Five Long Island families of first responders who died from illnesses after the 9/11 terrorist attacks just had their mortgages paid off by a Staten Island-based nonprofit.
The families of FDNY Firefighter Peter Quinn of Bayport, East Meadow Fire Department Dispatcher Kevin Weeks, Honorary Chief Louis Sollicito of the Commack Volunteer Fire Department, Massapequa’s Suffolk County Police Officer Craig Capolino and Nesconset’s NYPD Police Officer Mark J. Natale had homes purchased or mortgages paid off on the 24th anniversary of the 2001 attack from Tunnel to Towers, which has supported over 2,000 families and first responders impacted that day.
The nonprofit also paid for a mortgage-free home for the family of New Jersey’s FDNY Lt. Anthony Cozzino in this recent round of grants from its Fallen First Responders Home Program. All six firefighters and police officers died between 2013-2024 due to cancers they were diagnosed with after responding to the call for service at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
“This anniversary is not only a time to remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost on Sept. 11, but also the hundreds more who have died in the years since from 9/11-related illnesses,” said Frank Siller, chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. The nonprofit is a tribute to Siller’s brother, who died on Sept. 11, 2001, when the Twin Towers collapsed.
The housing support comes as a significant relief to the Long Island families, especially those who lost their loved one recently from a 9/11-related cancer.
“I felt very overwhelmed and cried when I got the news…I felt like tons of bricks were lifting off my chest and felt very grateful,” said Kelly Weeks, the wife of Dispatcher Kevin Weeks, who died last year.
Others said the gift showed them their relative’s sacrifice truly had not been forgotten.
“It’s an overwhelming feeling of being forever grateful to your foundation and all that you do for us survivors,” said Lisa Capolino, the wife of Officer Craig Capolino, who died in 2013. “My husband loved his country and would have done anything for it.”
She said the foundation’s support allowed her and her children to stay in their Massapequa home.
John Huvane, the foundation’s director of first responder engagement, said the organization’s mission is to serve the families that lost “everything” that day.
“We made a promise. If you go out and you serve your country, your state or your city, and you leave behind small children, we will pay off your mortgage,” Huvane said. “And if you don’t have a house, we’ll buy you a house. We make sure that part is taken off the family’s plate so they don’t have to worry.”
He said it’s even more critical for the organization to provide support as the years after the attack stretch on.
“We’re approaching the 25th anniversary of 9/11. I know friends of mine who were down there. They can’t forget. They think about it every day,” he said. “Every year we lose more firefighters…That day was horrific. Now we spread it out over the past 24 years. It’s not going away.”
Donations to Tunnel to Towers can be made on their website.
