Staten Island, New York, Sept. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Tunnel to Towers Foundation today announced the establishment of the Tunnel to Towers 9/11 Institute™, the organization’s expanded effort to educate and inform future generations of the 9/11 fallen and the heroic actions that took place on September 11, 2001.
The Tunnel to Towers 9/11 Institute™ is a multifaceted educational program that provides public, private, and home educators with access to non-fiction 9/11 resources, such as full curriculum units built around first-person accounts for grades K–12, with social studies lessons, activities, and background for teachers, as well as the Discovering Heroes® series authored by Kristie Kiernan Bouryal, which will soon be solely distributed by the Institute. All curriculum units have been developed by educators within the 9/11 community.
The Institute’s 9/11 Never Forget Speakers Bureau provides students and educators with access to both virtual and in-person testimonials from 9/11 first responders, survivors, and their loved ones.
The Institute will also deploy the Foundation’s 9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit, a hightech, 83-foot tractor trailer that transforms into an 1,100-square-foot interactive exhibit, with 9/11 artifacts and guided tours carried out by retired members of the FDNY.
Tunnel to Towers is also proud to announce that it will grant financial scholarships to the children of program recipients who are exemplary high school students preparing for college. The Russell F. Siller Memorial Scholarships are named in honor of Siller family patriarch and longtime educator Russell F. Siller (August 6, 1942 – November 8, 2019).
“The sacrifice my brother Stephen and so many others made on September 11, 2001 is the reason Tunnel to Towers is here today, reminding America of its vow to NEVER FORGET, as we support first responders, military service members, and their families. But how can we honor that vow when a whole generation knows little to nothing about that day? Over the years, it has become increasingly clear that we must do more to educate the younger generations, to make sure they hear the stories of the thousands of ordinary people who have become our heroes. Only 16 states in our country require even a mention of 9/11 - a mention, not that it be taught comprehensively. That is unacceptable, and we are going to change that moving forward,” said Tunnel to Towers Chairman and CEO Frank Siller.
Educators, community leaders and others who are interested in the comprehensive, non-fiction resources offered through the Tunnel to Towers 9/11 Institute™ or would like to get involved can visit T2T.org/911Institute for more information.
About the Tunnel to Towers Foundation
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is dedicated to honoring the sacrifice of FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller, who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001. For more than 20 years the Foundation has supported our nation’s first responders, veterans, and their families by providing these heroes and the families they leave behind with mortgage-free homes. For more about the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and its commitment to DO GOOD, please visit T2T.org. Follow @Tunnel2Towers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
