(RALEIGH, NC)—The Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring first responders and military service personnel, is proud to unveil the country’s first 9/11 Mobile Museum at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on September 11, 2013. The 53-foot Mobile Museum will contain treasured artifacts donated by FDNY firehouses that have been specially selected to offer Americans a profound look at what happened on September 11, 2001. The Mobile Museum will then travel to Raleigh and be open to the public from September 17 to September 21 for the Tunnel To Towers 5K Run & Walk at PNC Arena.

“The events of September 11 still impact our world and daily lives,” said Lisa Bender, Tunnel to Towers Foundation Assistant Regional Director. “The attacks were aimed not only at the residents of New York City but at all America, at all Americans and our way of life; this unique museum brings the events of 9/11 plus the heroic service and sacrifices of first responders to all of America, to all Americans. A visit to the museum offers the important opportunity for all in the Triangle area to reflect upon the heroism and lessons of 9/11; this is an outstanding “teachable moment” when families can open the discussion about such events and our opportunities to do good each and every day.”

Stephen Siller, an off-duty FDNY firefighter and father of five, was on his way to play golf with his brothers on September 11, 2001. When he heard what was happening in Lower Manhattan on his scanner, he bravely turned his truck towards the terror. After getting stuck in traffic, Siller ran from the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel to the Twin Towers with 65 pounds of gear. He was last seen helping others escape. The Siller family created the Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation to honor Stephen’s legacy and follow in his footsteps by supporting families who lost loved ones on 9/11 and military members who have been seriously injured in the line of duty.

The Mobile Museum was created to honor and remind Americans of the heroic efforts of the first responders on 9/11. Memorabilia featured in the Mobile Museum will include an audio recording of the last known transmission shortly before the South Tower collapsed, pieces of aluminum façade from the World Trade Center, a small rendition of the bronze sculpture of Stephen Siller and pictures of his fire truck taken at Ground Zero, and other artifacts. The center piece of the exhibit will be a piece of World Trade Center steel welded into the form of the Twin Towers. In addition to stopping in Fayetteville and Raleigh, the Mobile Museum will be on display at the Georgia Dome during an Atlanta Falcons game and Heinz Field during a Pittsburgh Steelers game this September.

The Mobile Museum will be in Raleigh at PNC Arena from September 17 to September 21. On September 21, the Tunnel To Towers Foundation will host a 5K Run & Walk at PNC Arena as a part of its national 5K Run & Walk series. Proceeds from the Triangle area run will benefit the Building for America’s Bravest program, which will build two “Smart Homes” in Fayetteville for military service members returning home with devastating injuries. Registration for the PNC Arena 5K Run & Walk is now open and only $25 per adult and $20 per child. Special rates are available for firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMS and military personnel.

For more information about the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, please visit www.TunnelToTowers.org. To register and for more information about the 5K Run & Walk at PNC Arena, please visit www.t2trun.org. For more information about Building for America’s Bravest, please visit www.ourbravest.org.

About the Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation
The Tunnel To Towers Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing services for our most seriously injured first responders & military heroes through the Tunnel To Towers 5K Run & Walk Series and the Building for America’s Bravest program.