Tunnels to Towers October 2026 Update: AUSA Honor, a Record 5K, and a $15,000 Golf Milestone

Frank Siller Receives AUSA's Highest Honor

On Monday, October 5, 2026, the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) announced that Frank Siller, Chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, received its highest honor. AUSA cited his decades of service to Gold Star families, first responders, and catastrophically injured veterans, and the mission he has carried since his brother Stephen Siller, an FDNY firefighter, ran through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel toward the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.

The foundation's numbers make the reason clear: more than 2,000 mortgage-free homes delivered to hero families, over $1 billion committed across its programs, and the upcoming 343 homes being delivered in 2026, one for every FDNY member lost on 9/11. This is the 25th anniversary year of the mission, and the honor lands at the peak of a year of visible progress: I wrote about the October milestones earlier this month, including the Detroit Veterans Village grand opening on October 21 and the Northfield, New Jersey groundbreaking on October 28.

Fort Myers 5K Raises a Record $75,000

On Monday, October 5, 2026, the annual Tunnel to Towers 5K in Fort Myers, Florida raised a record $75,000 with nearly 1,000 participants at Florida SouthWestern State College. Local coverage reported the event as the most successful in its history, with every registration dollar going toward mortgage-free homes and veteran housing programs.

A record like that does not happen by accident. It happens when a community decides that the families of the fallen and the wounded are worth showing up for. That is the same spirit I see in Santa Clarita when veterans, first responders, and neighbors come together for local causes.

Virginia Radio Stations: $15,000 at Swing Fore Heroes

On Wednesday, October 7, 2026, Audacy's Richmond, Virginia stations WRVA and WRNL (910 The Fan) reported raising more than $15,000 for the foundation through the inaugural Swing Fore Heroes golf tournament at Hunting Hawk Golf Club in Ashland, Virginia. Thirty four-person teams competed, and the afternoon closed with a check presentation benefiting Tunnels to Towers programs.

I love this one because golf tournaments, 5K runs, and tower climbs all share one trait: people trading a morning or an afternoon for a family's financial peace of mind. It is Service Before Self in its most practical form.

The 25th Anniversary Year, Still Building

These October headlines sit on top of an extraordinary year. On September 11, the foundation announced 55 mortgage payoffs for families of fallen first responders, part of its 343-home living memorial: Tunnels to Towers Pays Off 55 More Mortgages on the 25th Anniversary of 9/11. The 25th Anniversary NYC 5K Run & Walk drew tens of thousands on September 27, the Chicago Tower Climb raised $44,000, and the first Southern California 5K ran at Huntington City Beach on September 19: why that event matters for Southern California.

And the Tampa Tower Climb on October 3 honored Stephen Siller and the 343 firefighters lost on 9/11: the full recap from earlier this week. The mission keeps compounding, one family at a time.

Why This Mission Matters Close to Home

Some people ask why a Santa Clarita REALTOR writes so often about a national foundation. The answer is simple: the families this mission serves live everywhere, including Southern California. A veteran in Valencia, a firefighter's widow in Canyon Country, a Gold Star parent in Saugus: Tunnels to Towers has helped hero families across our region, and the Steel Across America tour brought the World Trade Center beam through the West LA Veterans Campus this summer.

My commitment to Service Before Self is why I support this mission, and it is the same reason I serve veterans, first responders, and special-needs families in my everyday work. Real estate is about people, not just properties. When a hero family has a stable home, the schools, the neighborhoods, and the whole community feel it.

How You Can Help

• Donate or fundraise: Every dollar at t2t.org goes directly toward mortgage-free homes and veteran housing.
• Attend the October ceremonies: The Detroit Veterans Village grand opening is October 21 and the Northfield, New Jersey groundbreaking is October 28. Details are on the state and city calendars I linked in my October milestones article.
• Share the story: A veteran or first-responder family in your own network may not know about the mortgage assistance and housing support available to them. Sharing this article is an easy way to serve.

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