March 14, 2008

Dear Family and Friends,

We are very excited to announce the Voices of September 11th first fundraising gala to benefit the 9/11 Living Memorial digital archive project. The event is scheduled for Thursday evening, May 29th at the Greenwich Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut.

The gala will begin with a reception, followed by dinner, an auction and entertainment. NBC News Anchor Brian Williams will be the Master of Ceremonies and we anticipate an exciting list of celebrities. This event is critical to raising necessary funds for our staff to continue their outreach and facilitate 9/11 Living Memorial workshops around the country. The theme of the event will be to “Always Remember”, those who lost their lives and the inspirational stories of how our country came together. We hope the event will be memorable and uplifting. Contact our office at the number below if you would like to donate an auction item.

Monday is St. Patrick’s Day and knowing that everyone is Irish on this day of celebration, we send our best wishes and an Irish Prayer.

An Irish Prayer

May God give you…
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

Warm regards,

Mary and the VOICES staff

VOICES Programs and events

VOICES is hosting two upcoming Living Memorial Workshops.  9/11 family members, rescue workers and survivors are invited to participate. The workshops provide information about the 9/11 Living Memorial digital archive and help you learn how to create tribute pages in memory of your loved ones or to document your first-hand personal accounts. Bring photographs, memorial programs, written tributes and other information for us to digitize, as well as quilts, artwork and tangible items that you would like us to photograph for the digital archive. Visit the VOICES website for a full list of items we are digitizing.

Registration in advance is required. For more information or to register for one of the workshops below, contact Michelle Doherty at VOICES of September 11th, (203) 966-3911 or toll free (866) 505-3911, or by e-mail to mdoherty@voicesofsept11.org. We are organizing workshops around the country over the coming year. Please contact us if you would like us to host a workshop in your area.

Pomona, NY
Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Time:10am to 1pm and 3pm to 6pm by appointment.
Location: Rockland County Fire Training Center, 35 Firemen's Memorial Drive, Pomona, NY 10970

DeWitt, NY

Date: Wednesday March 26

Time: 1pm to 4pm by appointment

Location: Town of DeWitt Hall, 5400 Butternut Drive, DeWitt, NY 13057

The 9/11 Living Memorial is dedicated to commemorating the lives and stories of September 11, 2001 and the February 26, 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Voices 9/11 Living Memorial Fundraising Gala

Save the Date!

We invite you to attend the first Voices of September 11th Living Memorial fundraising gala to support the creation of the 9/11 Living Memorial digital archive. The gala will commemorate those who lost their lives but also celebrate the inspirational stories of how our nation came together. Space is limited so contact us soon to reserve your seat or table.

Thursday May 29, 2008

Voices of September 11th Living Memorial Fundraising Gala

Master of Ceremonies

Brian Williams

Anchor and Managing Editor, NBC Nightly News

at the

Greenwich Country Club

Greenwich, CT

7pm Cocktails and Silent Auction

followed by

Dinner, Live Auction and Entertainment

For reservations, information about sponsorship opportunities, or to donate live or silent auction items, please contact Joyce Greene or Stephanie Cowin at (203) 966-3911, jgreene@voicesofsept11.org, scowin@voicesofsept11.org.

EVENTS AND INFORMATION FOR THE 9/11 COMMUNITY

Information on Pope Benedict's Visit to Ground Zero

We have received numerous calls from family members regarding the Pope Benedict’s visit to Ground Zero. Yesterday Mayor Bloomberg’s office informed us that the Archdiocese of New York was creating a web-based lottery for 9/11 families to join Pope Benedict during his visit to the World Trade Center site.  We have included information about both the lottery established and the Papal mass at Yankee Stadium.   
 
The Papal visit to the World Trade Center site, Sunday morning, April 20th, time to be determined
The Pope will be visiting Ground Zero on Sunday morning, April 20th, the time is yet to be determined. The Archdiocese of New York has created a web-based lottery system.  If you would like to make a recommendation for a family member to accompany the Pope, visit the Archdiocese web page at Pope's Visit - Recommend a Family. The deadline for registration is March 24, 2008 and families that are selected will be notified in April.  The Archdiocese stressed that for security reasons only a small number of family members will be chosen to accompany the Pope to the World Trade Center site, however the visit will be televised.     
 
The Papal liturgy at Yankee Stadium, Sunday afternoon, April 20th
When we spoke with the Archdiocese yesterday, they informed us that all tickets to attend the Papal liturgy at Yankee stadium have been distributed to local parishes. Each parish received a limited number of tickets which they distributed to their parishioners.
 
If you are interested in learning more about the Papal visit to Washington DC and New York City visit the Archdiocese of New York’s website www.archny.org.

Feel free to contact our office at 203-966-3911 with any questions.    

Fiterman Hall to be Demolished within a Year

Decontamination workers are already in the building, which was part of the Borough of Manhattan Community College and was damaged on 9/11, exposing asbestos-containing building materials. The New York Fire Department is satisfied with the plans that are in place to remove debris from the building and to ensure its safety in case of a fire. This follows the death of two firefighters at the former Deutsche Bank building in August of last year.

Survivors' Staircase Moved