Americans Directly Affected by September 11 To Benefit from $20 Million in Special Funding For Community-Based Non Profits

65 agencies in seven states receive grants from the Liberty Disaster Relief Fund

WASHINGTON, Monday, February 14, 2005 —   NEW YORK, February 14, 2005: The American Red Cross September 11 Recovery Program (SRP) today announced that as part of its mission to provide longer-term support services to people affected by the events of September 11, community-based agencies in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland and Virginia will receive $20 million in recovery grants from the Liberty Disaster Relief Fund.

"These grants will fund community-based programs that are especially well-suited to assist those whose emotional wounds are still healing," said Alan Goodman, Executive Director of the September 11 Recovery Program. "The traumatic events of September 11, 2001 deeply affected an extraordinary range of people, from first responders and office workers to young students and construction workers as well as their respective families. Many of these grants will focus on outreach and provision of services to diverse communities directly impacted by the disaster, including non-English-speaking and immigrant populations."

The September 11 Recovery Program, on schedule to finish its work in late 2007, has almost completed the "direct service" phase of its mission as outlined in its strategic plan. Through the funding announced today, which focuses on mental health and wellness, and improving access to recovery services, non-profit organizations in impacted communities around the country will be able to assist individuals who have ongoing September 11-related needs. SRP will be making additional grants through 2006 to organizations that address a variety of other critical areas, including youth recovery and resilience; health effects; and community-based recovery.

Programs Focus on Mental Health and Access to Recovery

Funds granted to 43 of the 65 non-profit agencies will help provide mental health services such as counseling and support groups; training for social-service professionals and clergy to identify and address the mental health needs of people affected. The 22 remaining grants will support access to recovery such as providing information on both culturally competent and broad-based 9/11 services through outreach to diverse communities; offering mental health screening programs; and training for professionals who have frequent contact with affected individuals. Grantees include, but are not limited to, agencies that serve specific occupational groups (police, firefighters, construction and restaurant workers); regions (Nassau County, Northern Virginia); ethnic groups (members of the Asian-American and Latino communities, and others); age groups (children, seniors) and a wide range of faith-based service organizations. The grantees include:

• Asociacion Tepeyac de New York – to support programs that provide counseling primarily to Latin American immigrants impacted by the attacks. Services help clients navigate public benefits systems; strengthen their financial management skills; and connect with pro-bono attorneys to address their 9/11 needs.
• Charles B. Wang Community Health Center – to continue to provide assessments, care and referrals to address the physical health, mental health and social service needs of adults in Chinatown. Along with offering education and depression screening for Asian-Americans of all ages, the services have an additional focus on Vietnamese and Fujianese communities.
• Northern Virginia Family Service – to enhance the agency's community-based support activities and groups for service men and women, and others who lost family members in the attack on the Pentagon.
• Police Organization Providing Peer Assistance (POPPA) – to support peer-run Trauma Response Teams, as well as seminars and support groups for active or retired police personnel who were deployed to Ground Zero, and their families.
• Voices of September 11th – to assist its efforts to provide information and referral support to families affected by the September 11th attacks, and to address the families' ongoing wellness needs through support groups, bereavement groups, lectures and workshops.

A full list of grantees follows, and can be found at www.recoverygrants.org.

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) works in partnership with the American Red Cross to develop and implement the grant programs. RPA administers the application and grant review processes, and will monitor the work of the grantees. The Red Cross makes the grant award decisions.

"We know from experience that recovering from any kind of disaster is a lengthy journey that requires patience and perseverance," said Goodman. "Through programs run by established community agencies, these grants allow us to support victims during a healing process that can continue even after the visible signs of this disaster are gone."

For more information about the September 11 Recovery Program, please call (877) 746-4987 [TDD (800) 662-1220], or visit www.redcross.org/september11/help. For more information on the Recovery Grants, visit www.recoverygrants.org.

About the American Red Cross September 11 Recovery Program
The American Red Cross September 11 Recovery Program provides assistance, support and guidance to those most directly affected by the September 11 attacks. Current services include case management, financial assistance for mental health and health care, support and information groups, and other financial assistance. Through immediate disaster relief programs and funding of longer term initiatives, the American Red Cross September 11 Recovery Program has helped more than 57,000 individuals and families, in 48 states and 57 countries. The Red Cross also provides community-based organizations with funding to enhance longer-term, local services for people affected by the tragedies of September 11. For information on services, call (877) 746-4987 [TDD (800) 662-1220] or visit www.redcross.org/september11/help.

American Red Cross September 11 Recovery Program
September 11 Recovery Grants

Grantee	Amount
Alianza Dominicana	$306,000
Asian American Federation of New York	$265,000
Asociacion Tepeyac de New York	$209,000
Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Morris, Bergen & Passaic	$ 60,000
Cambridge Health Alliance Victims of Violence Program	$124,000
Catholic Family & Community Services Inc	$272,000
Charles B. Wang Community Health Center	$460,000
Chinese Staff and Workers Association	$300,000
Chinese-American Planning Council	$250,000
Church World Service	$192,000
The Committee for Hispanic Children and Families	$312,000
The Council of Churches of the City of New York	$425,000
Families of September 11	$155,000
Family & Children Agency	$160,000
Family Service League	$374,000
FDNY Fire Safety Education Fund	$400,000
Federation Employment & Guidance Service	$289,000
Filipino American Human Services Inc	$ 68,000
Foundation of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey	$240,000
Friends of Firefighters Inc	$308,000
Hamilton Madison House	$450,000
Henry Street Settlement	$325,000
Highbridge-Woodycrest Extended Care Network	$450,000
Institute for the Puerto Rican Hispanic Elderly	$150,000
International Institute of New Jersey	$249,000
Islamic Circle of North America Inc	$130,000
Jewish Board of Family & Children Services	$145,000
Jewish Family & Vocational Services of Middlesex County	$140,000
Jewish Family Service	$350,000
Joan & Sanford I. Weill Medical College/Cornell University	$279,000
Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York	$150,000
Lutheran Disaster Response of New York (LDRNY)	$285,000
Lutheran Family Health Centers/Family Support Center	$400,000
Metropolitan New York Baptist Association	$467,000
Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University World Trade Center Mental Health Screening and Intervention	$972,000
Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University Children of the World Trade Center Rescue and Recovery Workers: Mental Health Screening and Intervention	$250,000
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation	$500,000
Network of Victims Assistance in Bucks County	$237,000
New Jersey Association for Mental Health Inc	$446,000
New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation Harlem Hospital Center	$201,000
New York City Police Foundation Inc.	$300,000
New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH)	$150,000
New York Council on Adoptable Children	$185,000
New York Disaster Counseling Coalition	$210,000
New York Disaster Interfaith Services	$ 70,000
New York University Child Study Center	$383,000
North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center	$100,000
Northern Virginia Family Service	$300,000
POPPA INC (Police Organization Providing Peer Assistance)	$635,000
Puerto Rican Family Institute	$285,000
RACCOON Inc	$ 50,000
Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene Inc	$398,000
Research Foundation of State University of New York	$450,000
Restaurant Opportunities Center Of New York	$300,000
Safe Horizon Inc	$600,000
Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers of New York	$650,000
September 11th Families Association	$200,000
September Space	$210,000
South Nassau Communities Hospital	$930,000
St. Marks Place Institute for Mental Health	$162,000
Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York	$477,000
Tuesday's Children	$500,000
United Activities Unlimited	$ 76,000
Voices of September 11th	$213,000
World Trade Center United Family Group	$149,000