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Local Voices

Susan Cossette Eng Named Director of Development for Voices of September 11

Susan Cossette Eng has been named Development Director for Voices of September 11th (VOICES), headquartered in New Canaan.

In her new role, Ms. Eng will be responsible for partnering with VOICES’ leadership and volunteers to develop and execute fundraising strategy to advance the organization’s well-established work in mental health, community resiliency, and long-term support services for victims’ families, responders and survivors. 

Prior to joining VOICES, Ms. Eng was Director of Development for the New Canaan YMCA.  During her tenure at the Y, she also served as Director of Marketing and Communications.   Earlier in her career, Ms. Eng spent 13 years at Greenwich Associates, a financial services consulting and research firm, where she was a Research Project Manager.

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“We’re delighted to have Susan join the VOICES team,” said Founding Director Mary Fetchet.  “We’ve known her for many years through Frank’s involvement at the Y, and thrilled that she will be bringing her years of nonprofit and corporate expertise to us.”

“The work VOICES has been doing is personally important to me,” explained Ms. Eng.  “I lost a former co-worker on 9/11, right around the time I began working at the New Canaan YMCA.”

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“In the days following 9/11, my coworkers and I organized a supply drive for the rescue workers at Ground Zero and also led a community-wide candlelight vigil,” she added.  “While our efforts couldn’t undo the terrible tragedy, coming together around this cause was especially meaningful to me, and something I will never forget.”

Ms. Eng earned her B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of Connecticut at Storrs and resides in Darien with her husband, Jeffrey, and their son John.  In her free time, she enjoys writing poetry and spoken word performance and is at work on her first book.

About Voices of September 11

Founded in 2001, Voices of September 11th (VOICES) is internationally recognized for its innovative approach to providing a wide range of support services that promote resiliency for thousands of 9/11 families, first responders and survivors.  VOICES 9/11 Living Memorial, an extensive collection of over 70,000 photographs and personal keepsakes that commemorates the loves of the nearly 3,000 lost on 9/11, is a core component of the In Memoriam exhibition at the 9/11 Museum in New York City.  A strong advocate for national preparedness, VOICES promotes reforms to make the country safer and shares best practices to heal families and communities after tragedy.

Recent acts of mass violence and natural disasters have underscored the need for communities to be better prepared.  In the fall of 2014, VOICES will launch a comprehensive Resource Kit to assist communities in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from incidents of mass violence.  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 Tucson, Arizona.

This year, VOICES Center for Excellence for Community Resilience was launched, as part of the organization’s commitment to helping families and communities heal after other tragedies.  VOICES Center acts as a clearinghouse of information, sharing over a decade of expertise and research findings that address the long-term needs of victims’ families and survivors.  The initiative will expand through partnerships with subject matter experts, government agencies, organizations, and universities.

 

For more information, visit www.voicesofseptember11.org.

 


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