Staten Island, NY, Aug. 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation is nearing its goal to pay off the mortgage on slain Weymouth Police Sgt. Michael Chesna's home.
After Sgt. Chesna was killed on July 15, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a non-profit established in memory of a fallen 9/11 firefighter and dedicated to supporting the families of first responders killed in the line of duty, announced it would donate $100,000 and raise the remaining funds to pay off the mortgage on the family’s Hanover home, where his widow, Cindy, and two children--Jack and Olivia--reside.
This effort received a substantial boost from Peco Real Estate Partners (PREP), owners of the Hanover Mall, in the form of a $25,000 donation.
“After witnessing the unity and compassion of the 6,000 officers who used our mall as a staging area for Sgt. Chesna’s funeral, and seeing the outpouring of support from the community, there was no hesitation from PREP in wanting to help any way we could,” said Ed Callahan, General Manager of the Hanover Mall. “Our local leadership team has relatives who are in law enforcement and it is our honor to help the families of brave first responders.”
Frank Siller, Chairman and CEO of Tunnel to Towers, added, “In the wake of this senseless and sudden loss, it is inspiring to see the leaders in the community step up and show the Chesna family they are not and will not be forgotten.”
As Tunnel to Towers approaches its goal, there is still much more that needs to be done. Visit Tunnel2Towers.org to find out how you can help. One-hundred percent of the money raised will go directly to the Chesna family.
About the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation
The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s mission is to honor the sacrifice of Stephen Siller, who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001. Tunnel to Towers refers to the run Stephen Siller made on 9/11 while off-duty when the attack occurred. Carrying over 60-pounds of his firefighting gear he ran through a blocked-off Brooklyn Battery Tunnel (now the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel) to the Twin Towers where Stephen, 34, perished. He left behind a wife and five very young children. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Fallen First Responder Home Program offers financial assistance to the families of firefighters, police officers and other first responders lost in the line of duty. To date, the Foundation has pledged $7 million in the form of trust accounts and mortgage payments to 25 families. One-hundred percent of donations go directly to the families of these heroes.
For more about the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, please visit tunnel2towers.org
About PECO Real Estate Partners
PREP has incorporated Phillips Edison & Company's former development and strategic retail divisions and will focus on the acquisition, repositioning and management of power and lifestyle centers, enclosed malls, mixed use retail projects and single tenant developments. PREP is a fully integrated real estate operating and asset management company. The company has expertise in every discipline of retail shopping center operation and management. Through the execution of a focused investment strategy, PREP identifies optimal target locations and leverages its management team's long-standing relationships with brokers, property owners and retail tenants, to identify and capitalize on development and redevelopment opportunities. For more information about PREP, visit our website at www.preppg.com.