The Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Annual Footsteps to the Future Gala took place on Friday, December 5 at the New York Marriott Marquis. Sponsors, program recipients, and award recipients were in attendance, among others.
This year, the Foundation honored Mike Lentin, President of CitiQuiet Windows, and Lew Leone, Senior Vice President and General Manager of FOX 5, with the Follow The Footsteps Award. Additionally, Dave Portnoy, Founder and Owner of Barstool Sports, was the recipient of the Let Us Do Good Award.
Since Barstool Sports’ inception, Portnoy made it his mission to give back. When Jonathan Diller, NYPD Police Officer, was shot and killed in March of 2024, Portnoy used his platform to raise funds for Officer Diller’s widow, Stephanie Diller, and their son.
Despite this, when accepting his award, Portnoy stated the strange feeling of being honored at an event where true heroes are in attendance, such as Rick Yarosh, Travis Mills, and Jonathan Turnbull, all recipients of the Smart Home Program, as well as the families of fallen first responders and military members, who are recipients of the Fallen First Responder Home Program and the Gold Star Family Home Program, respectively.
Portnoy stressed the importance of knowing exactly where donations go and stated that he knew when he met Frank Siller, Chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, that he could trust that donors’ money is used for good, as evidenced by our four star rating from Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities.
“You know the $11, or if you can give more, it’s going to all the right people… I’m super proud. I’ve told them once, I’ve told them many times, as long as you’ll have me, I’ll be involved. You don’t have to thank me,” said Dave Portnoy.
All three of these recipients exemplify the Foundation’s mission to do good in honor of America’s heroes.
The Foundation is also thankful for the support of our sponsors, who help us forge these Footsteps to the Future.
