Announcing VOICES New Research Project

Investigating the Long-Term Impact of Bereavement Due to Terrorism:

Factors that Contribute to Trauma, Grief, Growth and Resilience

Empty Sky Memorial

Air India Flight 182 Memorial

On June 1, 2015, VOICES launched a new research project in partnership with the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) at the Unformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland and the Canadian Resource Center for Victims of Crime (CRCVC) in Ottawa, Ontario.  The study, entitled "Investigating the Long-Term Impact of Bereavement Due to Terrorism:  Factors That Contribute to Trauma, Grief, Growth and Resilience," has been funded in part by Public Safety Canada's Kanishka Project Contribution Program. Stephen J. Cozza, M.D., Associate Director of the CSTS, will serve as the Principal Investigator.  Dr. Cozza has conducted extensive research and published in the area of bereavement.

The study will identify the long-term needs of individuals impacted by terrorism.  The research project involves family members of the 2,977 individuals lost at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Shanksville, PA on September 11, 2001, as well as the family members of the 320 individuals lost in the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 off the West Coast of Ireland, the majority of whom were Canadian.  Both attacks remain the worst acts of terrorism in the history of their respective countries, the United States and Canada.

To date, there is limited research that has examined or identified the long-term needs of victims' families.  The knowledge gained from the study will advance scientific research in the field, and the findings will guide communities in providing services to victims' families and helping individuals heal after traumatic events.

For information about the research project and how to participate,visit VOICES website.  

If you are an immediate or extended family member and would like to participate, contact Mary Fetchet at (203) 966-3911, or by email at mafetchet@voicesofsept11.org. 

VOICES was recently awarded a 14-month grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).   Funding is supporting VOICES initiative to create a training program that will assist communities in preparing for and responding to acts of terrorism, mass violence, and natural disasters. The project is an initiative of VOICES Resilience Center. This is the third grant VOICES has received from the prestigious foundation.

Not a week goes by without a report of another tragedy occurring in our country, both natural and man-made disasters, so the notion of "it can't happen here" is fading.  It is critical that communities are better prepared to respond to the immediate and long-term needs of victims' families, survivors and the community at large.

Recent acts of mass violence and natural disasters underscore the need for communities to be better prepared.  VOICES Resilience Center Initiative will incorporate the organization's lessons learned from 13 years of experience in providing support services to victims' families, responders and survivors as well as other research projects VOICES has conducted.

In the fall of 2014, VOICES released Preparing for After, a comprehensive Resource Kit to assist communities in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from incidents of mass violence. The Resource Kit recommendations are based on extensive research and interviews conducted with hundreds of service providers who responded to the September 11th attacks, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the shootings at Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University and in Tucson, Arizona. The Resource Kit outlines best practices in areas such as organizational setup, family assistance centers, communications, volunteer management, funding, partnerships, support services, advocacy, and commemoration.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant will help develop the Resource Kit curriculum and training and expand upon the lessons learned to include natural disasters.

There are more similarities than differences when individuals suffer a loss in a terrorist attack, an act of mass violence or a natural disaster. Community stakeholders need training to be better equipped to effectively take action in the short-term to facilitate a long-term model that promotes resiliency in their communities.  The curriculum and training will be geared toward local leaders, emergency managers, social work professionals and other key community stakeholders.

VOICES Resilience Center Initiative will validate the Resource Kit findings and incorporate lessons learned from two New Jersey communities - Brigantine, which was devastated by Super Storm Sandy, and New Brunswick, which was impacted by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

As part of the project, VOICES is leveraging the past investments by RWJF in the Mental Health Association of New Jersey's (MHANJ) work in response to Super Storm Sandy. VOICES has partnered with the MHANJ and other public and private sector stakeholders in Brigantine as well as in New Brunswick and Middlesex County to document their first-hand experience in supporting their communities.

Our ultimate goal is to make the VOICES Resilience Center Initiative a national curriculum and training program that helps improve the existing support models available for victims' families, responders and survivors and promotes healing and resiliency in communities following major traumatic events.  We are delighted to be partnering with the Mental Health Association of New Jersey on this initiative.

For more information or to download a copy of the Preparing for After Resource Kit, visit