Dear Friend,

The events of September 11 have changed our world in profound ways.

At the National Center, we have actively responded to the needs of individual victims, educated the public about common reactions to trauma, and coordinated a growing national network of victim advocates, attorneys, and government leaders to promote policies and services that will help the victims of these crimes.

This year, we ask you to support our expanded efforts. In addition to everything else we do, we believe the National Center must continue to speak on behalf of the thousands of people across the country who have been deeply affected by the events of September 11. We have served victims of crime for nearly 20 years. But never before has there been such a compelling need for a strong national voice such as ours. Let me give you a sense of our response and the work that lies ahead.

• Since September 11, our contact with victims has doubled. Calls to our Helpline are up, e-mails are up, and hits to our website have increased dramatically. We have worked with victims in New York who need housing or financial assistance, victims in California who need to locate a relative, and victims in Michigan who need to find an attorney. Many people call just needing to talk.
  
  
• We quickly created our September 11 Response Card explaining common physical and emotional reactions to trauma. To date, more than 200 organizations across the country have ordered almost half a million cards. Our partner, the American Red Cross, ordered 250,000 to distribute in New York City.
  
  
• Victim service providers contacted us for information about hate crime, coping with trauma, how to talk to children, what communities can do to respond, how to pick a mental health care professional, and vicarious trauma. We developed materials on these topics to answer their questions.
  
  
• We have created a communications network linking 4,000 local victim service agencies across the country to provide breaking news about state and federal policy developments. We regularly survey these organizations to determine how their work continues to change after September 11 and how we can continue to help them.
  
  
• We reached out to Muslim, Arab-American, and Southeast Asian organizations to offer materials about hate crime and inform them of our services.
  
  
• We have briefed Department of Justice and Congressional staff, given dozens of media interviews, and worked with other national organizations to ensure that victims' voices will be heard.
  
  
• Looking forward, another critical issue will require a great deal of our time and energy. As you may know, Congress created a new compensation program for direct victims of the terrorist attacks. The National Center has been deeply engaged in shaping this new program. For the next year, we will devote tremendous resources to help victims understand their new options and give them the support they need to make thoughtful decisions.

Of course, in the months ahead we will continue all of our important work building the Stalking Resource Center, launching the Teen Victim Project, developing initiatives to bring victims into community policing, and expanding our new Training Institute. Our National Crime Victim Bar Association will continue to promote civil justice for victims. We will continue to provide thoughtful public policy analysis for victim advocates and lawmakers across the country. And our Helpline, 1-800-FYI-CALL, will still be there, day after day, for victims of robbery, assault, rape, burglary, domestic violence, identity theft, stalking, and all the crimes that hurt nearly 30 million people in America every year.

This year, our mission to forge a national commitment to help victims of crime rebuild their lives has renewed meaning, and even greater urgency. We are playing a critical role helping America heal.

Please join us by giving generously. Thank you.

Susan Herman
Executive Director

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