The annual Tunnel to Towers run, which for years has welcomed organized groups from around the United States and as far away as Europe and Asia, will have one more squad of racers this year, albeit from closer to home: residents of Lower Manhattan are being asked to participate as a dedicated group, for the first time.
As a way of thanking the surrounding communities of Battery Park City, the Financial District, South Street Seaport and Tribeca, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation is issuing a special invitation to the area residents to join the five-kilometer run/walk on Sunday, September 25, as a group, called “the Neighbors,” to participate as a team in the event and the after-party that follows.
“Tunnel to Towers is so appreciative of the cooperation shown to us by Community Board 1 over the years,” said John Hodge, the foundation’s chief operating officer. “And we can think of no better way to acknowledge that esprit de corps than by inviting our friends in the community to join us as one on September 25th to celebrate.”
The Tunnel to Towers run honors the memory of Stephen Siller, a New York City fire fighter assigned to Squad 1 in Park Slope, Brooklyn. On the morning of September 11, 2001, he was just going off duty and driving home to Staten Island when he heard news reports about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. Turning his car around, he drove to the closest point he could reach, the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Once he could drive no farther, the 34-year-old Mr. Siller abandoned his car, grabbed the equipment he had with him, and sprinted through the tunnel into Lower Manhattan, where he joined rescue efforts. Mr. Siller was killed when the towers fell (no trace of his remains have ever been found), leaving behind a wife and five children. His family went on to found the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which now hosts not only the annual run through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel (which attracts more than 20,000 participants), but similar events around the nation.
The inspiration for the idea of a special group of runners comprised of Lower Manhattan residents came from Tom Goodkind, a member of Community Board 1 (CB1), who has for years been an enthusiastic advocate for the Tunnel to Towers Run. Mr. Goodkind said, “the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation has grown to become the biggest and best commemorative of September 11 to grace our community — and we local residents are so grateful to finally become participants.”
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has also reached out to the Lower Manhattan community in others ways. In response to requests from CB1, the 2015 event didn’t apply for a liquor license, cancelled a planned fireworks display, and replaced a fleet of shuttle buses (used to transport legions of runners to the the starting line, in Brooklyn) with ferries across the East River. Each of these accommodations will remain in place this year, Mr. Hodge says. “The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is here for the long term, which means we want to be good neighbors and build strong relationships with communities and partners,” he reflects. “Stephen Siller was my cousin, and nothing is more important to our family than his memory.”
Admission to the 2016 Tunnel to Tower Run for members of “the Neighbors” team is priced $60 for adults, with children participating free of charge (provided they are accompanied by an adult). To register, please browse: www.crowdrise.com/the-neighbors
Proceeds from the Tunnel to Towers Run will go to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which recently (for the second year in a row) received a perfect score of 100 for accountability and transparency from highly-regarded Charity Navigator rating service. Among the Tunnel to Towers’ programs is its Building for America’s Bravest project, which builds high-tech “smart homes” for military veterans who have been disabled in combat. To date, 52 of these homes, with specialized features that can be run from an iPad, have either been presented, are in the process of being built, or are in an advanced stage of planning. The Foundation has also helped to build or rebuild more than 200 homes in New York for Hurricane Sandy relief, while providing building materials for another 800. In 2015, the Foundation additionally paid the mortgages on homes owned by two slain New York City police officers.