Ann Marie Barron
Staten Island Advance, N.Y.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island’s Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced Friday that it will donate $1 million to the children of Ukraine.
Tunnel to Towers will distribute these funds directly to fellow nonprofits on the ground in Ukraine, including Kidsave in an effort to help children find safe haven amid the invasion of their country, a foundation announcement said.
“Over the last few weeks, all of us at Tunnel to Towers have been monitoring the invasion of Ukraine,” said Frank Siller, chairman and chief executive officer of the foundation. “The countless stories of displaced children and families in the region are absolutely heartbreaking. We started as a family charity. We are still a family charity, and we knew we had a moral obligation to step in and help these children.”
Since the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia began in late February, Kidsave has rescued hundreds of children and families from Ukrainian combat zones, and has transported them to the Polish border. There, they have been provided with food, basic resources and shelter, the Tunnel to Towers announcement said.
Tunnel to Towers has served as a sponsor of Kidsave since 2013.
“We are proud to support the work Kidsave is doing in Ukraine, and we look forward to identifying and assisting additional children’s charities in the region,” said Siller, who noted that the organization looks to donate even more after specified fundraising takes place.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was founded by Siller, of Westerleigh, and his family, and is dedicated to honoring the sacrifice of his brother, FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller, who lost his life at the World Trade Center on 9/11 while off duty after running through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel wearing his turnout gear. For 20 years the foundation has supported the families of lost first responders, veterans and those who are catastrophically injured by providing mortgage-free homes and smart homes.
https://www.facebook.com/KidsaveInternational/photos/a.434841578172/10159107490238173
This fundraising campaign is separate from the foundation’s efforts to support first responders and military families, said Trevor Tamsen, a foundation spokesman.
“No donation, one-time or monthly, will go to this cause unless a donor has specifically requested to support this cause,” he said. “Our commitment to America’s first responders, military service members, and their families is unwavering.”
For more information on the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, or to support its efforts to help Ukrainian children and families, visit T2T.org.
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