Stephen's legacy lives on

Stephen’s House of the New York Foundling was officially dedicated on Nov. 17. Not far from the Verrazano Bridge on Staten Island, the $14.5 million dollar, five-story building was named in honor of firefighter Stephen Siller, a former Rockville Centre resident who, like many first responders, gave his life on Sept. 11 so that others might live.

Stephen’s House will provide a safe haven for abused and neglected boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 15. Its red doors and a cleverly designed ladder suggest a firehouse. There’s ample recreational space, a meditation room, a visitor center, and 24 well-designed bedrooms. Its setting, high on a hill, provides beautiful views of the Narrows and New York Harbor.

“It was several years in the making,” said Russ Siller, Stephen’s brother and a Rockville Centre resident who is the secretary of the Stephen Siller “Let Us Do Good” Children’s Foundation, referring to Stephen’s House. “It was a marriage of sorts between the Siller Foundation, or family, and the New York Foundling. Much of the Siller Foundation’s commitment to the house came from funds raised by its annual Tunnel to Towers run that had many participants from Rockville Centre and surrounding communities.”

According to Russ Siller, when New York Foundling approached his family about the possibility of building a new home for children, they knew it was a prefect idea. Stephen, who was orphaned at age 10, was raised by his family. He moved from Staten Island to Rockville Centre, where he lived with Russ and sister-in-law Jackie, and attended St. Agnes Elementary and High School. Both places provided him with plenty of guidance and much needed discipline that laid the foundation for the man he would ultimately become. Stephen got married and had five children of his own; after Sept. 11, his wife had to figure out how to raise five children, ranging in age from 1 to 9 years old. But she was not alone. Again, a tight-knit family and a community reached out to Sally, Stephen’s wife, because they knew that nothing else came close in importance.

“What does a firehouse do? It saves lives and gives hope in time of emergency,” said Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, standing in front of the intricately-designed firehouse doors during the dedication. “This house does the same thing for the many boys and girls that have no hope. It will give them hope and it gives them direction so that they know they are loved.”