The sense of patriotism was palpable as the community gathered for the 14th Annual Tunnel to Towers 5K Run and Walk Vero Beach at Riverside Park to benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Participants were there to honor the sacrifices of our nation’s first responders and to remember all the innocent lives lost 25 years ago as a result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk in New York City, which began in 2002, established the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. In a moving invocation, Jim McFadden, Kings Baptist Church deacon, offered thanks for a community that consistently shows up to support its fallen heroes and prayed for the safety of the runners. “Each year we do this, especially on this 25th anniversary of that horrible event that day,” said David Johnson, Indian River County emergency services director and fire chief. “We come here to remember our fallen – whether it be firefighters, police officers, or the normal citizen who lost their lives that day.” Chief Johnson recounted the story of Stephen Siller, the FDNY firefighter whose ultimate sacrifice inspired the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Siller was off duty and on his way to play golf with his brothers when he heard the news. He turned his truck around, grabbed gear from his station, and headed for Manhattan. Stopped by the traffic at the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, Siller, with 60 pounds of fire gear strapped to his back, ran the three miles to the Twin Towers to render aid before perishing when the towers collapsed. “That event was also the largest rescue operation FDNY ever did, with thousands of people rescued prior to those towers coming down. It was a huge success, and a tragedy at the same time,” said Chief Johnson, reminding everyone of the heroism displayed that day. Participants, some in full gear, reflected on the day as they ran or walked along a path lined with flags and photographs honoring the fallen heroes of 9/11. Vero’s own Zach Speno took home the overall male title with a time of 17:14, and S. Duffy from Port St. Lucie captured the overall female title with a time of 21:50. Later that week, on the actual 25th anniversary of 9/11, the Mangrove Sands Golf Club hosted an inaugural golf tournament to benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. More than 100 golfers participated in the event, raising more than $20,000 for the foundation. Kristal McIntyre, Mangrove Sands Golf Club marketing and events coordinator, commented on the incredibly moving opening ceremony. Four Gifford Middle School chorus students sang the National Anthem as members of the Indian River Fire Fighters Benevolent Fund displayed a large American flag from its ladder truck. Following a morning on the greens, golfers and supporters enjoyed an awards luncheon. “More than a golf tournament, the day honored the heroes of September 11 and supported families of fallen first responders, Gold Star families and catastrophically injured veterans,” said McIntyre. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation funds mortgage-free homes for those heroes, and builds specially adapted, mortgage-free smart homes that restore daily independence through accommodations such as automated doorways, accessible showers, and adjustable kitchen cabinetry. Through its In the Line of Duty programs, the foundation pays off mortgages for the families of law enforcement officers, firefighters and military personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice, ensuring that their surviving spouses and young children remain secure in their own homes. The Mae and George Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation Scholarship program offers scholarships to the children of those heroes, to support their educational pursuits. The nonprofit also offers a comprehensive Homeless Veteran program to address veteran homelessness through housing assistance, a case management network, and Veterans Villages that support their physical, financial and emotional needs. For more information, visit T2T.org. <em>Photos by Joshua Kodis</em> [gallery ids="236695,236696,236697,236698,236699,236700,236701,236703,236704,236705,236706,236707,236708,236709"]