- May 2, 2024
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by: Patrick Appolonia
Flagler County Communications and Marketing
The City of Palm Coast announced on Monday, Oct. 31, that it will host the second annual Tunnel to Towers 5K Run/Walk in Palm Coast on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023 at 8 a.m., which will take place at Central Park in Town Center. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Tunnel Towers Foundation, which supports severely wounded veterans and first responders, gold star families, combating veteran homelessness and other timely causes. Most recently, the organization has been working to provide relief efforts for areas of southwest Florida that were most devastated in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was formed in 2001 by Frank Siller, brother of Stephen Siller, who was among the 343 first responders killed in New York City on the morning of September 11, 2001. Stephen, a Brooklyn firefighter, had just gotten off his shift that morning when he heard the news of what was happening at the World Trade Center. He quickly grabbed his work gear and headed towards the twin towers to help, only to find himself stuck in traffic at Brooklyn’s Battery Tunnel. He then abandoned his truck and ran in full bunker gear from the tunnel to the World Trade Center where he would lose his life while saving others — hence the name Tunnel to Towers.
Since its inception just weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, the organization has been committed to helping families of fallen veterans and first responders, as well as catastrophically injured service members by providing mortgage-free homes and has raised over $250 million to date. In Dec. 2021, the Tunnel to Towers broke ground on the “Let Us Do Good” village, a first-of-its-kind neighborhood in Land O’ Lakes, Fla., which features smart homes that are tailored to serve the needs of injured veterans with special features that assist in helping them to have normal functionality and mobility in their home, despite their injuries.
Registration for the Tunnel to Towers 5K Palm Coast opens on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. via the event registration page. Participants will be able to sign up and get 50% any registration cost by using the promo code FIRSTRESPONDER at checkout through 10 a.m. on Nov. 3. Those interested in volunteering may also sign up via the volunteer registration page. All participants and volunteers will receive a Tunnel to Towers t-shirt, and customized medals for the event. For all inquiries or sponsorship opportunities, email [email protected]
