|
Our Year in Review
Thanks to the generous support of our donors and partners, VOICES has been able to provide hope and healing to those impacted by traumatic events. Helping Others Heal Our staff continues to provide critical support services to over 5,100 9/11 families, responders and survivors. We offered a wide range of programs, including distributing information, referrals, assessments, teleconference groups and conferences. Our dedication to the 9/11 community remains steadfast, and we are equally committed to using our expertise to help families and communities impacted by other tragedies.
Symposiums and Conferences This year, we held three conferences: our New Jersey Symposium, New York Symposium and 14th Annual Information Forum. More than 450 family members, responders, survivors, mental health professionals, and government agencies attended, including representatives from the Air India Flight 182 bombing, the Boston Marathon bombing and the Newtown school shootings. These events featured nationally and internationally recognized subject matter experts, researchers, clinicians, and victims' advocates from a variety of fields.
9/11 Living Memorial Project On the 14th Anniversary, VOICES launched its next-generation 9/11 Living Memorial Website. The extensive collection of over 70,000 photographs will continue to grow. In 2016, we will be working with family members to enhance and expand the Living Memorial, so that future generations will always remember the 2,977 precious lives lost in a meaningful way.
VOICES Internship Program VOICES High School and College Internship Program provides students with valuable professional experience and the opportunity to learn first-hand about the events of September 11th. As part of the program, our interns work alongside our staff and learn about 9/11 in a different way, creating the next general of leaders. They also had the opportunity to attend the Jerusalem Peacebuilders Camp in Vermont along with student leaders from Israel and Palestine. Since the Internship Program's inception, over 150 students from five high schools and more than 30 colleges have participated in the program. Many of the interns have found this to be a life-changing experience and have been inspired to pursue careers in the nonprofit sector, social work, with federal agencies and in government offices.
Thanks to our partners... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention With funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and working with our collaborative partners, VOICES has provided information, events, and direct services to over 1,400 responders and survivors, including assisting them in enrolling in the World Trade Center Health Program.
VOICES Research Project The study is evaluating the immediate and ongoing needs of family members who lost loved ones on 9/11, or in the bombing of Air India Flight 182 in June 1985. By understanding the collective experiences of victims' families, we will better serve the 9/11 community and assist families impacted by other traumatic events. The study closes on Sunday, January 17, 2016. If you are a 9/11 or Air India Family member and have not yet participated, we encourage you to do so. The anonymous questionnaire is accessible at www.voicesofsept11research.org.
Preparing for After: Curriculum and Training With the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, VOICES is creating a curriculum and training that will assist communities in preparing for and responding to acts of terrorism, mass violence and natural disasters. The training will be based on the findings detailed in VOICES Resource Kit and will be available in Summer 2016. VOICES Resource Kit has been downloaded by community stakeholders in the United States, South Africa, Belgium and China - and has been translated into Chinese.
VOICES fundraising efforts are integral to our success, and we thank all who supported our two major events this year... Inaugural Golf Outing VOICES Inaugural Golf Outing was held on Tuesday, September 9 at the Country Club of Fairfield. Notable attendees included Governor Thomas Kean, Former ESPN President George Bodenheimer and Emmy Award winning ESPN journalist Jeremy Schaap, who shared uplifting stories of resilience at the Awards Dinner. We were also honored to have a group of Wounded Warriors join us for the day.
8th Annual Always Remember Gala VOICES 8th Annual Always Remember Gala was held on Monday, October 5 at Guastavino's in New York City. We were honored to have FBI Director James Comey deliver the keynote address and to present VOICES Building Bridges Award to former FBI Director Robert Mueller. Veteran CBS 60 Minutes Correspondent Lesley Stahl served as emcee, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Dave Mason concluded the evening with a fantastic musical performance.
As the year comes to a close, we thank all those who made important contributions to our work in 2015. Our board of directors, advisors, partners, presenters, committee members, donors, volunteers, interns and our dedicated staff - all played critical roles in helping VOICES help others heal. Once again, we thank you for your important contributions and look forward to our work together in 2016. We send our best wishes to you and your family for a happy and healthy New Year! | 
