The 9/11 Memorial Ride was started on the 20th anniversary of the attack on America that took nearly 3000 lives. Originally, we were dedicating all proceeds to Tunnel to Towers, the organization started by Frank Siller in honor of his brother, Stephen, who died trying to save lives.
As the event evolved, we started dividing the proceeds between T2T and families of local fallen First Responders who were killed in the line of duty. Over the last five years, we have given over $50,000 to the families of local fallen first responders and another $20,000 to Tunnel to Towers.
This year (2026), we have decided to focus all our efforts locally, supporting our local community as well as the families of fallen servicemembers or First Responders who are killed in the line of duty. We have been asked “What is the criteria for your selection of donation recipients?” and “How do you choose who to support?”
Early on, we decided to follow the same criteria as Tunnel to Towers as to choosing the families we support.
- Must be the family of a First Responder (Police/Fire/EMS) or active duty Servicemember who is killed in the line of duty
- Must have children under the age of 18
Why number 2, you ask… When a parent provider dies and leaves behind a surviving spouse and children, that spouse now finds themselves in a position of being the sole parent and provider. As for children, they have lost one of their parents and need additional support as much as can be provided.
For organizations we are selecting, it’s simple: Their primary purpose must be in the support of Servicemembers, Veterans or First Responders.
Our mission is to support the families of those who serve us every day through their dedication to duty and who, unfortunately, may make the ultimate sacrifice while performing those duties.
While we will continue putting some of the proceeds every year into escrow in the event of another LOD death, we pray that those funds are never used.
9/11 Memorial Ride is a 501(c)3 organization and our Federal tax number is 87-1286759