Hundreds of climbers filed into One Tampa Center before dawn Saturday, lacing up boots and pinning photographs of fallen loved ones to their shirts before tackling 861 stairs in tribute to the 343 FDNY firefighters killed during the September 11 terrorist attacks. The annual Tunnel to Towers climb drew community members and first responders together on Saturday, October 3, 2026, 22 days after the 25th anniversary of the 2001 attacks, turning a Tampa office tower's stairwells into a path of remembrance.
Opening ceremonies were scheduled for 8 a.m., with the first climbers heading up at 8:30 a.m., according to organizers cited by FOX 13 Tampa Bay. Participants climbed the stairs of One Tampa Center in memory of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, whose story inspired the nonprofit's name after he strapped on his gear and ran through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel to reach the Twin Towers on 9/11. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was established to honor the heroes of that day while also supporting today's service members and first responders, the station reported.
A Tampa Officer's Sacrifice Remembered
Among those honored locally was Officer Jesse Madsen, a 45-year-old Tampa police Master Patrol Officer killed in the line of duty, according to the station's report. Officials with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation have said Madsen heroically veered his police cruiser into the path of a wrong-way driver to protect others, a sacrifice detailed on the foundation's own tribute page. The foundation says it paid off the mortgage on Madsen's family home, and Tampa Police Department representative Elisa Romero spoke to his legacy at the event, per the same account.
Other climbers carried deeply personal reasons up the stairwell. Chavon Howard climbed in memory of her nephew, Brandon King, who was killed in action in Afghanistan, and also honored FDNY chaplain Mychal Judge, according to the station's report. Howard additionally climbed in honor of her son, Lagarian Sharkey, the article notes. Allie Corey, another participant cited in the report, encouraged community members to take part in the climb at least once.
Funds Raised and Participant Totals Not Yet Released
Organizers had not released the total number of participants for Saturday's Tampa climb, nor the exact amount of funds raised, as of the station's report. A previous year's Tampa climb drew more than 500 participants over more than 800 stairs, according to a separate report from FOX 13 News, which also described retired City of Largo firefighter Joe Horton completing that earlier climb suited up in roughly 50 pounds of gear. Registration materials for this year's event, posted on runsignup.com, had asked participants to arrive by 8 a.m. for the opening ceremony and projected more than 500 climbers, with rooftop space described as limited. That route takes climbers to the 41st floor and rooftop across 861 steps.
A Foundation Built on Mortgage-Free Homes
Nationally, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation says it has delivered more than 2,000 mortgage-free homes and provided housing assistance to more than 20,000 veterans as of 2026, according to the station's report. Among the recipients honored at past events is Katie Nicholson, who received the sixth home ever built by the foundation after her husband was wounded in 2011, the outlet reported.
The foundation this year announced its 343 Commitment, a pledge to pay off 343 mortgages for families of fallen first responders and provide them mortgage-free homes, according to the station's report. The foundation's own materials describe this as a commitment to deliver 343 mortgage-free homes throughout 2026 in tribute to the FDNY firefighters lost on 9/11, per t2t.org. Laurence Arango, manager of community relations at the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, provided an official email statement about the foundation, per the station's report.
Corporate Volunteers Lend a Hand
Support for Tampa Bay veterans and first responders has also come from corporate partners. Leigh Weaver, vice president and community manager at JPMorgan Chase, said the bank's Military Business Resource Group donated more than 2,000 volunteer hours to nonprofits supporting veterans and first responders in the Tampa Bay area, according to the station's report. The 343 Commitment follows a string of similar announcements this year, including 30 mortgage-free homes delivered to Gold Star families across 17 states in April, 25 homes paid off across 13 states around Memorial Day, and mortgage-free homes delivered to 30 fallen first responders' families across 19 states around Independence Day, according to releases from GlobeNewswire.
For the climbers who filled the stairwells of One Tampa Center Saturday, the exercise was never about personal records. It was about carrying names, photographs and memories up 861 steps, 22 days after the 25th anniversary of the morning that gave the Tunnel to Towers Foundation its purpose.
