As the city of Toledo prepares to say goodbye to one of its heroes, fallen Toledo Police Officer Anthony Dia, the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation has announced it will be taking on the mortgage on the slain officer’s home.
In making the announcement, the Foundation promised his wife Jayme that she will never have to make another mortgage payment again.
Officer Dia was killed while performing a welfare check on an intoxicated man on July 4. As he approached the man to offer his help the man opened fire and struck Officer Dia.
His final heartbreaking radio message was for his wife Jayme and their two young sons Younes, 8, and Maytham, 6.
He told the police dispatcher, “tell my family I love them.”
“Officer Dia lost his life answering a call for help. He went to work that morning looking forward to celebrating the Fourth of July at a family cookout, but he never made it home. Now, we want to make sure Jayme and their boys know their husband and daddy was a hero – and that all of America has their backs,” said Frank Siller, Chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Officer Dia was a two-year veteran of the Toledo Police Department, having joined the force in July, 2018. He had previously served with the Mercy Health Police Department for two years.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Fallen First Responder Home Program, created in 2015, pays off the mortgages for the families of law enforcement officers and firefighters killed in the line-of-duty who leave behind young children. The Foundation’s goal is to ensure stability and security for these families who have faced sudden, tragic loss.
You can help the Tunnel to Towers Foundation continue to provide mortgage-free homes to the families of heroes like Officer Dia by donating $11 per month.