Statement by Roderick MacLeish, Jr. at 1/16/02 Press Conference

Good morning and thank you for coming. My name is Eric MacLeish. I live in Newton with my wife and two children. I am an attorney with the law firm of Greenberg Traurig. And I am very privileged to chair the board of The Massachusetts 9/11 Fund, Inc.

I want to thank Marc Smith, Faith Weiner, and all the people at Stop & Shop for inviting us here today.

I want to particularly acknowledge the family members who are with us today. We are honored by your presence. Two of those family members, Christie Coombs and Teresa Mathai, have also agreed to donate their time to be part of the Funds Family Advisory Committee. Input from the family group is the very first order of business at our board meeting scheduled for January 22, 2002.

In the aftermath of September 11th, many of us reacted by stating that our lives would never be the same again. But for the 170 or more families from Massachusetts who lost loved ones that day, life will truly never be the same. More than 55 people now face each day without their spouse or partner, and many of the families lost their primary wage earner. There are children from this state who will grow up without one of their parents.

The core purpose of The Massachusetts 9/11 Fund, Inc. is simple: to help those in our community who have suffered the most. We are here to listen: to provide support and to meet various needs of the families as they arise. We are not a short term charity: the effects of that terrible day will not disappear in a matter of months - - and neither will we.

We want to provide assistance in the best way possible. To that end, there are a number of important principles behind this Fund. They are as follows:

1. We have a simplified method to apply for and receive benefits. The application form is exactly one page . There are no legal rights to be surrendered to receive benefits. The criteria for receiving benefits are broad, and are consistent with the Funds charitable purpose. There is no formula. Meetings with families and the production of necessary information will be handled in the most private manner possible.

Our goal is to distribute every dollar we receive. We intend to make distributions within 60 days after we receive an application. At the beginning, the process may take a little longer, but after we get better, hopefully it will be less.

2. Every dollar donated by the public will go to families of victims. There are no administrative costs of the fund to be borne by the public. Most of the services that any charity needs - such as a convenient and private space to meet with families or the administration of a charitable account - have been donated. Any costs incurred for running this charity will be raised separately by the Board.

So -- if you are a fifth grader in Abington, or the resident of an assisted living community in Pittsfield, and you want to do something in your community to help these families, be assured of the following: all the money goes to the families . Period. And the name of every donor, whether $5 or $500,000, will be listed on our website, unless someone wants to donate anonymously. (We are very keen on anonymous gifts because they tend to be large).

3. Speaking of large gifts, I do want to say that we are totally indebted to the Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, its employees, and the American Heroes Fund for this extraordinary donation. Their $500,000 contribution is going to make a huge difference in the lives of many people. And it will lead to many other gifts from corporations and individuals. We also hope that it says something more to the families: that the Stop & Shop gift and the work of the Fund serve as a continuing recognition of the care and concern that exists for you in Massachusetts and that the devastating tragedy which befell you will never be forgotten.

Financial assistance is of critical importance. Nationally, it is estimated that more than 80 percent of the individuals who died as a result of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 were the primary wage earners in their families. As Congressman Delahunt has emphasized, it is important that the business community, particularly those businesses that are based in this state, follow the lead of Stop & Shop.

4. This fund is not, however, just about fundraising. One of the great needs that exists at the present time for families is not just assistance to meet day to day expenses, but also to obtain affordable competent advice from professionals. Under the leadership of Governor Swift, HHS Commissioner Giddens (who is here today) and Commissioner Suders and Darrin Donato, the Department of Mental Health has done an extraordinary job providing grief counseling services to approximately 90 families to date. However, these counselors are increasingly being asked questions that they are not equipped to answer: -- how will I manage to replace my spouse's income? -- what do I need to do in court to administer my mother's estate?

5. I am therefore delighted to announce that - thanks to the combined efforts of the Fund, Senator Kennedy and his staff, Congressmen Delahunt and Meehan and their staffs, the Boston Bar Association, the Mass Society of Financial Planners and the Massachusetts Office of Victim Assistance - we have put together a program whereby each family will be able to receive free financial planning services and free legal services in the estate administration and other related areas. I would like to acknowledge those who are here today who have helped to make this happen:

- Congressmen Marty Meehan and Bill Delahunt; - Steve Kerrigan from Senator Kennedys office; - Faith Arter, a board member of the fund and a certified financial planner with Arter Financial Strategies; - Art Ford and Rick Fingerman from the Mass. Society of Financial Planners; - Paul Dullea from the Boston Bar Association; - Beth O'Neil from the Massachusetts Bar Association; - Karen Dempsey and Sandra Field from the Massachusetts Office of Victim Assistance; - Page deGregorio, Investment Account Manager from Brown Brothers Harriman; and - Dan Bakinowski and Erin ODonnell from the law firm of Greenberg Traurig.

The Fund will ensure that the services rendered by these professionals to the families is done in a competent, caring and expeditious manner.

6. The needs tomorrow may be different from the needs today, which is why we intend to stick around. Moreover, we recognize that, as with other well intentioned efforts to assist those most affected by the terrorist attacks, there may be bumps along the way, which is one reason why Teresa's and Christie's role in what we do and how we do it will be so important. When we were discussing a Massachusetts charity to help Massachusetts families, there were some who were less than enthusiastic; not because they did not care, [everyone cares] but because they felt there was a risk that mistakes might be made; that the fund and its board might be criticized.

All of this is true; in any undertaking involving human beings there are risks. But the greater risk, in our opinion, is to be paralyzed by fear of criticism and controversy and do nothing, and have some of these families believe that this state has somehow forgotten them. So we ARE here, we DO care and the people in this state will NOT forget.

We are particularly grateful, Mark, for the great leadership and warm hospitality that you and your employees from Stop & Shop have shown us today.

Our website is www.massfund.org; our toll free number is 1-866-FUND 911.

Brown Brothers Harriman has generously offered to handle all of the donations without fee. The account address is on our website and in the press kits that have been given to the media here today.

Feel free to publicize and republicize the account address and I will be happy to answer any questions about the Fund after we have heard from Christie Coombs, whom it is now my honor to introduce as our next speaker.