Voices of September 11th honors the efforts Beverly Eckert with its Building Bridges Award

The influential 9/11 advocacy and support group that Beverly Eckert co-founded honored her memory with its annual Building Bridges award in a presentation in New York City today. Two of Beverly's sisters, Karen Eckert and Sue Bourque, accepted the award on her behalf.

Just weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, Beverly and Mary Fetchet, another Connecticut resident, who lost her son Brad in the attacks, established Voices of September 11th. The fledgling organization was run on a shoestring by Beverly, Mary and a few others mainly to providing family members and others affected by the attacks with information about such things as the recovery of remains, financial and medical assistance, the victims compensation fund and counseling. As the needs of the 9/11 community expanded, so did the staff, membership and services of FOS11. It now has about 7,000 members and a wide-ranging agenda which includes the 9/11 Living Memorial project, reaching out to victims of terrorism at home and abroad, advocating for government reform, and providing a number of services to its members.