By-Line: Shannon Martin, Communications and Marketing
The City of Palm Coast announced that it will host the 4th Annual Tunnel to Towers 5K Run/Walk Palm Coast on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at Central Park in Town Center, beginning at 8 am. The previous three events raised nearly $50,000 with all proceeds going to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was formed by Frank Siller, brother of Stephen Siller, who was among the 343 first responders killed at the World Trade Center in New York City on the morning of September 11, 2001. Stephen, a Brooklyn firefighter, had just gotten off his shift that morning when he heard the news of what was happening at the World Trade Center. He quickly grabbed his bunker gear and headed towards the Twin Towers to help, only to find himself stuck in traffic at Brooklyn’s Battery Tunnel. He then abandoned his truck and rank in full bunker gear from the tunnel to the World Trade Center where he would lose his life while saving others – hence the foundation’s namesake.
Since its inception just weeks after 9/11, the organization has been committed to helping families of fallen veterans and first responders, as well as catastrophically injured service members by providing mortgage-free homes and has raised over $500 million to date. In December of 2021, the Tunnel to Towers broke ground on the “Let Us Do Good” village, a first-of-its-kind neighborhood in Land O’ Lakes, FL which features “smart homes” that are tailored to serve the needs of injured veterans with special features that assist in helping them to have normal functionality and mobility in their home, despite their injuries. The organization has also developed 10 Homeless Veterans Villages across the country, including one in Bradenton, FL plans include new villages in 11 other locations, including one in Orlando, FL, and Jacksonville, FL.
“Working with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation to bring this event here and seeing it blossom into an annual event because of the amazing support of our community, has been tremendously rewarding,” said Patrick Appolonia, Volunteer Race Director and member of the City’s Communications and Marketing team. “From our participants and our volunteers to our local first responders, it’s a special event that brings so many people together for a great cause.”
Registration for the Tunnel to Towers 5K Palm Coast is now open via the event registration page. Participants will be able to sign up and get special early-bird rates through Wednesday, January 15.
Early-bird rates during this period are as follows:
$25 Adults
$20 First Responders
$10 Teens 13-17 Years Old
$5 Children 12 and Under
Those interested in volunteering may also sign up via the volunteer registration page. All participants and volunteers will receive a Tunnel to Towers t-shirt, and customized medals for the event. For all inquiries or sponsorship opportunities, email palmcoast@t2t.org
For more information about Tunnel to Towers Foundation, visit t2t.org
