Tunnels to Towers Late-October 2026 Update: An Islanders Game, a Mortgage Paid Off, and Two Veterans Village Milestones

An Islanders Game Became a Family's Fresh Start

On Monday, October 19, 2026, during a New York Islanders home game, the Tunnels to Towers Foundation and the Islanders revealed that they had paid off the mortgage of Hope McHale, a 57-year-old Manhasset, Long Island widow whose FDNY husband died on September 11, 2001. The foundation also committed to covering the college tuition of her twins. The announcement came as part of the foundation's 25th-anniversary promise: to deliver 343 mortgage-free homes in 2026, one for every FDNY member lost on 9/11.

This is the heart of the mission. A family that carried more than two decades of loss got a chance to stay in their home without the weight of a mortgage, and two young people got their education covered. When I read stories like this, I think about what a stable home means: security for the family, continuity for the kids, and a foundation for the rest of their lives. Real estate is about people, not just properties.

Two Veterans Village Ceremonies This Week

Two big Veterans Village moments land in the same week. On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the foundation holds the grand opening of its Detroit Veterans Village. Then on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 11 a.m. at 1823 Wabash Avenue in Northfield, New Jersey, it breaks ground on a new Veterans Village on the former Arthur R. Henry Inc. site.

Veterans Villages are a growing part of the foundation's work: affordable, supportive housing for veterans, many of whom face housing instability after service. Earlier this year the foundation broke ground on Veterans Villages in Island Park, New York and Jacksonville, Florida. Housing for those who served is one of the most pressing needs in the country, and every ceremony moves the mission forward.

The 5K Season Keeps Building

The fall run season continues to gain momentum. On October 17, 2026, the inaugural Hernando, Mississippi Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk at Hernando Hills Elementary raised more than $8,500 in its debut. And on Saturday, October 24, 2026, the Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk Trinity Pasco takes place at 8:30 a.m. at Starkey Ranch District Park in Odessa, Florida.

These events are how the mission grows. Every registration fee and every donation becomes a mortgage payoff, a Veterans Village, or a hero family's fresh start. The 25th Anniversary NYC 5K on September 27 drew more than 40,000 participants, and the FOX 5 television special about that run aired in markets across the country through October 18. The anniversary year is compounding, one community at a time.

A Year of Milestones, Still Building

These late-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 Fort Myers 5K raised a record $75,000, the Chicago Tower Climb raised $44,000, and AUSA presented Chairman and CEO Frank Siller its highest honor, the Marshall Medal: read my mid-October update.

The foundation is on track to deliver more than 2,000 mortgage-free homes to hero families by the end of 2026, with more than $1 billion committed across its programs. Earlier payoffs this year have included the family of a Delaware State Trooper, the family of an Ada County, Idaho deputy, and the family of a former NYPD sergeant in Florida. Each one is a family that gets to stay in the home their hero worked for.

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. The first West Coast 5K ran at Huntington City Beach on September 19: why that event matters for our region. The Steel Across America tour carried a World Trade Center beam through the West LA Veterans Campus this summer. A veteran in Valencia, a firefighter's widow in Canyon Country, a Gold Star parent in Saugus: hero families are our neighbors.

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. 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.
• Register for a 5K: The Trinity Pasco event is October 24, and the foundation regularly adds new events nationwide. Check the Tunnels to Towers events calendar for one near you.
• Attend the ceremonies: The Detroit Veterans Village grand opening is October 21 and the Northfield, New Jersey groundbreaking is October 28.
• 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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