This week there has been a lot of debate regarding the fate of the WTC Memorial, "Reflecting Absence." Personally I am concerned about the continued modifications of the original design, and especially the discussion about the possibility of eliminating the memorial galleries. These galleries were designed to provide a quiet place for reflection and contemplation, as one views the waterfalls and nearly 3,000 names of those lost on September 11th.

As I reflect on the importance of the gallery, I remember my first visit to Ground Zero for the Commemorative service in October, 2001. We processed for blocks, almost like a funeral procession, I was struck by the public nature of our loss as we passed by people lining the streets standing behind barriers. As we turned the corner and for the first time viewed what was once the World Trade Center site, like you, I confronted by the reality that my son had not survived, but also stunned by the magnitude of the destruction and loss of life.

I believe the memorial gallery recreates that same pilgrimage. As we process down the ramp and enter the gallery we are confronted with the expanse of names of those lost, in a quiet place where we can reflect, away from the hustle and bustle of the New York streets. The simplicity of the original plan should not be diminished by driving up costs with additions. Modifications to the original mission and program of Reflecting Absence should cease, and we should either return to the original design which is more cost effective or begin the process anew.

We only have one chance to create a world class memorial that will stand the test of time and convey to future generations the magnitude of the event and properly memorialize those who lost their lives in a defining moment in the history of our country. I hope our leaders do not miss this opportunity.

As I celebrate Mother's Day with my family, like you I will remember my son and all those who so tragically died with him on September 11th. Our best wishes to you and your family on Mother's Day from all of us at VOICES.

Warm Regards,

Mary Fetchet

Established to assist children, spouses or domestic partners of those who died or were permanently disabled. The program also assists survivors permanently disabled as a direct result of the September 11th attacks. Scholarships are offered for full or part-time in finance, economics, accounting or business ethics majors at an accredited institution.

The World Trade Center Permanency Project has put together a directory of services available in NYC by agencies working with the 9/11 impacted population. The guide includes complete information (names, contact info and services rendered) about organizations providing social services, education, recreation, public benefits, legal resources, mental health and health care clinics in all 5 boroughs.

For a copy, contact: Joann Buttaro, NY Council on Adoptable Children
212.475.0222 x212 or jbuttaro@coac.org

When: Saturday, June 17, 2006, Noon – 3 pm, registration begins at 11:30 pm,
Where: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY, Rain or Shine!
Contact: email mybuddytodd@yahoo.com and download a registration form (.pdf)

Please join us in celebrating Todd’s life and helping other children in his name. The Yankees are away, and in addition to our usual family fun and fundraising, this special day will include a barbeque in Monument Park, exciting activities for children—including guests from Kidville, NY and Pro Swing—plus stadium tours for everyone. Special Raffle: Todd’s very own New York Yankees Saturday subscription for two for the 2007 season.

FINAL NOTICE: THE MICHAEL C. ROTHBERG SEPTEMBER 11th MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
2006 MEMORIAL DINNER AND AUCTION

When: Thursday, May 18th
Where: Saphire Manor, Decatur Ave. in Sharon, Massachusetts
Contact: email or visit the website

Join the Friends of Michael C. Rothberg at a memorial dinner and auction to benefit the Michael C. Rothberg Memorial Scholarship. Events include a silent auction and keynote speech from Norfolk County, MA District Attorney William R. Keating.

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 long-simmering controversy at the WTC site bubbled over this week, as the Foundation charged with building the Memorial suspended fundraising because of cost and design concerns with "Reflecting Absence," the Memorial plan by Michael Arad and Peter Walker. And the discord is taking its toll: on Thursday LMDC and WTC Memorial Foundation Chairman John Whitehead resigned, calling his 4-year tenure at the helm of the City/State agency supervising the Memorial and Ground Zero redevelopment ''the toughest leadership job I've ever had,'' as quoted by the New York Times. Whitehead added: ''We've accomplished a lot. Lower Manhattan is a very different animal today than even before 9/11. I wish there weren't as many problems right now. But I'm 84, and I need to be relieved.'' Whitehead will remain a member of the WTC Memorial Foundation Board, but NY Daily News reports have speculated that the head of the Board's Executive Committee, Thomas S. Johnson, will succeed him as chairman.

Uncertain Future for "Reflecting Absence"

At the literal center of the WTC site and the figurative center of the debate over its future is "Reflecting Absence." Selected by a jury three years ago out of over 5,201 Memorial submissions from 63 nations (learn more about "Reflecting Absence" on the WTC Memorial Foundation website), the design by Michael Arad with landscaping by Peter Walker has been subjected to numerous changes from safety experts, 9/11 Family Members, cost-cutters, and other stakeholders at the site. Its future became more complicated last week with Pataki, Bloomberg, and NJ Governor Jon Corzine presenting a consensus that the Memorial's cost be capped at $500 million. Recent cost estimates from the contractors at the site put the pricetag close to $1 billion, forcing the issue into the spotlight. For more information, read VOICES
e-Newsletter from last week. It seems clear that "Reflecting Absence" will continue as the official design for the WTC Memorial, but significant alterations may be made from the original plan. According to analysis by David W. Dunlap in Thursday's New York Times, officials have stated that the Memorial will remain true to the "Arad-Walker vision," a position that allows free reign for changes, including the radical proposition of moving the victim's names from underground galleries (as seen in the photo at left) to street level. Pataki added to the uncertainty Thursday with his comment that he'd like "like to retain as many, if not all, of the elements" of Michael Arad and Peter Walker's memorial design - but "there may be the need for some design changes to lower the cost," according to a NY Daily News article.

Some 9/11 Family Members have pushed hard for the Memorial to be raised above ground, forming an advocacy website "Put It Above Ground," and collecting signatures at Ground Zero. Other groups, including VOICES, support "Reflecting Absence" and believe it should be built as originally designed, and can come in under the $500 million cap. VOICES Founding Director Mary Fetchet said "Reflecting Absence," recreated the pilgrimage Family Members took to ground zero after the attacks and that experience "can't be done at street level, where you have the hustle and bustle of the city," as quoted in Dunlap's "Blocks" Column. But there is widespread agreement that the site needs a new injection of leadership and focus, regardless of the ultimate design of the memorial. According to an Op-Ed by 9/11 Family Member Monica Iken in the NY Daily News, "Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Pataki must recommit to their promise to deliver a world class memorial to America. Either respect the jury’s decision, go back to the fundamental features of the original design and reengage the families, or throw it out and start from scratch with a new design competition. Either way, the memorial must come first."

We need your feedback on the WTC Memorial controversy! Email us to let your voice be heard on this vital issue. If you would like us to consider your comment for publication in the e-Newsletter, please indicate it in your email.

New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat whose district includes lower Manhattan has scheduled a May 18 Assembly hearing opposite Ground Zero at which he'll grill officials from the city, state, Port Authority, Lower Manhattan Development Corp. and World Trade Center Memorial Foundation. Silver said the hearing is appropriate given the Legislature's responsibility for oversight of government affairs. He added that citizens are "tired of blame and tired of scapegoats" at Ground Zero, "first, Larry Silverstein was the problem. Now, suddenly, it's the memorial committee," he's quoted in the NY Daily News. The hearing will also address recovery of remains at the Deutsche Bank building and strategies to fight the burgeoning crisis of "WTC Illness," cardiovascular and other ailments caused by exposure to toxic materials in the aftermath of 9/11.

"A Nation Still Unprepared," the title of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee's long-awaited report on the response to Hurricane Katrina, encapsulates their take on the state of America's readiness for disasters--man-made or natural. The introduction to the Report asks rhetorically: "We knew Katrina was coming. How much worse would the nightmare have been if the disaster had been unannounced – an earthquake in San Francisco, a burst levee near St. Louis or Sacramento, a biological weapon smuggled into Boston Harbor, or a chemical weapon terror attack in Chicago?" Their 742-page answer (click to visit full report, including executive summary) pulls no punches, citing organizational problems, turf battles, and a confused chain of command among local, state and federal authorities that all lead to a chilling conclusion: five years after 9/11 America is still not prepared for the dangers of today's world.

How can America do better? The Senate Committee advocates a radical approach for the beleaguered
Federal Emergency Management Agency: Abolish It. According to their recommendations for reform: "Hurricane Katrina exposed flaws in the structure of FEMA and DHS that are too substantial to mend. We propose to abolish FEMA and build a stronger, more capable structure within DHS." The replacement entity they recommended, the National Preparedness and Response Authority, should strengthen ties to state and local officials to better prepare for the next natural disaster and coordinate efforts with the Health and Human Services, Justice and Defense departments, according to coverage on GovExec.com. Some employees of FEMA floated the idea that the agency be removed from DHS and its Director restored to Cabinet-level status, according to a United Press International Report.

The Senate plan got a largely cool reception from the Executive branch, especially a provision that would give the FEMA director a direct line to the President in emergencies. Critics said this could cause confusion over the chain of command. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff opposes making FEMA an independent agency and said renaming it within DHS would be like "slapping a fresh coat of paint on... I'm held accountable. I want to make sure as a consequence that I have full command and control over my department," quoted in the Washington Post.

Please read the following important information regarding “World Trade Center”, the Oliver Stone-directed movie about Port Authority Police Officers John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno, two survivors of the September 11th attacks.

Movie Trailer – the trailer for “World Trade Center" will be in theaters on May 19th. Paramount is hoping to place it with “The Da Vinci code” because of the adult audience it will attract, but it is at the discretion of theater operators to place it with other films as they see fit. It will continue to be placed with films throughout the summer. The trailer will premier on the website on May 17th. Additionally, you might see previews of the trailer footage on entertainment and news programming as early as May 16th.

Website – the official website, www.wtcmovie.com, was launched on May 1st, and the full site will be up in June. Initially it will just provide a brief description of the film. Later on, the trailer will be available along with an initial list of movies that it will be playing with.

Cannes Film Festival – Director Oliver Stone is being honored at the Cannes Film Festival this year, as it is the 25th anniversary of his Oscar-winning movie “Platoon.” As part of the Festival, Oliver will be previewing some footage of “World Trade Center” to international and domestic media. This Festival event will be on May 21.

Television Advertising – Television advertising will begin in June. We will provide additional information on this type of advertising either on the website or via email in the near future.

Outdoor Advertising – Outdoor advertising for the film, which will appear in the form of the image of the poster that we sent to you in February, will begin in June as well. Additional information on outdoor advertising is also forthcoming. Outdoor adverting in the New York City area will be dramatically scaled back in order to be sensitive to those impacted by the attacks in our area.

Screenings – Screenings of the film will not begin until the mid-summer. Additional information on screenings will be provided via the major 9/11 family and survivor groups at a later date.

Donation - Paramount Pictures is planning to make a charitable donation(s) in conjunction with the film to a number of select 9/11 charities. As there are a number of worthy organizations, the selections are being made with the utmost care and sensitivity. An announcement will be made prior to the release of the film.

As always, if you have questions or comments about “World Trade Center”, please contact Jennifer Brown at jbrown@a2bllc.com or (917) 885-3672.

A StoryCorps MobileBooth will visit Washington, D.C. from May 18 to May 28, 2006, and will be parked in front of the Library of Congress' Madison Building.

Special access to reservations will be provided to those affiliated with Voices of September 11th.

StoryCorps is a national project created to inspire and enable people to record each other’s stories in sound. In 2005, StoryCorps began a special initiative to record the stories of those closely impacted by September 11th. This initiative has two components:

• StoryCorps provides families, friends, and co-workers with a way to celebrate and commemorate the lives of loved ones lost on September 11th by creating audio portraits of their lives. By telling stories and sharing memories of your loved one, you preserve their legacy for future generations.
• StoryCorps records the stories of survivors, rescue workers, police officers, volunteers, witnesses, or anyone closely impacted by September 11th in order to preserve their personal experiences for history. Click here to read more about the recording process

To make a reservation, please contact Tracy Serdjenian at 646.723.7025 x32 or by e-mail at tracy@storycorps.net. For more information about StoryCorps, including the New York City StoryBooths and the national MobileBooth Tour, visit www.storycorps.net. For more information about StoryCorps’ efforts related to September 11th, visit www.storycorps.net/wtc.

Next Friday, May 19, at 8 pm A VOICES staff member is singing with the Riverside Choral Society in their performance of Brahms' "A German Requiem" accompanied by the Orchestra of St. Luke's. Brahms composed the piece during a period in which he suffered the deaths of both his mother and his friend Robert Schumann, and from these emotions produced a magnificent nondenominational Requiem emphasizing an unwavering faith in resurrection. With a text of Biblical verses selected to give comfort to the living, "A German Requiem," is a comforting and inspirational work for all people, but especially those coping with the loss of a loved one. The performance will be held at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, NYC, and we encourage all to attend. Click for Tickets and Information.