OUR MISSION
The mission of our organization is to remember and honor all those that have made the ultimate sacrifice and/or perished on September 11, 2001. We honor those continuing to suffer and to those who have perished since.
Our organization will continue to strive towards supporting and recognizing our heroes - first responders and military.
FOUNDER
DONNA SPERA
I am a 9/11 survivor from the South Tower. I survived the plane hitting the floor I was on and witnessed my friends dying in front of me. Climbing down 100 flights of stairs and surviving was the only thing on my mind to get home to my husband. After making it out of the south tower before the building collapsed, I was immediately taken to a Brooklyn hospital and was there for two weeks, with first and second degree burns, gashes throughout my body and a broken hand. All I could think about were my friends and colleagues at AON and if they had survived, along with a best friend in the north tower who was killed.
After a very long period of healing physically I was determined to move on ... although mentally is and always will be a struggle, suffering from survivors guilt and PTSD. There are good days and bad days, but I live life like it was my last day.
A best friend of mine and my husband came up with an idea about having a golf outing in 2018 to benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Thinking it was a crazy idea, we put together a golf outing in a matter of 2 months, raising $8,000. Amazed at the outcome, we have continued our golf outings and each year have raised more than the previous years. Our outings are such a big success and for me, it is part of my healing. It makes my heart so happy with all the support I receive from family and friends.
I participate in several Tunnel to Towers events, including the Tower Climb and the 5K in New York. I will continue to support them as long as I can.
Our organization will continue to be a success with the generous support of family, friends and businesses.
TRUSTEE
TED SPERA
My Name is Ted Spera I am the husband of Donna Spera, as you know my wife is a 9/11 survivor. And I am big supporter of her.
We started this golf outing 5 years ago from a conversation amongst friends in a backyard over drinks. It’s such a great opportunity to do this golf outing every year and to know that we can make a difference, by supporting veterans and first responders. We are dedicated on keeping 9/11 as a date to always remember and to keeping memories of those that have perished alive.
TRUSTEE
CHRIS FOLEY
What started out as a thought over a few beers around a fire pit in a backyard in the summer of 2018 has now morphed into GFH, something we are extremely proud of and have watched grow into this wonderful organization that has helped so many, including all of us who are a part of it. Like many of you 9/11 affected me deeply that fateful Tuesday in September. I was in New York City that day a couple of miles away and will never forget the feelings and thoughts of that day and the days afterward. There were feelings of sadness, anger, patriotism, and most importantly of…HOPE. We all knew someone whose life was forever changed that day but for me it wasn’t until my wife Edith reconnected with an old High School friend back in 2008. Since that time the 4 of us, E, Donna, Ted, and myself have become so close that they are now family. I will never forget one night years ago as the 4 of us sat in my house and we got a firsthand account of what the 2 of them went through that day and the days after. That alone is the reason we do this. Donna alone is the reason we do this. But at this point I think she just keeps me around for the comic relief.
We could not do this without the extraordinary people we have surrounded ourselves with and without all of you and your generosity towards our organization. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your past, present, and future support and God Bless You All…
TRUSTEE
MICHAEL REILLY
So honored to be able to play a small part in an organization that wants to and has done good. One's life is shaped by events and the people you meet and mine is no different. Like many others I was there on 9/11. Many years later I was fortunate to become friends with Donna and Ted Spera and truly understood what it meant to be THERE.