, his heroic example will continue to inspire all of us who seek larger meaning and redemption in the ashes of the 9/11 attacks. Richard's life, and the lives of so many ended too soon have another lesson to teach us. As his mother, Dorie writes on Richard's 9/11 Living Memorial page: "As much as we all allow our pride to sometimes get the best of us, we are all at a point in our life where we do not know what tomorrow may bring. So please take every opportunity to express or make known your love and appreciation for the people dearest to you." It is an important message for all of us as we approach the joyous--but sometimes trying--holiday season.

The 9/11 Living Memorial: we will always remember. To start building a page dedicated to your loved one, please contact Debbie Westfal at (203) 966-3911 or by email. Happy Holidays from the VOICES e-Newsletter! We look forward to continuing and enhancing this service in 2007.

New York Politicians Warn Federal 9/11 Health Money Running Out

The $75 million that the federal government has allocated so far for the needs of 9/11 responders and workers could run out as early as next spring, according to officials at the Mount Siani and FDNY Health Monitoring Programs. In an effort to push for more funding in the President's '08 budget, Sen. Hillary Clinton and other New York politicans met this week at Hunter College with 9/11 health czars Dr. John Agwunobi from the Department of Health and Human Services and Dr. John Howard of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The meeting was also attended by WTC Health Care advocates and officials who warned that at current spending rates the treatment money would run out by spring or summer, forcing the programs to suspend benefits. "This is a crisis," Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D) is quoted in Newsday coverage. "We need a commitment that the president will make 9/11 health a priority and include comprehensive funding in his next budget."

A bipartisan coalition on World Trade Center health care funding, including Clinton, Maloney, Rep. Vito Fossella (R) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D) among other New York politicians are asking for an additional $1.9 billion, which will last through 2011, according to federal figures that estimate total annual costs of $256.6 million (click the graphic above for a breakdown of the estimate courtesy of the New York Times). Since the New York Congressional Delegation is overwhelmingly Democratic, federal WTC funding is likely to be high on the agenda when the new Congress convenes in January, with possible hearings regarding the allocations thus far. "We have a lot of unanswered questions. We've been trying to get answers for the past five years, but we have not had a lot of tools with a Democratic minority to get those answers," Sen. Clinton is quoted in NY Daily News coverage. For his part, Dr. Agwunobi expressed sympathy with the plight of WTC workers but stopped well short of committing to any new funding in the President's '08 budget. "This was actually a very humbling experience,” Dr. Agwunobi is quoted in New York Times coverage. “It was an opportunity for me to put the voices with all the data that we see in Washington, to put a face to the victims."

Don't Forget: Red Cross Mental Health Program Enrollment Ends Jan. 2

All Affected by Attacks Urged to Join

Don't miss your opportunity to take advantage of the ongoing Red Cross program offering monitoring and counseling. You are eligible for the program if you:

• lost a family member
• were physically injured
• lived below Canal Street
• worked in the World Trade Center area or the Pentagon – whether or not you were at work that day
  
• were evacuated from the World Trade Center area or the Pentagon
• attended a school near the World Trade Center or are the parent of a child who attended a school nearby
• were a rescue, recovery, or reconstruction worker assigned to a “restricted site”
• were an emergency dispatcher on 9/11 or worked in the morgues serving the attack sites
• worked south of Canal Street or at Ronald Reagan Airport, and before January 11, 2002 lost your job or earned less than 70% of your pre-9/11 income, or…
  

if you are a family member or shared a home with any of the people whose situations are listed here. Visit www.9-11mentalhealth.org. For more information and online enrollment.

Don't Miss Out on the Benefits YOU Deserve, Don't Delay - Enroll Today

Friday, December 15-Saturday, December 23, 2006

Menorah Lighting with Rabbi Potasnik

Time: Sundown

Location: WTC Site

Contact: Rabbi Potasnik (212) 983-3521