By:Jennifer Marino
On Sept. 11, 2001, Siller, a firefighter, heard what was happening in lower Manhattan on his scanner while he was driving home to Staten Island from his shift in Brooklyn. He had a choice that morning: the round of golf he was supposed to play with his brothers, or the chaos of a scene in which planes had flown into buildings and no one knew what might come next.
Siller chose to join his fellow firefighters at the World Trade Center, and had to run through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to get there. He was killed with the towers fell.
On Sunday, Sept. 26, for the third year, the Siller family is organizing the Tunnel to Towers Run/Walk. The event follows Siller's path through the tunnel.
"It's growing," said his brother, Russell, of Rockville Centre. The family was told that after a few years, interest in the event might fade, but instead it has steadily grown.
Russell raised Stephen, his much younger brother, in Rockville Centre after their parents died. Stephen attended St. Agnes High School. Most recently he lived in Staten Island with his wife, Sally, and their five children.
New to the run this year will be the Brother for Brother Firefighter Remembrance Program. Firefighters will enter as teams, with a fourth member of each team standing in the tunnel, holding a banner with a picture of one of the 343 firefighters who died on Sept. 11. A portion of the money they raise will be donated to the burn center of their choice. New York City firefighters and members of the military will also line the tunnel, holding American flags. Doves will be released at the beginning of the run in memory of those lost.
Last year's Tunnel to Towers run had about 4,000 participants, with some coming from as far away as England and Hawaii to take part. In the past two years, the run has raised more than $450,000 for the charities supported by the Stephen Siller, FDNY, "Let Us Do Good" Children's Foundation. Among those charities are the pediatric unit of the NYC Firefighters Burn Center and the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund for surviving children of members of the American military who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Another charity that has benefited from the run, the New York Foundling Hospital, has decided to recognize the foundation's work. Administrators have started a campaign to construct a new building, the Stephen Siller Children's Residence, in Staten Island. Groundbreaking is planned for next spring.
At the end of the run, on Vesey Street, there will be music, food, massages and activities for children and adults. "The run is a celebration, because that is what my brother would have wanted," said Russell Siller. "He lived a very full life, and we want to continue that legacy."
Registration for the run is $30 before Sept. 20. Runners and walkers are encouraged to recruit sponsors for the event. To find out more or to download an application, log on to www.tunneltotowersrun.org.
