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A MORTGAGE-FREE HOME

FOR THE FAMILY OF SLAIN RIVERSIDE CO. CA DEPUTY SHERIFF DARNELL CALHOUN. HE LEAVES BEHIND HIS PREGNANT WIFE, VANESSA, AND TWO BOYS AGES 4 AND 2.

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OUR IMPACT

$500+ MILLION
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600,000+
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95%
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About Us

Since 9/11, we have been helping America’s heroes by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building custom-designed smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. We are also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and aiding the victims of major U.S. disasters.

Volunteers Impacting The Foundation

Mike Masters is a retired Army psychologist with over 50 years of counseling experience. He began volunteering with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation in 2019 by offering his professional tele-counseling services to Gold Star and Fallen First Responder widows and their families who are grappling with grief and stress. Mike shared that he felt a heavenly calling to offer his counseling services to our home recipients after watching one of Tunnel to Towers' PSAs that featured our Gold Star home recipient Jennie Taylor. Mike Masters had served in the Utah National Guard with her hero husband fallen U.S. Army Major Brent Taylor who was killed on November 3, 2018 during his fourth deployment to Afghanistan in an apparent insider attack. Recently, Mike has expanded his role to becoming an Ambassador for Tunnel to Towers.

Mike Masters

Michelle Chernyavsky is a high school student and avid volunteer with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation— the preeminent 9/11 charity organization that was founded from the tragedy of that day to honor the sacrifice of the Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) Firefighter Stephen Siller, who gave his life while saving others on 9/11. Michelle has been a volunteer with Tunnel to Towers since March 2021 with the In the Line of Duty Program when she was just 13 years old, learning about the Foundation through her family. The In the Line of Duty Program consists of the Smart Home program, the Fallen First Responder Program, and the Gold Star Program. After learning about our mission, she wanted to make a positive impact in the lives of the people that we help. The In the Line of Duty Program administrators communicate directly with Tunnel to Towers’ home recipients, and Michelle displays sincere care and compassion for each of our program participants. Some of Michelle’s tasks include writing handwritten birthday cards, holiday cards, Line of Duty Death anniversary cards, and packaging personalized gifts to our home recipients. She takes careful care and consideration into each handwritten note that is sent out to them. Michelle initially volunteered to fulfill the required community service hours for her school, and though she had been offered other opportunities to volunteer she chose Tunnel to Towers above all other opportunities. Michelle wanted to join in on our mission to do good and help the families with young children of America’s heroes and also help our nation’s most catastrophically injured veterans. Although she fulfilled her required community service hours for the school year in June 2021, she continued to volunteer at Tunnel to Towers twice a week through the summer months and has far exceeded the required amount of community service hours for this school year. Michelle has completed over 200 hours volunteering with the Foundation. Michelle recognizes the value in every task that she undertakes, and she takes her volunteer role very seriously at Tunnel to Towers. She has been dubbed the “Volunteer of the Year” for the In the Line of Duty team; Michelle is an asset to the home recipient program administrators, putting her heart into her work while bringing a positive attitude each and every day that she comes in.

Michelle Chernyavsky

Michael Bobadilla is a Captain with the New Brunswick Police Department in New Jersey, and he will be running in the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 7th, 2021 on behalf of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation— the preeminent 9/11 charity organization that was founded from the tragedy of that day to honor the sacrifice of Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) Firefighter Stephen Siller, who gave his life while saving others on 9/11. Michael has been a member of the New Brunswick PD for over 20 years, and he is the founder of the Michael Bobadilla Soccer Camp that he runs every summer for local youths. In 2001, Michael was a rookie Detective in the Narcotics Unit, and when the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 happened he was in a training class with other officers from the Jersey City Police Department. That same day when he got home, Michael watched the reports on his TV on what had happened— America had been attacked. Michael knew that he needed to jump into action to help and on the evening of September 11th, 2001 he headed down to Ground Zero with a group of law enforcement officers to help in the rescue and relief effort. They turned out of the Richmond County Bank Ballpark stadium, and from there all Michael could see for miles ahead of him was a thick blanket of smoke hanging in the air. Michael and the other officers and first responders from New York and New Jersey waited in silence at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, waiting to board and be swallowed in the darkness ahead. Michael vividly remembers the looks of shock on the faces of the first responders who were coming in from Manhattan, and the scenes at Ground Zero were written all over their faces. “These men and women were traumatized by what they had witnessed”, said Michael, “I could tell that they had been through hell, and I was scared for what I would encounter ahead.” As they boarded the ferry and headed towards what was a bustling metropolis just 24 hours earlier, they were met with an uneasy silence.“The world had stopped— there were abandoned food carts and cars melted down to the frame. It was very eerie,” said Michael. He and the other first responders in his group immediately headed towards the bucket brigade, and this was where first responders from all agencies began searching through the detritus. They passed down saws, rope, blades, fire extinguishers and more up and down the line until someone at the end yelled for a stretcher. A survivor buried underneath the rubble was pulled out of the debris virtually unscathed. “It was a miracle”, said Michael, “cops and firemen were crying because of what we had just seen.” They worked all night through into the morning, and before his group headed back to New Jersey Michael sat alone on a sidewalk stunned at the scenes he had witnessed. Every year since the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Michael runs 3 miles with an American flag to commemorate the 2,977 lives lost on America’s Darkest Day. He has also run 12 miles for the 9/11 Promise organization, which is a run of remembrance that honors the lives lost on 9/11, and also provides relief to help the children of those who have sacrificed for our communities and country. Michael is dedicated to honoring the sacrifices of all of the people who were killed on 9/11, as well as the people who are suffering from illnesses directly caused by their participation in the relief effort that lasted for months. Michael is honored to run on behalf of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation during this milestone 20th anniversary year and raise money for our programs that benefit catastrophically wounded veterans, first responders, and Gold Star and Fallen First Responder families with young children.

Michael Bobadilla

Megan Coll, Edward Coll, and Henry Coll are three cousins that will be running in the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 7th, 2021 in memory of Robert Coll— a loving father to his daughter Megan and fun-loving uncle to Edward and Henry, who was killed in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Robert’s daughter and two nephews formed “Team Woody” for the marathon, which is Robert’s nickname given to him by his colleagues he worked with at the One World Trade Center. They are running and fundraising on behalf of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation— the preeminent 9/11 charity organization that was founded to honor the sacrifice of Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) Firefighter Stephen Siller, who gave his life while saving others on 9/11. Robert Coll worked as a stock broker on the 81st floor of the South Tower. On September 11, 2001, he was last seen on the 80th floor of the building rendering aid to a woman who was in respiratory distress. Robert, along with a close friend and colleague, gave up their lives trying to save this woman who needed help and, sadly, they all perished that day. Megan was only two years old when she lost her father on 9/11, and she had to learn about who her father was through the stories of his friends and family; Robert was described to her as a man who was caring, fun-loving, the life of the party, and a person who was always willing to lend a hand to those who needed him. Henry and Edward, Robert’s nephews, described their heroic uncle as a “jokester” and the “light of the family”.“Losing our uncle was truly a tragic loss to our family”, they said. Robert came from a family of nine, and was one of two boys. Megan, Edward, and Henry have participated in the annual Tunnel to Towers New York City 5K Run & Walk several times in the past, and they have been familiar with the Foundation’s mission for a while. This year, they banded together and decided that they would to fundraise for a charity dedicated to ensuring America never forgets the great tragedy of the attacks on September 11, 2001— America’s Darkest Day. These three cousins are an active trio, and the three of them exercise regularly. Participating in this year’s marathon has a deeper meaning for them: they are commemorating the hallmark year of the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, as well the 50th anniversary of the TCS New York City Marathon, and running in memory of Robert Coll makes this a momentous event for them. All three cousins plan to stay involved with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, and they are looking forward to participating in future events.

The Coll Family

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