Wanting to tell the story of women rescue workers, the two traveled from their northern Californian homes to interview and record the stories of women firefighters, police officers and other rescuers who responded to emergency calls at the World Trade Center towers.
The result is a collection of first-person stories and photographs, "Women at Ground Zero: Stories of Courage and Compassion." The book also includes stories about three women rescue workers who died.
Hagen and Carouba will visit Grand Valley State University's campus on Monday, September 12, to share their story about arriving in New York City without press credentials or contacts, only determination to find women rescuers and include them in the national conversation about the heroes of 9/11.
Their multimedia presentation is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Kirkhof Center's Grand River Room on the Allendale Campus. "Women at Ground Zero" is sponsored by Grand Valley's Women's Center.
Hagen is a freelance writer who had worked at newspapers and as editor of employee publications for Kaiser Permanente. In 1994, she became a firefighter and emergency medical technician as a way of serving her community in rural Sonoma County, California. She retired from the Graton Fire Protection District after 10 years in the fire service, but continues her work as a CPR instructor.
Carouba is an investigative social worker for the Human Services Department in Sonoma County, California. In the course of researching and writing the book, Carouba's experience as a mental health professional created a safe harbor for women rescue workers to share their stories. She continues to seek new venues for raising public awareness of the contributions of women.
Hagen and Carouba didn't end their interest in the women's stories after their book was published. They led a fundraising effort to bring the 30 women featured in the book to Sonoma County for a week in 2002. So much money was raised, the two women were able to put $40,000 toward a Women at Ground Zero scholarship for Sonoma County students enrolled in rescue academies.
