About Mary Fetchet
Mary Fetchet, LCSW
Founding Director
Voices of September 11th
Mary Fetchet is the Founding Director and driving force behind VOICES of September 11th. A professional social worker and former educator, Ms. Fetchet co-founded the 9/11 advocacy organization following the death of her 24-year-old son, Brad, in the attacks on the World Trade Center.
Ms. Fetchet's mission: to create an organization that addresses the ongoing needs of families of the nearly 3,000 victims, rescue workers and survivors while promoting awareness for prevention, preparedness and response related to terrorism. Her firsthand experience as a social worker and victims’ advocate has uniquely influenced the evolution of VOICES in creating programs that anticipate the long-term, intergenerational needs of 9/11 families and survivors.
Headquartered in New Canaan, CT. with a recently opened second office in New Brunswick, N.J., VOICES is a grass roots family advocacy group providing support and navigating complicated political systems for over 11,000 members. The international organization serves as a clearinghouse of information for 9/11-related issues, offers links to related resources and provides an expanding range of services. Programs include: support groups, lectures, Day of Remembrance events and forums as well as outreach to all those affected by the events of September 11th.
In 2006, VOICES launched the 9/11 Living Memorial Project, an online digital archive commemorating the lives and stories of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. VOICES 9/11 Living Memorial will be a core component of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, providing survivors an opportunity to tell their story and memorializing in a meaningful way the lives of the nearly 3,000 lives lost
Ms. Fetchet has achieved significant local and national praise for her advocacy work. A strong advocate for raising national and local preparedness, Ms. Fetchet campaigned for the creation of the independent 9/11 Commission and continues to promote the implementation of the Commission's recommendations for government reforms. She has testified before the 9/11 Commission, and before the United States Senate and House of Representatives on five occasions. She has made countless appearances on national television programs, and frequently contributes to print and radio news media.
Ms. Fetchet has served on a number of advisory boards and organizations including: The Family Steering Committee for the 9/11 Independent Commission, the National Homeland Defense Foundation, the National Traumatic Stress Network, the Coalition of 9/11 Families, the Family Advisory Committee of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC), Columbia’s WTC Evacuation Study as well as the Homeland Security Advisory Council's Homeland Security Alert System Task Force.
Ms. Fetchet's work has brought her substantial recognition that includes being a recipient of the National Justice Award in 2003 and being presented with the 'Connecticut Hero' award by Senator Joseph Lieberman in September 2004. She was also named an ABC News Person of the Year in December 2004. Other honors include a 2005 Red Cross Award, a 2005 Rotary Foundation Paul Harris Fellowship, a 2006 "Connecticut's Most Uncommon Women" award. Ms. Fetchet was also featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams Making a Difference and Hometown Heroes and DIRECTTV Hometown Heroes Production.
A graduate of Columbia University with an M.S. degree, Ms. Fetchet worked as a clinical social worker at Bridges, an outpatient mental health clinic in Milford, CT. She lives in New Canaan with her husband Frank, and has two surviving sons, Chris, age 22, and Wes, age 29.
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