A person’s birthday is a special day. It means you are alive and have lived to see another year come and go – hopefully a year filled with love, laughter, learning, and all the good things that life has to offer! Milestone birthdays are even more special. When it came to our attention that Army Sergeant Bryan Dilberian would be turning 30 in January, the staff at the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation sprung to action and threw a party!
As you know, Bryan is a smart home recipient, here on Staten Island, through the Foundation’s Building for America’s Bravest program, and, of course, a dear friend to all of us here at Tunnel to Towers. It didn’t take long for us to decide to honor this important milestone birthday for this American hero. We wanted Bryan to know just how many people in his new community on care about him, and are grateful for another year of knowing him!
The party was a huge success! On Saturday, January 15th, the T2T family came together with our friends from Rolling Thunder Chapter 2 Staten Island to celebrate Bryan’s birthday. We enjoyed good food, good company, and many laughs! A special thank you goes out to the Marine Corps League Staten Island Detachment for allowing Tunnel to Towers to use the space to host the party! We really appreciate the hospitality!
We enjoyed the chance to celebrate Bryan’s 30 years of life – including his service in the United States Army, and his bravery and strength in recovering from catastrophic injuries. In addition, we toasted to his future, wishing him many years of happiness to come.
We sang Happy Birthday, Bryan blew out the candles, and he cut the cake while surrounded by so many people that he met through the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation. These relationships are real and strong. Those who work and volunteer with Tunnel to Towers have tremendous passion, each day showing their dedication to our military heroes.
Bryan was so appreciative that the T2T staff came together to give him the party. He thanked each of us several times throughout the night. It was our pleasure to do something special for him; seeing Bryan’s smile was all the “thank you” that we needed. Bryan is part of our family and we will continue to stand by his side for many years to come – not just through the smart home, but through a strong support system as well.
Tunnel to Towers wanted to make sure that Bryan had a birthday gift that reminded him of how much we all care about him – not just on his birthday, but all year round. The T2T staff created a scrapbook for him containing birthday wishes and photos from various Tunnel to Towers events and get-togethers from throughout the years. The scrapbook is something Bryan can display in his smart home and look at if he is having a tough day. Like the party, the scrapbook was given with love from all of us here at the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Happy 30th Birthday, Bryan! Your Tunnel to Towers family wishes you all the best for a bright future! We are so happy to have celebrated with you!