The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation is widely known across the country for our work in supporting our nation’s first responders and military heroes, especially through our annual Tunnel to Towers 5k Run & Walk Series and through our Building for America’s Bravest program. However, many of our supporters are not aware of the important work that the Foundation does for children – especially those who have lost a parent or have been orphaned.

Many may wonder why the Foundation’s mission includes programs to assist children. The reason is because Stephen Siller himself was an orphan at the age of 10, and later became a loving father of five. There are a variety of programs for children that the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation is involved in including…

This year the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation partnered with Staten Island children to help with our ongoing commitment to making a positive and lasting impact on the lives of vulnerable children. The First Annual Kids Heart Kids Campaign kicked off in February of 2015 with great success. Students from Staten Island public schools helped raise money to support our children’s programs through various fundraisers.

Public School 41 set up donation jars in their classrooms in which students collected loose change and sold wrist bands to raise $1,000! Additional schools that participated include Public School 44, Intermediate School 27, Public School 861, Public School 1, and Public School 207 – each school raising much needed funds. The school that raised the most money was Public School 52. Its students hosted candy sales and collected change through the Penny Harvest to raise over $1,300! How impressive is that?!

On Wednesday, June 17th, the Foundation hosted a celebration for the students from Public School 52 congratulating them on a job well done. Faculty, students, and their families joined the Siller family and our staff at our Staten Island office for an afternoon of good conversation and delicious cupcakes! The students interacted with our staff, and apprised us of their candy sales and Penny Harvest collections. In turn, our staff explained to the students how their support will have an impact in the lives of children in need. The Foundation awarded each student with a certificate of appreciation along with some Tunnel to Towers items including hats and coloring books. The purpose of this celebration was to show the students how much of a difference they could make. We hope it encourages each one of these students to continue to be involved in helping others as they grow older.

The Siller Family and its staff could not be prouder of the students who participated in the First Annual Kids Heart Kids Campaign! They did a wonderful job and are helping so many children in need. We are proud to share the news of this endeavor. We continue to follow in the footsteps of Stephen Siller by helping so many people in this great nation. We could not do it without the help of the American people.

The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation looks forward to hosting the Second Annual Kids Heart Kids Campaign during the 2015-2016 school year. It is our hope that more schools will get involved with the campaign so that we can help even more children than before. If you are interested in learning more about the Kids Heart Kids Campaign and our children’s programs, or if you wish to get your school involved in the campaign next year, please email [mailto]info@t2t.org.[/mailto]

“Let Us Do Good”

Photo Credit: Terri Magnuski