Mission - “The Tunnel to Towers Foundation honors the sacrifice of firefighter Stephen Siller as well as all military and first responders who continue to make the supreme sacrifice of life and limb for our country.
On September 11, 2001, Stephen, who was assigned to Brooklyn’s Squad 1, had just finished his shift and was on his way to play golf with his brothers when he got word over his scanner of a plane hitting the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Upon hearing the news, Stephen called his wife Sally and asked her to tell his brothers he would catch up with them later. He returned to Squad 1 to get his gear.
Stephen drove his truck to the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, but it had already been closed for security purposes. Determined to carry out his duty, he strapped 60 lbs. of gear to his back, and raced on foot through the tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he gave up his life while saving others.
Stephen had everything to live for; a great wife, five wonderful children, a devoted extended family, and friends. Stephen’s parents were lay Franciscans and he grew up under the guiding philosophy of St. Francis of Assisi, whose encouraging and inspirational phrase “while we have time, let us do good” were words that Stephen lived by. Stephen’s life and heroic death serve as a reminder to us all to live life to the fullest and to spend our time here on earth doing good – this is his legacy.
Since 9/11, they have been helping America's heroes by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building custom-designed smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. They are committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and aiding the victims of major U.S. disasters.”
You can find out more about Tunnel to Towers Foundation att2t.org or their social accounts@tunnel2towers.
The sea is a powerful and mysterious entity, with the ability to both heal and challenge us. For veterans and first responders living with post-traumatic stress, it can offer a unique form of therapy known as adventure therapy. Skeleton Crew Adventures, a nonprofit dedicated to providing veterans and first responders with opportunities to heal and grow through the sea, recently took the Terra Arma team on a sailing trip in Galveston, Texas to better understand the impact of adventure therapy on those living with PTSD.
