October 3, 2011 Meeting

New Member's Night

About the Program

Members are encouraged to invite someone from their church to sample what BBSU is all about. Members need to remember that the future of our organization is our responsibilility.

Our program in October will be a remembrance of 9/11 (September 11, 2001) as we invite Christy Coombs as our guest. Christy lost her husband as he was a passenger on one of the planes that struck the towers that day. As tragic as that was we will hear from Christy as how it has chenged her life and where her journey has taken her.

About the Speaker

Christie Coombs is the widow of Jeff Coombs, and the mom of their three children. Matthew, Meaghan (a sophomore at RWU), and Julia. Christie and Jeff had been together since their early college years at the University of Arizona where Christie studied journalism. Since losing Jeff on 9/11, her focus has been on her children and the Jeff Coombs Memorial Foundation which she and her children founded in November of 2001.

The Jeff Coombs Memorial Foundation helps families who are challenged financially and emotionally because of death or illness. It provides programs and special events for military families. The last ten years the Foundation has raised and distributed more that $450,000 to families throughout Massachusetts.

Christie has been an advocate for Massachusetts 9/11 families, a regular volunteer within her town, and serves as a board member on the American Red Cross Blood Services Division for Massachusetts, The Commonwealth Security Trust Fund, a founding board member of the Massachusetts Heroes Fund, Congressman Keating's Veteran's Advisory Council and serves on the Family Advisory Committee of the Massachusetts 9/11 Fund.

A freelance writer for the Boston Globe South Edition and the Patriot Ledger, Christie writes general and business features, and covers numerous 9/11 issues, including the Moussaoui trial, the process of remains recovery and identification and the developments at Ground Zero. Christie recently spoke at a women's only conference on terrorism in Vienna, Austria. She has extensive work experience in public relations, having worked for public relations firm Hill & Knowlton in Boston, and as publicist for Blue Hills Regional Vocational High School in Canton, MA. She and Meaghan have been recognized by Tuesday's Children in New York City with a Women of Strength award for their work with the Jeffery Coombs Memorial Foundation, and Christie received a Leading Women award from the Eastern Massachusetts Girl Scouts for her contributions since 9/11. She was also honored on Ellen DeGeneres Single Moms show in 2006 for her foundation work while raising three children alone.