October 3, 2008

Dear Families and Friends,

It was wonderful to see so many of you at our September 10th Information Forum and September 11th Commemorative Luncheon. This year’s events continued our annual tradition of providing an opportunity for 9/11 family members, rescue workers and those impacted by 9/11 to gather and receive pertinent information.  I want to take this opportunity to thank those who participated in making this a memorable event - the panelists, special guests and our dedicated staff and volunteers who planned the event in just four weeks.  A special thanks to all those who created a wonderful atmosphere with their musical selections – Soloists Daniel Rodriguez, Joan Carlo and Matthew Thomas; the 4-Heart Harmony Choir of Sacred Heart University and musical directors Galen Tate and John Michniewicz.  
 
President Clinton, Governor Paterson and Governor Pataki were among our special guests, each sending a message of support and hope to those attending. In his remarks, President Clinton discussed his concerns about the challenges families were facing accessing the $110 million he and Senator Dole raised to provide scholarships for the 9/11 children. He also took time to recognize our efforts to create the 9/11 Living Memorial digital archive and encouraged families to participate in the project.  
 
Building Bridges awards were presented to two individuals who have made significant contributions to the 9/11 community. Former NY Giants co-captain George Martin was recognized for his efforts to raise money for the rescue workers in his recent Journey for 9/11.  Karen Canzoneri was presented an award in memory of her dear husband Mario Canzoneri, who brought comfort to us all through his Smile Retrievers therapy dogs.  What an honor it was to acknowledge these exceptional individuals who made a real difference in the lives of so many!  

Over the past several weeks many of you have expressed your gratitude for VOICES efforts to host this year’s event.  My special thanks to our partners the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and our sponsors, Governor George Pataki and  John Cahill with Chadbourne & Parke LLP and Margo and John Catsimatidis whose generosity made the event possible. 

In closing, this week we mailed our annual appeal solicitation.  We recognize this is a difficult economic time but hope you will consider making a donation.  Through our work on the 9/11 Living Memorial we will ensure that the lives of those who perished and the stories of September 11, 2001 will always be remembered.  Your donation is crucial to our continued efforts to provide support and programs for those impacted.  If you would prefer to make a donation on line you can visit our website. 
 
Our best wishes to you and your family,   
   

Warm Regards,

Mary and the Voices Staff

VOICES Day of Remembrance and Commemorative luncheon

VOICES had a number of photographers at the events on September 10 and 11. We are sorting through the photos, and next week we will provide links to slideshows of the event on our website. In the meantime, here are some of the highlights:

Karen Canzoneri accepts the VOICES Building Bridges
award in memory of her husband Mario.

An update on the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

President Clinton speaks to attendees after addressing the Forum on September 10.

New York's Governor, the Hon. David A. Paterson speaks at the Commemorative Luncheon.

New York Giants retired co-captain George Martin accepts the Building Bridges Award
at the Commemorative Luncheon, in recognition of his "Journey for 9/11".

VOICES Programs and events

9/11 Living Memorial Workshop Schedule

VOICES is putting together our 9/11 Living Memorial schedule for the remainder of the year. If you are a family member, rescue worker, or survivor, VOICES would like to help you to document your story for the 9/11 Living Memorial digital archive. The workshops provide an opportunity to learn more about the 9/11 Living Memorial digital archive and how to create tribute pages in memory of your loved ones or to document your first-hand personal accounts. Please bring items for our staff to digitize such as photographs, memorial programs, written tributes and other information. We encourage you to bring quilts, artwork and tangible items that you would like us to photograph for the digital archive. For a list of items we're collecting for the archive, visit VOICES' website.

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 by e-mail to mdoherty@voicesofsept11.org. We are organizing workshops around the country. Please contact us if you would like us to host a workshop in your community. Here is the upcoming schedule of workshops:

KBW, New York
Date: Tuesday, October 7th for KBW families  
Time: 10am to 5pm by Appointment
Location: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, 787 7th Avenue, Fourth Floor, New York, NY

New Brunswick, NJ
Date: Wednesday, October 22nd
Time: 12pm to  5pm by Appointment
Location: New Brunswick Development Corporation, 120 Albany Street, Tower 1, Seventh Floor
New Brunswick, NJ 08901

KBW, New York
Date: Wednesday, November 5th for KBW families
Time: 10am to 5pm by Appointment
Location: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, 787 7th Avenue, Fourth Floor, New York, NY

Manhasset, NY
Date: Thursday, November 20th
Time: TBD
Location: Manhasset Public Library, 30 Onderdonk Avenue, Manhasset, NY 11030

Teleconference Schedule:

Tuesday, October 7th: Parents Group 3:45PM to 5:00PM
Tuesday, October 7th: Parenting Group 9:00PM to 10:00PM

VOICES Board Member Seeks Stories for Book Project

Below is a letter from VOICES Board member, Bonnie McEneaney, about her new book project. Please contact Bonnie if you have stories to share with her.

I have been working on a book project, Messages, for the past 18 months, focused on people’s premonitions and positive spiritual experiences surrounding and after 9/11. These include signs, dreams, premonitions, and different kinds of possible spiritual communication. To demonstrate the widespread nature of this phenomenon, I am also including some non-9/11 stories.

I began this project because my late husband, Eamon, who worked on the 105th floor-North Tower, had a series of premonitions of his own. I also observed some compelling signs after 9/11 that I began to record in a journal. In the process of talking to others, I discovered that many people have had similar experiences that they are willing to share—representing to them a form of spiritual connection. Now, after completing dozens of interviews, Messages has evolved into a book of very special stories.

If any of you have had experiences of this nature that can not be readily explained and would be interested in being included in what I'm writing, I would like to hear from you. You can e-mail me at: MessagesBookProject@gmail.com. In lieu of e-mail, I can also be reached @ 203-912-1891.Due to the personal nature of the material, if your experience(s) is to be included in the book, you may advise whether or not you want to disclose your name or other identifying information.  

Messages is my second book project. The first, A Bend in the Road, a collection of my husband’s poetry, was published by Cornell University Library in 2004. Please note that I will be contributing to the Voices of September 11 Living Memorial project from Messages’ book proceeds.

Thank you.

Bonnie McEneaney

events and INFORMATION FOR THE 9/11 COMMUNITY

If you would like to include your upcoming event in our calendar, please forward the information to events@voicesofsept11.org

In the News

Port Authority Announces 9/11 Memorial on Track for 2011
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced that key elements of the World Trade Center Memorial plaza can be opened for the tenth anniversary of the attacks. Port Authority Executive Director Christopher O. Ward said that the solution will allow the delivery of the Memorial Plaza, with the names of the victims inscribed by September 11, 2011. “The new reported timeline and budgets are the result of extensive, intense efforts during the past three months to look at every element of every project with the goal of providing aggressive yet realistic schedules and budgets.  It provides resolutions to 15 key issues that have hindered rebuilding progress in the past, and for the first time provides intermediate milestones that will allow the public to track progress on the site, ” he said.  Read the full document, entitled “World Trade Center Report: A Roadmap Forward” here.

CDC Awards $30 Million to Treat Lower Manhattan Residents, Students and Office Workers
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have awarded $30 million over three years to New York’s WTC Environmental Health Center.  Chairperson of Community Board 1’s Redevelopment Committee said the funding is particularly significant in light of the failure by Congress to pass the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. 
Read the full story here.

9/11 Health Bill Fails in House
New York Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Vito Fossella (R-NY), and Peter King (R-NY) announced their regret that H.R. 7174, the revised bipartisan 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, would not move to passage during the last days of the current House session.

“We thank Speaker Pelosi and her staff as well as the House Energy and Commerce and House Judiciary Committees and their staffs for their tremendous effort to try to move this legislation through this session which would help those who, fully seven years after the 9/11 attacks, still don’t have the health care and support they need,” they said. “We will work together in the future to try to address this failure and meet the sizable need to care for those who lived and worked in the immediate area around ground zero—not to mention those who helped in the immediate aftermath,” the Members concluded. Read the full press release here.