On September 11, 2001, firefighter Stephen Gerard Siller entered the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he tragically lost his life. His motivation to help that day had not been deterred by the fact that he had just finished his shift. Nor was he deterred when he couldn’t enter the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel by truck. So determined was he to do good, that he proceeded on foot, after hours, and ran towards the fire. To ‘do good’ was a guiding principle in Siller’s life, and it was one that would come to define his legacy.
Tunnels to Towers Foundation was born out of the extraordinary sacrifice Siller made on that fateful day. And the ethos he lived by has been enshrined in the T2T Foundation, which has raised over $500 million dollars in support of our nation’s greatest heroes and their families.
The T2T Foundation has various programs that benefit the military and first responders, one of which is the Smart Home Program. Via the smart home program, T2T builds mortgage-free houses for catastrophically wounded veterans and first responders, customizing the design of the house to meet the specific needs of the injured individual.
Our local Buddy Allen Carpet One (BACO) is a proud partner of the T2T Foundation – when a smart home is built in the Nashville area, BACO donates and installs the flooring. In addition to donating goods and services, BACO also holds an annual golf tournament to raise money for T2T.
This past May 10th – 11th, BACO held their annual ‘Tee Off’ party and golf tournament. The Tee Off party was a spirited evening of dinner, drinks, entertainment, and a live and silent auction. Local businesses contributed over 70 auction items – including a cowboy hat autographed by George Strait, We the People guitars, NASCAR race packages, and customized Jack Daniel's barrels with an engraved Stephen Siller logo.
The next day, BACO hosted their 7th annual golf tournament at the Pine Creek golf course. The tournament consisted of approximately 240 golfers organized into small teams – there was a morning flight and an afternoon flight, and each flight played 18 holes. Many of the participants were first responders (members of the Brentwood police and Lebanon fire) and retired veterans. The BACO tournament also proudly hosted USMC Lance Corporal Eli Tice, an injured veteran who will be receiving a smart-home in the middle Tennessee area.
The event was a smashing success, as BACO raised $53,000. In total, BACO has raised $250,000 for T2T over the past seven years. “Although this fantastic organization is based out of New York City,” Jenna Allen of BACO explains, “they are like family. I’m excited to be part of a community that continues to bring awareness.” Through flooring donations and their annual golf tournament, our local BACO is doing good for the community, and embodying the spirit of the T2T Foundation and the man himself – the towering figure of firefighter Stephen Siller.
