On September 11, 2001 Stephen Siller, 34, was a typical New York City firefighter. Although off duty that day, he heard about the first plane crashing into the North Tower of the World Trade Center on his scanner. He rushed to his firehouse, grabbed some gear and then drove toward the Twin Towers. Finding the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel closed to traffic, he grabbed his gear and started running through it toward the World Trade Center. By the time he reached the Towers he no doubt suspected that he wouldn’t survive that day. He was right.

Stephen Siller was among the 403 heroic first responders who gave their lives on 9/11. Their heroism inspires awe, but what makes Stephen’s story even more remarkable is what his family and friends did in his honor after he was gone. In 2003 they established the Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation to assist the families of the first responders who gave their lives on 9/11. That first year they started small, staffing the Foundation entirely with volunteers. Over the years, “T2T,” as the foundation came to be known, grew steadily. in 2017 they raised a total of almost $19 million.

That year the foundation decided to greatly increase its fundraising efforts, investing heavily in television advertising, telling Stephen Siller’s story and introducing the wounded military personnel and the families of first responders who have benefitted from the foundation’s efforts. The results were dramatic. In 2019 revenue reached nearly $40 million and by 2021 it was over $258 million.

The astounding increase in donations have enabled “T2T” to have a dramatic impact in two major areas: providing mortgage-free homes for the survivors of first responders killed in action, and building “smart homes” for catastrophically injured military personnel. To date the foundation has funded over 1,000 homes for surviving families, and built hundreds of specially-adapted smart homes. The growth of the foundation has been breathtaking, both in the amount it has raised and the benefits it has provided.

In just two decades T2T has reached its primary goal of attending to the needs of 9/11 first responders, expanded its goal to meet similar needs nationally, and gone a long way toward providing accessible homes for catastrophically injured military personnel. (That initiative currently has a waiting list.) While government benefits have long provided life insurance, medical care and disability payments to these groups, no government has gone as far as T2T in meeting these needs.

Nor could any government move with the speed, flexibility, and compassion which the foundation has demonstrated. One recent catastrophe proves the point. When two New Jersey firefighters were killed in a July 5 cargo ship blaze, Frank Siller, Stephen’s brother and unpaid company CEO, contacted the survivors of both firefighters directly, pledging the foundation’s financial support even before the two funerals had been conducted. Speaking for the foundation, Siller recently promised that henceforth similar assistance will be made available to all such survivors throughout the nation, an assumption of a responsibility unprecedented in American philanthropy.

The foundation continues to honor its pledge to “Never Forget” those who gave their lives on 9/11 by conducting its affairs in an extraordinarily efficient and open way. It is still volunteer driven, with very low overhead expenses. The foundation annually spends about 95% of its income on direct services, meaning that only 5% goes to administration and fundraising expenses. By comparison, the American Red Cross spends 19% of its income on fundraising alone, and the American Cancer Society spends 21%.

T2T is also notable for its financial transparency, a characteristic not often found even in some of the nation’s largest charities. It provides annual reports, financial summaries, and its audited IRS filings on the foundation website, and even provides “whistleblower” guidelines in case anyone should suspect malfeasance. These efforts have earned it the highest ratings (Four Star and 100% transparency) from Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest rating agency.

With its smart-home waiting list shrinking and contributions continuing to climb, T2T recently expanded its mission to include meeting the needs of homeless veterans, who currently number around 33,000, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In just two decades T2T has profoundly enhanced America’s generosity toward the survivors of first responders killed in action, and catastrophically injured military personnel. Whether T2T will have a comparable impact on the issue of homeless veterans remains to be seen. It is an enormous national problem, but the Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation brings to it an unprecedented record of success.

Griff Hogan is a retired educator living in Charleston, South Carolina.

Image: Tunnel to Towers Foundation