Tunnel to Towers race returns to Washington County
Photo courtesy of Tunnel 2 Towers
A group of firefighters line up at the start of the 2019 Tunnel to Towers 5K in New York.
Photo courtesy of Tunnel 2 Towers
Firefighters cross the finish line of the 2019 Tunnel to Towers 5K in New York.
The Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk returns to Washington County Sept. 17, and event organizers have set a lofty goal.
“Our objective this year is to really highlight the understanding and visibility of Tunnel to Towers,” said Tony Colaizzo, event co-director. “We’re focusing on Washington County. Our goal is to get a representative from every fire station, police station, military installation to participate. The goal of 100% participation by the county – that’s a big deal.”
So, too, is spreading the word about Tunnel to Towers, a nonprofit that many people may not be familiar with.
T2T was founded by Frank Siller and his siblings in December 2001, three months after their youngest brother Stephen, a first responder, husband and father of five, made the ultimate sacrifice on 9/11.
A firefighter for Brooklyn’s Squad 1, Stephen Siller had just clocked out and was headed to the links for a morning of golfing with his brothers when the first plane hit the North Tower at the World Trade Center.
Siller turned around, shrugged into his gear and ran through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to assist other first responders. Siller lost his life saving others, and Tunnel to Towers honors his legacy by providing for other military and first responder men, women and families.
Since its inception, Tunnel to Towers has raised $250 million for military veterans, first responders and their families. The organization has through its Smart Homes initiative provided 450 mortgage-free homes to injured veterans and first responders, including a custom home for Peters Township Marine Corps veteran Doug Vitale.
Vitale was wounded in action on Sept. 25, 2011, while on patrol in Afghanistan. When he was released from the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Florida, where he spent time recovering from a brain injury, Vitale returned home to Peters. He and his wife, Alexis, received the keys to a home customized to meet Vitale’s needs on July 4, 2014.
In 2016, T2T notified Army Staff Sgt. Michelle Satterfield, of White Oak, that she, too, was a homeowner.
T2T also provides mortgage-free homes to families of veterans and first responders killed in the line of duty through its Gold Star Family Home Program, and has to date donated $750,000 to children who have lost one or both parents through the Legacy of Love initiative.
“It’s just such a good cause, raising money for first responders and military and helping disabled vets,” said race co-director Vince Faith, a social studies teacher at Canonsburg Middle School. “It’s just such a worthy cause and something that sometimes gets overlooked, as far as what happens when they come home or they’re injured on duty.”
Colaizzo and Faith are hoping to cheer at least 1,000 runners and walkers across the finish line at Canon-McMillan High School Stadium Sept. 17, where racers and spectators alike will enjoy a pre-race ceremony and live music followed by festivities at Canonsburg’s annual Oktoberfest.
The co-directors are still seeking race sponsors, runners and walkers. Colaizzo said that while held in Canonsburg, the race is open to interested participants throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania.
But more than a race course filled with first responders and military personnel in full gear and their families, friends and community supporters, Colaizzo simply wants folks to know that T2T is there, raising money for and supporting the men and women who lay it all on the lines for civilians every day.
“Our objective,” he said, “is to explain what Tunnel to Towers is and why it has value.”
To learn more about T2T, or to sign up for the race, visit https://t2t.org/ or email pittsburgh@tunnel2towers.org.