This week, the screening of Flight 93 at the Tribeca Film Festival was the topic of much conversation in the phone calls and emails we received. You may have seen photographs in the newspaper of the families of the victims of Flight 93. It's apparent that they are a source of strength and inspiration for each other...and for us. Overall we have received positive comments about the movie. Many commented that the film was difficult to sit through, but is a respectful documentation of the events and the heroism of those on board.

Yesterday, representatives from StoryCorps visited our office to record oral histories of 9/11 family members. The families who participated were pleased to have an opportunity to share their personal stories about their loved ones. StoryCorps will be at the office again this Saturday and we will keep you informed of other upcoming opportunities to participate in this important project. With permission, these oral histories are permanently stored in the Library of Congress for future generations.

VOICES is continuing to collect photos and other information that will be posted on the Memorial section of our website. Our goal is to involve the families in creating a web page in memory of each individual who died on September 11th. For more details on this project and of list of suggested items, download the submission form here.

VOICES sent a quarterly newsletter in the mail last week. If you haven't received a copy please contact our office at email@voicesofsept11.org or contact our Family Liaison, Debbie Westfal at (866) 505-3911 to update your mailing information. All of us at VOICES hope you have a wonderful week and enjoy the spring weather.

Warm Regards,

Mary Fetchet

The first teleconference meeting of the significant others got off to a good start with all of those registered attending, and VOICES of September 11th continues to invite unmarried “significant others” of 9/11 victims such as those who were living together, domestic partners, or engaged to participate in a weekly teleconference support group which will meet on Mondays from 11:00am - 12:00 pm EST. The group is open to males and females and is facilitated by Judy Stotz, LPC. VOICES teleconference support groups are offered free of charge, but advance registration is required. Interested individuals should call VOICES at (866) 505-3911 or (203) 966-3911 for more information.

We want to let you know about some wonderful upcoming opportunities for children. A variety of free music workshops are being offered by the World Foundation for Music and Healing. This program is called "Feel the Music!" and offers music workshops run by professional musicians. Workshops currently include: percussion, songwriting, singing, piano, guitar, drums and art. Locations include New York City; Manhasset, NY; and Rockville Centre, NY. A teen group in New Jersey has also just begun.

- Spring music workshops from April to June for children ages 4-18 in 3 locations in the New York metropolitan area. Workshops are held after school and Saturday with music groups, lessons and art activities

- Two free summer programs for teens age 13-19: audio and video production workshop and songwriting workshop

- Special concert on Friday, June 9th: Arturo O'Farrill and the Lincoln Center Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra - with special guests - at Saint Peter's Church (54th Street & Lexington Ave). Free admission for all family members. RSVP by June 6th to (212) 669-6126

When: Thursday, May 22nd, registration begins at 10:00 am
Where: North Shore Country Club, Glenn Head, NY
Contact: Bob Zuckerman 917-770-9428 or bobz@marvinandsons.com

Join the family and friends of Glenn D. Kirwin at a memorial golf tournament to benefit the Glenn D. Kerwin Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University of Virginia. The fund provides an annual scholarship to continue Glenn’s support of his alma mater and future generations of students in a way that represents his openness, generosity and persistence.

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.

The Austintown (Ohio) Beautification Committee is in the beginning phases of creating a 9-11 Memorial. It will be located in Mahoning Valley in Eastern Ohio, near the Pennsylvania border.

The Memorial project will consist of a gazebo approximately 24 feet in diameter, park benches, lamp post, flag poles, paved brick walkway, four 7-foot granite stones with the names of all victims including their home towns etched in the granite, a 7-foot black granite memorial stone of the twin towers, and an artifact from the World Trade Center. There will also be replicas of the Pentagon and soil from the Shanksville, PA crash site of Flight 93. The Austintown Beautification Committee has acquired a 7” x 7” piece of The World Trade Center that will be encased in a 7 foot high granite stone in the shape of the Twin Towers.

An eternal flame, state of the art lighting, and beautiful landscaping will be added to complete the memorial. The Austintown Committee is currently raising funds for this wonderful project. Visit the Mahoning Valley 9/11 Memorial Homepage for more information and to learn how you can contribute to make this memorial a reality.

The "Connecting Survivors" section of VOICES e-Newsletter aims to help reunite survivors with those who gave them assistance and comfort during the attacks, or to help family members who wish to know more about their loved one's experience on 9/11.

Please contact us by email if you have any information regarding the person described in this week’s submission from Talat Hamdani:

I am looking for 9/11 WTC Survivors who may have seen my son, Mohammad Salman Hamdani. He went down to Ground Zero that fateful day to rescue his fellow Americans. His death was confirmed through DNA on 3/21/02.

He was 5'11", weighed 210 pounds, fair complexion, dark brown eyes, Middle-Eastern look--looked Egyptian. He had dark brown, wavy hair. He wore glasses. He was wearing blue jeans. His picture can be seen at left.

The Center for the Study of Trauma and Resilience at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University is conducting Phase II of the 9/11 Grief Survey among people who participated in Phase I. The survey is aimed at understanding all possible psychological responses to traumatic loss. In order to understand the full scope of the responses to 9/11 experience and to develop treatments to help individuals who suffer from traumatic grief, it is helpful to have as many individuals participate as possible.

Those who have received an invitation to participate and have not done so already are requested to log onto the study website in order to complete Phase II of the study. If you have questions regarding the study please address them to the Principal Investigator Dr. Yuval Neria from Columbia University at ny126@columbia.edu. For help with your password or PIN code you may contact Scott Noonan at scott@smartwebs.com.

We had been scheduled for a court session on Tuesday, May 2, 2006. This court settlement conference was an attempt to foster discussion and negotiation between the two parties: WTC Families for Proper Burial, Inc., and the City of New York. However, we have now been informed that the City will not be addressing the proposals we have put forth, nor will they be submitting any proposal of their own. Any hopes for a settlement seem to be evaporating. Therefore, there is no reason to be in court. We are sure that scheduling conferences including the attorneys and the court will take place in the near future.

We are consulting with our attorneys about our future plans, and we are leaning toward going ahead with litigation.

I am sorry for this inconvenience to all of you who were so committed to working on this cause. As soon as we can formulate our next strategies, I will be in touch with you all.

The good news is that Kurt and I attended a meeting of Community Board 1 tonight. They had passed a resolution asking the Assembly in Albany to vote "no" on the pending legislation (A09304). They stated they did not want the remains taken out of Fresh Kills to be moved to the WTC site nor to be moved to any other location.

I have been in touch with Sheldon Silver's office (since this is part of his district) and with the Community Board itself. It seemed to us that they had a right to dictate what would occur in their own neighborhood, but that asking Mr. Silver and the rest of the Assembly to refuse movement to another location was unreasonable. At tonight's meeting, at the request of Sheldon Silver's office, the Board voted to amend their resolution, removing the clause underlined above. There are still more steps for ultimate approval, but those should be completed sometime in May, and we are hopeful that there will be no problem in passing this amended resolution. We are grateful to Mr. Silver and the Board for listening to us and for agreeing to put this issue on their agenda and for their thoughtful reconsideration.

When Hollywood Makes History - "United 93," Hollywood's first big-budget film about the events of Sept. 11, 2001, is faithful to the major aspects of the tragic morning it depicts (Washington Post).

The Pit finally rumbles to life - Two big excavators slowly rolled down the ramp into the pit of Ground Zero yesterday morning, ready to start work on the Freedom Tower more than 4-1/2 years after 9/11 (NY Daily News).

Freedom Tower construction begins - After spending months wrangling for control of buildings and money at ground zero, politicians and a private developer gathered Thursday as excavation trucks rolled out to mark the beginning of construction of the Freedom Tower (Associated Press).