Our hearts, minds, thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to every family, friend, colleague, and life affected by the horrific set of tragedies of September 11, 2001. There is so much feeling and so many words one could try to express. All the space in the world would never be sufficient to accommodate or do justice to them all. Please take a moment to put aside differences, honor the departed, respect those suffering and in need in this time, and provide assistance when and where possible. Our hope is that the following resources may help facilitate this. Criminal Investigation Federal Bureau of Investigations Any information on the ongoing investigation around the terrorist activities can be reported by visiting a special web page through the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, maintained by the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center or by contacting the special toll-free hotline set up by the FBI: 1-866-483-5137. General Online Resources There are a number of online resources, particularly those sponsored by government agencies and media outlets, providing useful links to basic information sources regarding news updates, persons involved, hospital and flight information, relief and assistance organizations, special events, volunteer opportunities, fundraising and donation efforts, and online forums to share thoughts and provide support. These include: New York DigitalCity Official City of New York website Pittsburgh, PA Digital City Washington, DC DigitalCity Victim and Survivor Information Lists A number of web pages, online databases, and e-mail lists have sprung up during the first few hours of the tragedy attempting to give visitors up-to-date information on survivors drawn from user and eyewitness input, and hospital admissions. Though well-intentioned, some of these services have either contributed incomplete or inaccurate information, or have not instituted data quality guidelines and verification procedures to ensure that families and the public are not misled. Any online effort that cannot provide details as to source of its information, full contact information of the persons behind the activity, and information as to the quality of its data should not be utilized as a source of information. To either access or report the most legitimate information possible, please consider visiting newspaper websites: Dallas Morning News Friends Neighbors Families online database Washington Post or sites which direct users to monitored data collection efforts, including: Survivor and Missing Persons Registries Millennium Cluster at the University of California, Berkeley. Extensive set of resources to locate and report information on survivors and missing persons, with notations on how frequently most resources are updated. Other registries are encouraged to add themselves to this listing. NYC Patients Search Web resource to locate those persons seen by a hospital in the NYC/NJ area, provided by the Greater NY Hospital Association, New York City Mayor's Office of Emergency Management, and Intel Online Services Volunteering Blood Donations:If you are interested in donating blood, please contact your local Red Cross, hospital, or medical center directly. Do not, however, simply stop in, as they been overwhelmed with interest, and do not have the capacity to accommodate walk-ins without appointments. Understand, in advance, that there might be delays until later this month. Also remember that, despite the current tragedy, blood donors are needed on a daily basis in order to maintain an adequate blood supply for medical needs, and donations are constantly welcomed. American Red Cross Online locator for the nearest or blood donation facility, or call this toll-free number: 1-800 GIVE LIFE (448-3543) Volunteer Opportunities: Established volunteer efforts and service/relief agencies have received an enormous outpouring of support and requests to help from the public, so much so that they are overwhelmed and filled to capacity for immediate tasks. Many are asking individuals and groups to add their names to reserve listings for opportunities to help throughout the coming weeks, and to assist with the collection and distribution of goods and supplies, by first checking with local agencies for their needs. City Cares (National) National alliance of metro-area volunteer organizations and networks to help coordinate and engage individuals and groups in projects benefiting nonprofits, schools, and libraries. Some specific projects may require an orientation, depending upon the guidelines established by each affiliate. New York Cares (New York) Pittsburgh Cares (Pittsburgh, PA) Greater DC Cares (Washington, DC) VolunteerMatch (National) National volunteer registration service which sues zip-code based matching to help individuals and organizations connect to opportunities in their area. Online Charity Information and Donation Efforts Online Charity Information: These are but a few of the charities with either information or systems in place to collect funds for relief efforts for the September 11 tragedy. Before donating, make sure to avoid online relief charity scams, consult all information and contact the funds themselves with any questions you may have. Adventist Development and Relief Agency American Red Cross AmeriCares Heroes Fund Berks County Community Foundation (Reading, PA) Catholic Charities City of New York Civil Air Patrol Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund International Association of Fire Fighters Lutheran Community Foundation" National Organization of Victim Assistance The New York Firefighters 9-11 Relief Fund New York State Fraternal Order of Police New York Times Neediest Cases Fund New York Trooper Foundation Northwest Medical Teams & U.S. Bank SEIU September 11 Relief Fund Salvation Army Second Harvest September 11th Fund Twin Towers Orphans Fund Uniformed Firefighter's Association Widows' and Children's Fund United Methodist Committee on Relief World Vision: American Relief Fund Yahoo.com Firefighter, EMS, and Rescue Relief Donations Commercial Sites Collecting Donations: These are examples of commercial websites which have set up online giving mechanisms Amazon.com eBay Auction for America PayPal.com Yahoo.com Survivor/Family Support and Assistance Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) The key federal agency that coordinates disaster prevention and relief efforts, including volunteers, reconstruction, housing, and financial assistance National Organization For Victim Assistance (NOVA) Toll-free: (800) TRY-NOVA (879-6682) Nonprofit assistance network of support agencies, advocacy organization, law enforcement and crime support, health, survivor volunteers, and others who provide resources for victim and survivor assistance for individuals and their families. National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) Office for Victims of Crime Family Assistance Center Victims Hotline Toll-fee: 1-800-331-0075 U.S. Department of Justice This is an online inquiry service for victims and their families to register in order to receive ongoing information resources around coping and counseling, as well as state and local information on sources of compensation and other services. Counseling American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry American Academy of Pediatrics American Psychological Association Boston College Graduate School of Social Work The Parent Center Safe Horizon (New York) Offers free crisis counseling in seven NYC locations Online Community Support Individuals and nonprofits have establishing web pages to promote their activities, provide information, and connect with other service providers or those in need to increase their visibility to a wider audience. In addition to temporary or extended blackouts, and displays of patriotic images on websites. there are other ways in which nonprofits can utilize technology to demonstrate support and help to establish communication, information, and community linkages between their constituencies-- and the public at large. Discussion Lists, including the Yahoo Groups Sept11info list ICQ Resources This is an online community source through which ICQ users and the public can utilize instant messaging and online message boards to share information and thoughts. What's interesting is that this includes archived postings from eyewitnesses, survivors, families, counselors, and others interested in providing support for others from around the globe, but also features an active base of users providing updates on victims and survivors on an ongoing basis. There is also a memorial feature, through which visitors can dedicate animate online memorial candles (which even melt animated wax depending upon the length of time online). StargazerNET This is a nonprofit portal to connect the public to volunteer, donation, and assistance resources, and also allow groups to set up their own online knowledge bases and community forums.