Today, the practice of planning for crises and tragedies and providing assistance to people affected by them is increasingly common across industries all over the world. Such was not always the case. Advocacy for better crisis preparation and support grew out of disorganized responses to airline accidents. The term "family assistance" described the process of assisting the loved ones of those who perished. This movement ultimately spurred the US Congress to pass landmark legislation known as the Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act of 1996. When Dr. Carolyn Coarsey and Jeff Morgan decided to create a nonprofit to help organizations provide more effective support, "Family Assistance Foundation" was the logical choice. The name has since been expanded to better reflect our overall mission: today we are the Family Assistance Education & Research Foundation, Inc.