April 12 , 2007

DEAR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS,

I want to thank 9/11 family members DeeDee and Alex Luckett and the staff at the Larchmont Yacht Club for hosting last nights event. The serene setting was a peaceful backdrop for the 9/11 Living Memorial workshop. It was wonderful to see so many in attendance, including some families who we had the pleasure of meeting for the first time.

Since we visited Westchester this week, we are featuring a beautiful memorial built in honor of the 9/11 victims from Westchester County, New York. "The Rising" is a very moving tribute to each of the 109 Westchester victims and is especially beautiful in the evening when it is illuminated.

In this weeks newsletter we are including many wonderful memorial foundation events scheduled in May. We are honored to distribute information about these ongoing tributes. Please contact our office if you would like to add an upcoming memorial foundation event to our calendar.

We look forward to meeting with families at Thursday’s 9/11 Living Memorial workshops scheduled in Long Island. As always, please don't hesitate to contact our office if we can be of any assistance.

Warm Regards,

Mary Fetchet

Founding Director

Join Us : 9/11 Living Memorial Workshop in Long Island:

In Long Island

9/11 Living Memorial Workshop

Thursday, April 19, 2007
Two sessions: 12:30pm to 3pm
and 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Location: WTC Family Center
2277 Grand Avenue, Baldwin, NY

Call or email Michelle Doherty toll free (866) 505-3911 to register.

Thanks to DeeDee Luckett (right) and Alex Luckett (left) who made last night’s workshop in Larchmont, NY such a success, and to all the families who attended. Also, our heartfelt thanks to John Wall (center) and the entire Larchmont Yacht Club staff for their overwhelming generosity in hosting the event. We look forward to meeting with family members at the 9/11 Living Memorial workshops scheduled this Thursday in Long Island. We look forward to helping you begin the process of creating a Family Tribute for your loved one. The programs will include a brief presentation on the 9/11 Living Memorial and opportunities to begin creating a web page with Debbie Westfal, Family Liaison for the 9/11 Living Memorial (see picture above from the Larchmont program). Refreshments will be served.

"The Rising" Westchester County 9/11 Memorial

In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, Westchester County leaders embarked on a project to develop a memorial to honor the 109 Westchester residents who perished in the tragedies. A selection committee comprised of several Westchester 9/11 family members, county staff and professionals in the field of public art selected "The Rising," an 80-foot sculpture of 109 intertwining stainless steel strands rising together and reaching skyward. The committee selected Kensico Dam Plaza as the site because of its central location. They wanted the memorial to be a welcoming destination for individual remembrance and reflection that would leave the visitor with a feeling of hope for the future. Click here to visit the 9/11 Living Memorial Page for "The Rising" Westchester County 9/11 Memorial.

"The Rising" was designed by Frederic Schwartz, an internationally renowned Manhattan architect who designed the new Staten Island Ferry Terminal and who was also selected to create the September 11th Memorial for the State of New Jersey. Mr. Schwartz, who worked near the Twin Towers and who is donating his time to the project, said that he wanted to design a memorial that expressed the immensity of such a loss while still conveying a sense of hope. His intention was to honor each person individually and unite them together as a community.

A wonderful video about the process of building "The Rising" has been posted on Westchester County TV online. Click the picture of the Memorial under construction (second from top) to view the video.

The memorial includes the names of all the Westchester residents who died, the communities in which they lived and a quote about them from their loved ones. The words are engraved along the outside of the memorial's circular base. The rods extend from the base like the spokes of a wheel before reaching up and intertwining. Landscaping, including perennial plantings and benches, surround the base, with the Kensico Dam as a backdrop.

Click to view past 9/11 Living Memorial Features. If there is a 9/11 Memorial in your area that you would like to add to the 9/11 Living Memorial website, please contact Debbie Westfal at (203) 966-3911 or toll free at (866) 505-3911. Or send her an email: 911livingmemorial@voicesofsept11.org

Tom Cruise to Raise Money for 9/11 "Detox" Program

This month, movie star and prominent Scientologist Tom Cruise will headline a fundraiser to underwrite “detox” treatments for 9/11 first responders. Tickets to the April 19 fundraiser will run as high as $100,000 for a table for eight and benefit the New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project. Tom Cruise has been a longstanding supporter of the project, lending it start-up cash and the high-wattage media coverage that follows his every move. Cruise is shown below, front-row center, surrounded by first responders who participated in the program.

The project has treated over 750 responders at their facility at 139 Fulton Street, according to their website. The project has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in city funds but hasn't been endorsed by the Fire or Police departments. Some medical experts claim it is of dubious value, and could be dangerous for some people.

However, many who have undergone the treatment swear that it works. "I'll do anything to help my members," said Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association and a co-Chair of the event. "I've got to try to do something because no one else is doing it." According to New York Post coverage, Mullins said he spoke to four or five firefighters and one cop suffering ailments that included breathing problems, sleepless nights and skin rashes. "What came out of it, they were feeling much better and not utilizing their medications as much as before."

Inspired by writings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, the “detoxification” includes high doses of niacin to release fatty acids into the bloodstream, ingesting cold-pressed oil and sweating off "toxins" in a sauna set at 140 to 180 degrees for 2- 1/2 to five hours a day, with frequent showers. The process, administered by the Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education (a Scientology research group), releases toxins trapped in the fat tissues of subjects. According to CBS news coverage. Its advocates say that detoxification has reduced PCB levels in workers exposed to chemicals at Ground Zero, and that the majority of cases have gained improvements in neurological, muscle and lung symptoms. Click here to read more...