A remarkable artist who helps us see the humanity in others.
From The Ground Up
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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FROM THE GROUND UP follows the widows of five New York firefighters ten years after 9/11. It's their journey, two steps forward and one step back, through tears, depression, and laughter to triumph over tragedy. It's five women finding strength to forge through madness and comfort their children while the world watches.
FROM THE GROUND UP is a personal and emotional account of how 9/11 permeates the lives of these women. We see how this tragedy has strengthened them, forcing them to dig deeper to give new meaning to their lives, empower their families and make a difference in their communities. Turning evil into good, they lift our spirits and honor their heroic husbands in the most fitting ways they can imagine from building a library, starting several foundations and instituting the hugely succesful Tunnel to Towers run.
'These are very powerful stories of coping and resilience. The sense of social support among the families is a great example of preserving their loved ones' legacy. Let's hope that their brave act is contagious.' Ali. M. Gheith, Director, Emergency and Disaster Management Program, Metropolitan College of New York
'From the Ground Up is a remarkably sensitive and observant film that documents the strength and resilience of the FDNY widows of the fallen firefighters of 9/11. This film is a poignant reminder of the sacrifice a few made for so many, and a moving memorial to the widows and children, who should be remembered--along with their loved ones who perished--for they also suffered a loss that is all too easily forgotten.' Dr. Paul A. Kurzman, Professor of Social Work, Hunter College, Professor of Social Welfare, The City University of New York, Co-author, Work and the Workplace: A Resource for Innovative Policy and Practice
'A well-made, concise documentary demonstrating the devastation and loss of loved ones from September 11 while emphasizing the resilience of spirit and action of people coming together after traumatic loss...This film would be a nice supplement to any classroom or workshop discussion of resilience after trauma--it humanizes the concepts with real women and the real organizations that they have built that now benefit so many.' Dr. Donna Flayhan, Associate Professor, Communication and Media, SUNY-New Paltz, Founder and Director, The Lower Manhattan Public Health Project
'This movie beautifully illustrates three important features of the widows' experiences after the WTC attacks. First, they show how the chaos, confusion, and complexity of the early hours, days, and weeks lengthened the time required for widows and children to actualize and accept the loss. Second, their perspective 10 years after the attacks highlights the fact that some losses you never get over, but you learn to live with them. Third, the movie illustrates how a productive, full, generous, and joyous life can coexist with the pain of profound loss. This is an excellent film that provides important insights into the grief process.' Dr. Grace Christ, Professor of Social Work, Columbia University, Co-founder, Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network
'Reveals the healing value of making a difference in one's community. A true story of everyday heroism and learning how to channel pain and loss into a positive drive to make the world a better place, From the Ground Up is highly recommended especially for school and public library DVD shelves.' The Midwest Book Review
'Provides a fresh look...From the Ground Up underscores the fact that a decade later, the stories of September 11 are not just about the events of that day but about how survivors turned grief into action. By focusing on community building, interior strength, and determination, the filmmakers suggest that anyone, not just the wives of fallen firefighters, can 'go out and do something positive in their name.' Highly recommended.' Sarah Cornell, Daniel Webster College, Educational Media Reviews Online
'An emotional insight...Alternative communities--such as the formation of a support group, a library, or a charity--are shown to develop as an almost innate process during the collective grieving which has been spontaneously imposed on these women.' James Harvey-Davitt, University of Nottingham, 49th Parallel Journal
Citation
Main credits
Gage, Beth (Producer)
Gage, Beth (Director)
Gage, Beth (Screenwriter)
Gage, George (Producer)
Gage, George (Director)
Garbarini, Andrea (Producer)
Martinez, Richard (Composer)
Lehman, William (Editor)
Other credits
Story, Beth Gage; directory of photography, George Gage; executive producer, Andrea Garbarini; original score, Richard Martinez; editor, William Lehman.
Distributor subjects
American Studies; Anthropology; Citizenship and Civics; Community; Conflict Resolution; Death And Dying; Grief Counseling; Guidance; Healing; Peace Studies; Psychology; Social Work; Sociology; Violence and TerrorismKeywords
9/11, New York, New York City, FDNY, World Trade Center, firefighters, widow, heroes, Jack Fanning, Jack Fanning Memorial Foundation, Maureen Fanning, Angels for Autism, Dennis McHugh, Dennis P. McHugh Library, Piermont, Una McHugh, Bob McPadden, Kate Richardson, Stephen Siller, Stephen Siller Children's Foundation, Tunnel to Towars Run, Sarah Siller, Charley and Andrea Garbarini, Rwanda,"From The Ground Up",Bullfrog Films
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(MUSIC - LUCY KAPLANSKY,
\"LAND OF THE LIVING\")
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We still sometimes forget just
how big those buildings were,
00:01:02.890 --> 00:01:03.970 align:middle line:90%
the two Twin Towers.
00:01:03.970 --> 00:01:09.060 align:middle line:84%
And they were 1,360 feet
or about 415 meters.
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40,000 to 50,000 people
worked in the Towers.
00:01:11.930 --> 00:01:15.280 align:middle line:84%
But in addition to that,
you had about 150,000 people
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coming through this
area, because underneath
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was the subways, the
PATH trains, the shops
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and restaurants.
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You could live down there if
you wanted to for a week or two
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and survive and be fine.
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It really quite amazing.
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So come along this way.
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I knew Stephen when
he was a child.
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We grew up a block
apart from each other,
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went to the same grammar school.
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We went on a double date
with our best friends,
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and we were together ever since.
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Soul mates ever since.
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My husband, Dennis,
was a fireman,
00:01:55.135 --> 00:01:58.530 align:middle line:90%
he worked at Ladder 13.
00:01:58.530 --> 00:02:01.780 align:middle line:84%
We looked at it that we had
the best of both worlds.
00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:03.920 align:middle line:84%
He had a career he
loved, and it enabled
00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:06.390 align:middle line:84%
him to spend time
with our children
00:02:06.390 --> 00:02:10.800 align:middle line:84%
while I worked full
time teaching everyday.
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Charley and I started
dating when I was 16.
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His sister, Peggy,
introduced us.
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He was adorable, and he
had such a personality.
00:02:19.580 --> 00:02:21.350 align:middle line:90%
He was very, very funny.
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He\'d always introduce
me as his first wife.
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He\'d hand out cards that
said \"Charles Garbarini: You
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Light \'Em, We Fight \'Em.\"
00:02:27.930 --> 00:02:29.220 align:middle line:90%
And that was his calling card.
00:02:29.220 --> 00:02:32.660 align:middle line:90%
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Jack was a career firefighter.
00:02:34.430 --> 00:02:41.290 align:middle line:84%
He had a very illustrious career
that spanned almost 32 years.
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He became captain and
chief and ultimately
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Chief of Hazardous
Materials Operations.
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My husband was a
Domestic Preparedness
00:02:53.810 --> 00:02:55.610 align:middle line:90%
for Terrorism Specialist.
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One of his last conversations,
one of our friends
00:02:59.260 --> 00:03:01.710 align:middle line:84%
said, \"Jack, how\'s
it going?\", meaning
00:03:01.710 --> 00:03:03.290 align:middle line:90%
with the hazardous materials.
00:03:03.290 --> 00:03:06.960 align:middle line:84%
And Jack\'s response
was, \"It\'s coming,
00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:09.290 align:middle line:90%
and it\'s going to be big.\"
00:03:09.290 --> 00:03:13.474 align:middle line:84%
Then 48 hours later,
it was the Trade.
00:03:13.474 --> 00:03:23.932 align:middle line:90%
00:03:23.932 --> 00:03:26.240 align:middle line:84%
And on the morning
of September 11
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firemen responded from
all five boroughs.
00:03:30.097 --> 00:03:32.180 align:middle line:84%
One particular company
that responded that morning
00:03:32.180 --> 00:03:32.925 align:middle line:90%
was Engine 23.
00:03:32.925 --> 00:03:35.980 align:middle line:90%
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They carried a crew of five men
that morning, and one of them
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was my first husband
Bob McPadden.
00:03:41.060 --> 00:03:44.940 align:middle line:90%
00:03:44.940 --> 00:03:48.362 align:middle line:84%
My father-in-law called
and said, \"Did Charley
00:03:48.362 --> 00:03:49.070 align:middle line:90%
work last night?\"
00:03:49.070 --> 00:03:53.470 align:middle line:84%
And I said, yeah, he had gone
September 10 that evening.
00:03:53.470 --> 00:03:57.755 align:middle line:90%
And he said \"turn on the TV.\"
00:03:57.755 --> 00:04:02.080 align:middle line:90%
00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:06.110 align:middle line:84%
Jack was very good
at assessing a fire,
00:04:06.110 --> 00:04:08.710 align:middle line:84%
and looking up, and
looking at windows,
00:04:08.710 --> 00:04:12.930 align:middle line:84%
and knowing how well
he assessed situations,
00:04:12.930 --> 00:04:15.330 align:middle line:90%
he put two and two together.
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This is a huge fuel
bomb, and this is it.
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On 9/11, Stephen was on
his way home from work.
00:04:25.790 --> 00:04:28.240 align:middle line:84%
He worked in Squad
One in Brooklyn.
00:04:28.240 --> 00:04:30.990 align:middle line:84%
And he was going to meet me
my other brothers for golf
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that day.
00:04:32.167 --> 00:04:34.250 align:middle line:84%
My brothers-in-law started
to show up at the house
00:04:34.250 --> 00:04:35.730 align:middle line:90%
when Stephen was late.
00:04:35.730 --> 00:04:40.170 align:middle line:84%
He called me, and he said
I have the scanner on.
00:04:40.170 --> 00:04:41.650 align:middle line:84%
Something\'s hit
the Trade Center,
00:04:41.650 --> 00:04:43.310 align:middle line:90%
I\'m turning my car around.
00:04:43.310 --> 00:04:47.740 align:middle line:84%
Tell my brothers I don\'t know if
I can catch up with them later.
00:04:47.740 --> 00:04:50.730 align:middle line:84%
So he drove to the
Brooklyn Battery Tunnel,
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and he took his gear,
which is about 65, 70 lbs.
00:04:54.490 --> 00:05:00.050 align:middle line:84%
and strapped it to his back
and ran through the tunnel.
00:05:00.050 --> 00:05:03.807 align:middle line:84%
And that was the last
time I spoke with him.
00:05:03.807 --> 00:05:05.890 align:middle line:84%
And then they found his
car parked at the entrance
00:05:05.890 --> 00:05:08.160 align:middle line:90%
to the tunnel.
00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:09.330 align:middle line:90%
Nobody knew anything.
00:05:09.330 --> 00:05:12.850 align:middle line:84%
Everybody was
basically scrambling.
00:05:12.850 --> 00:05:15.190 align:middle line:84%
I called the firehouse
constantly finding out
00:05:15.190 --> 00:05:20.520 align:middle line:84%
an update, and nobody really
knew what was going on.
00:05:20.520 --> 00:05:23.070 align:middle line:84%
At that moment, it
was a waiting game.
00:05:23.070 --> 00:05:24.950 align:middle line:84%
And I thought Stephen
was invincible,
00:05:24.950 --> 00:05:28.616 align:middle line:84%
so I did not believe that
anything could happen to him.
00:05:28.616 --> 00:05:33.140 align:middle line:84%
You know I think there\'s
been a part of me that
00:05:33.140 --> 00:05:39.816 align:middle line:84%
has been angry at him, because
we were so compromised at home.
00:05:39.816 --> 00:05:44.977 align:middle line:84%
But there\'s no way he would
have left a scene with people
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that needed help.
00:05:48.340 --> 00:05:50.930 align:middle line:90%
And that\'s what they did.
00:05:50.930 --> 00:05:55.610 align:middle line:84%
Everybody else ran
out, and they ran in.
00:05:55.610 --> 00:05:58.000 align:middle line:84%
And that\'s what I
think about our guys.
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They were truly the
bravest of the brave.
00:05:59.940 --> 00:06:07.160 align:middle line:90%
00:06:07.160 --> 00:06:09.420 align:middle line:84%
When they arrived Bob
and the men of Engine 23
00:06:09.420 --> 00:06:12.750 align:middle line:84%
were told to go into the
Marriott Hotel, which
00:06:12.750 --> 00:06:15.980 align:middle line:84%
was three World Trade Center
to rescue any remaining
00:06:15.980 --> 00:06:19.690 align:middle line:84%
guests or hotel employees
that might be there.
00:06:19.690 --> 00:06:22.790 align:middle line:84%
Now when the south tower
fell, it collapsed down
00:06:22.790 --> 00:06:26.000 align:middle line:84%
on top of the Marriott Hotel,
and it split that building
00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:26.500 align:middle line:90%
in two.
00:06:26.500 --> 00:06:29.270 align:middle line:90%
It created a huge gash.
00:06:29.270 --> 00:06:31.626 align:middle line:84%
Bob and the men of Engine
23 were all killed.
00:06:31.626 --> 00:06:33.042 align:middle line:84%
They were all
killed that morning.
00:06:33.042 --> 00:06:40.144 align:middle line:90%
00:06:40.144 --> 00:06:41.685 align:middle line:84%
The rest of the day
I went in and out
00:06:41.685 --> 00:06:44.510 align:middle line:90%
of belief and disbelief.
00:06:44.510 --> 00:06:48.680 align:middle line:84%
And I remained at school, and
it was lockdown procedures,
00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:50.240 align:middle line:90%
and it was chaotic.
00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:52.670 align:middle line:84%
And I remember at one point
sitting in a fourth grade
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class, and kids were
building blocks,
00:06:55.570 --> 00:06:57.780 align:middle line:84%
and they had no idea
what was going on.
00:06:57.780 --> 00:07:00.230 align:middle line:84%
However, they kept just
knocking them down.
00:07:00.230 --> 00:07:02.905 align:middle line:84%
And I just knew in my heart
at that moment he was gone.
00:07:02.905 --> 00:07:06.130 align:middle line:90%
00:07:06.130 --> 00:07:08.760 align:middle line:90%
Really, Jack always came home.
00:07:08.760 --> 00:07:11.800 align:middle line:84%
Jack jumped in the East
River, and Jack was fine.
00:07:11.800 --> 00:07:16.800 align:middle line:84%
Jack took out families of four
in burning apartment buildings,
00:07:16.800 --> 00:07:17.910 align:middle line:90%
and Jack came home.
00:07:17.910 --> 00:07:23.660 align:middle line:84%
And when the Towers had fallen,
I said, well, Jack\'s in a void.
00:07:23.660 --> 00:07:26.010 align:middle line:84%
If there\'s a building
collapsed, the person
00:07:26.010 --> 00:07:27.690 align:middle line:90%
is not seriously injured.
00:07:27.690 --> 00:07:33.100 align:middle line:84%
They can be in a void with
space between the beams,
00:07:33.100 --> 00:07:38.090 align:middle line:84%
and it\'s like, well, I
know Jack\'s in a void.
00:07:38.090 --> 00:07:41.770 align:middle line:84%
When I got home that afternoon,
I wouldn\'t leave the house.
00:07:41.770 --> 00:07:46.170 align:middle line:84%
And I just kept calling the
firehouse to ask about Dennis.
00:07:46.170 --> 00:07:49.620 align:middle line:90%
And they could say nothing.
00:07:49.620 --> 00:07:54.430 align:middle line:84%
But I knew if he was alive,
he would have contacted me.
00:07:54.430 --> 00:07:57.090 align:middle line:90%
And that was the beginning.
00:07:57.090 --> 00:08:15.830 align:middle line:90%
00:08:15.830 --> 00:08:20.937 align:middle line:84%
Some days it\'s September
12, and some days you
00:08:20.937 --> 00:08:22.520 align:middle line:84%
feel like it never
happened, that it\'s
00:08:22.520 --> 00:08:24.610 align:middle line:84%
too much to believe
that something
00:08:24.610 --> 00:08:28.650 align:middle line:84%
that catastrophic
could ever happen.
00:08:28.650 --> 00:08:33.250 align:middle line:84%
How do you explain an evil
act to innocent children?
00:08:33.250 --> 00:08:35.725 align:middle line:84%
On September 11 I had
9-year-olds, a 5-year-old,
00:08:35.725 --> 00:08:39.720 align:middle line:84%
a 3-year-old, a 21-month
old, and a 9-month old.
00:08:39.720 --> 00:08:43.340 align:middle line:84%
My children were so
young that the stages
00:08:43.340 --> 00:08:46.230 align:middle line:84%
of grief that you go through
were so hard, because we
00:08:46.230 --> 00:08:49.650 align:middle line:84%
were truly in shock for
such a long period of time,
00:08:49.650 --> 00:08:52.340 align:middle line:84%
and it truly was
owned by the world.
00:08:52.340 --> 00:08:55.390 align:middle line:84%
So it was a very, very difficult
journey for everybody involved.
00:08:55.390 --> 00:08:58.827 align:middle line:90%
00:08:58.827 --> 00:09:02.070 align:middle line:84%
It\'s really so
hard to comprehend
00:09:02.070 --> 00:09:07.224 align:middle line:84%
the amount of destruction
that occurred that day.
00:09:07.224 --> 00:09:11.070 align:middle line:90%
00:09:11.070 --> 00:09:19.430 align:middle line:84%
It took me a while to really
grasp that he wasn\'t in a void,
00:09:19.430 --> 00:09:20.933 align:middle line:90%
and that he wasn\'t coming home.
00:09:20.933 --> 00:09:25.090 align:middle line:90%
00:09:25.090 --> 00:09:28.400 align:middle line:84%
When you go through
something so traumatic,
00:09:28.400 --> 00:09:30.380 align:middle line:90%
you are out of control.
00:09:30.380 --> 00:09:32.140 align:middle line:84%
Your emotions are
out of control.
00:09:32.140 --> 00:09:34.900 align:middle line:84%
And I felt like I
was going crazy,
00:09:34.900 --> 00:09:38.930 align:middle line:84%
and I needed to find
someone or people to connect
00:09:38.930 --> 00:09:42.560 align:middle line:90%
with that could understand.
00:09:42.560 --> 00:09:46.950 align:middle line:84%
My cousin JP knew of two
widows, both named Andrea,
00:09:46.950 --> 00:09:49.900 align:middle line:84%
and within a couple of
months I had met them.
00:09:49.900 --> 00:09:51.800 align:middle line:84%
And we realized
pulling our families
00:09:51.800 --> 00:09:57.220 align:middle line:90%
together was the way to survive.
00:09:57.220 --> 00:10:00.250 align:middle line:84%
After September 11, I
started a support group
00:10:00.250 --> 00:10:01.805 align:middle line:90%
with a group of widows.
00:10:01.805 --> 00:10:03.430 align:middle line:84%
And if it wasn\'t for
them, I don\'t even
00:10:03.430 --> 00:10:05.240 align:middle line:84%
know how I would have
gotten through this.
00:10:05.240 --> 00:10:06.900 align:middle line:84%
I mean, I remember
we\'d get together,
00:10:06.900 --> 00:10:11.775 align:middle line:84%
and we\'d look at each other,
and we would just commiserate.
00:10:11.775 --> 00:10:16.280 align:middle line:90%
00:10:16.280 --> 00:10:19.090 align:middle line:90%
There are steps when we start.
00:10:19.090 --> 00:10:21.440 align:middle line:84%
There\'s a middle,
there\'s an ending,
00:10:21.440 --> 00:10:25.112 align:middle line:84%
you grieve, and for so many
people it was open-ended.
00:10:25.112 --> 00:10:27.815 align:middle line:84%
Where it was as if they just
went for a loaf of bread
00:10:27.815 --> 00:10:29.940 align:middle line:90%
and just came running back.
00:10:29.940 --> 00:10:31.030 align:middle line:90%
I was up all night.
00:10:31.030 --> 00:10:31.790 align:middle line:90%
We were all up.
00:10:31.790 --> 00:10:33.060 align:middle line:90%
I kept calling the firehouse.
00:10:33.060 --> 00:10:35.390 align:middle line:84%
I got to a point
where I could not...
00:10:35.390 --> 00:10:38.535 align:middle line:84%
I had to go down there, because
I felt like being a nurse,
00:10:38.535 --> 00:10:39.400 align:middle line:90%
I wanted to help.
00:10:39.400 --> 00:10:42.340 align:middle line:84%
And I was going to find Charley,
and to say why didn\'t you
00:10:42.340 --> 00:10:43.330 align:middle line:90%
call me, ding-dong?
00:10:43.330 --> 00:10:45.290 align:middle line:84%
Y\'know like give him
a knock in the head.
00:10:45.290 --> 00:10:46.900 align:middle line:90%
And I went down.
00:10:46.900 --> 00:10:50.680 align:middle line:84%
At 6 AM, I put my uniform on,
I called my friends in the ER
00:10:50.680 --> 00:10:52.990 align:middle line:84%
in the Bronx, I said I\'ve
got to go down there.
00:10:52.990 --> 00:10:54.610 align:middle line:84%
They said, \"we\'re
coming with you.\"
00:10:54.610 --> 00:10:57.240 align:middle line:90%
Nobody was on the roads.
00:10:57.240 --> 00:10:59.350 align:middle line:90%
FDR Drive was empty.
00:10:59.350 --> 00:11:02.595 align:middle line:84%
We flew down there, and
we went to St. Vincent\'s.
00:11:02.595 --> 00:11:04.050 align:middle line:90%
I will never forget this.
00:11:04.050 --> 00:11:06.390 align:middle line:84%
We walked in, and it
was so eerily quiet.
00:11:06.390 --> 00:11:09.619 align:middle line:84%
There was no one
coming in, nobody new
00:11:09.619 --> 00:11:10.660 align:middle line:90%
coming out of the rubble.
00:11:10.660 --> 00:11:13.940 align:middle line:84%
And then when we went to the
site, and we went looking,
00:11:13.940 --> 00:11:15.450 align:middle line:84%
and I still don\'t
know who this...
00:11:15.450 --> 00:11:18.280 align:middle line:84%
he was one of the chiefs, said,
\"Charley was with my brother.
00:11:18.280 --> 00:11:20.170 align:middle line:84%
And we don\'t know
where they are.\"
00:11:20.170 --> 00:11:22.220 align:middle line:90%
And at that moment, I knew.
00:11:22.220 --> 00:11:27.750 align:middle line:84%
And I didn\'t have the hope
that I wanted to have.
00:11:27.750 --> 00:11:30.940 align:middle line:84%
There was the service 27th
and 28th of September,
00:11:30.940 --> 00:11:33.720 align:middle line:84%
but as much as I
knew he was dead,
00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:36.380 align:middle line:84%
I also kind of thought,
well, if I have this,
00:11:36.380 --> 00:11:38.730 align:middle line:84%
and he\'s stuck somewhere,
or in a hospital,
00:11:38.730 --> 00:11:41.437 align:middle line:84%
and they haven\'t found him
yet, he\'s going to come back,
00:11:41.437 --> 00:11:42.270 align:middle line:90%
\"You couldn\'t wait?\"
00:11:42.270 --> 00:11:44.850 align:middle line:90%
00:11:44.850 --> 00:11:47.510 align:middle line:84%
So in my mind I was
just playing like,
00:11:47.510 --> 00:11:48.860 align:middle line:90%
let me just have this week.
00:11:48.860 --> 00:11:51.460 align:middle line:84%
We\'ll have the memorial service,
and he\'ll probably pop up.
00:11:51.460 --> 00:11:53.060 align:middle line:90%
Alive.
00:11:53.060 --> 00:11:55.090 align:middle line:84%
When those Towers
fell, we immediately
00:11:55.090 --> 00:11:57.540 align:middle line:90%
became a family in crisis.
00:11:57.540 --> 00:12:02.200 align:middle line:84%
My house was not manageable with
only one adult. And to think,
00:12:02.200 --> 00:12:04.950 align:middle line:90%
he\'s not walking up the walk.
00:12:04.950 --> 00:12:06.230 align:middle line:90%
This is it.
00:12:06.230 --> 00:12:07.060 align:middle line:90%
This is your life.
00:12:07.060 --> 00:12:10.930 align:middle line:90%
00:12:10.930 --> 00:12:13.120 align:middle line:90%
The boys are both autistic.
00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:15.790 align:middle line:84%
They function at
different levels
00:12:15.790 --> 00:12:18.050 align:middle line:90%
and different personalities.
00:12:18.050 --> 00:12:21.970 align:middle line:84%
So to really manage
taking care of them,
00:12:21.970 --> 00:12:26.000 align:middle line:84%
to provide for their
safety, and their education,
00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:28.900 align:middle line:90%
required two adults.
00:12:28.900 --> 00:12:32.150 align:middle line:84%
And without him here,
I couldn\'t function.
00:12:32.150 --> 00:12:36.270 align:middle line:90%
00:12:36.270 --> 00:12:38.520 align:middle line:84%
My sister came
from North Carolina
00:12:38.520 --> 00:12:41.760 align:middle line:84%
to help take care
of the boys and me.
00:12:41.760 --> 00:12:44.740 align:middle line:84%
And in the process of
being here, she\'s like,
00:12:44.740 --> 00:12:47.220 align:middle line:84%
\"Maureen\", she says,
\"I can\'t leave you.
00:12:47.220 --> 00:12:49.980 align:middle line:84%
You won\'t be able
to manage the boys.\"
00:12:49.980 --> 00:12:54.190 align:middle line:84%
And one night she emailed
Governor Pataki at the time,
00:12:54.190 --> 00:12:58.320 align:middle line:84%
explaining what likely happened
to Jack and could someone help.
00:12:58.320 --> 00:13:03.410 align:middle line:84%
And then Sean was placed in a
group home on November, 2001.
00:13:03.410 --> 00:13:07.540 align:middle line:84%
Very, very tough decision
to make at very bad time,
00:13:07.540 --> 00:13:10.000 align:middle line:84%
but it was physically
impossible for me
00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:15.120 align:middle line:84%
to be able to take care of
boy of the boys without him.
00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:17.900 align:middle line:84%
Jack\'s car being gone from
the corner of the house
00:13:17.900 --> 00:13:21.490 align:middle line:84%
was this acute reminder
of him being lost.
00:13:21.490 --> 00:13:25.890 align:middle line:84%
Because that car went down to
the Trade, that car was lost.
00:13:25.890 --> 00:13:30.200 align:middle line:84%
But Sean kept looking out
the window for the car.
00:13:30.200 --> 00:13:31.770 align:middle line:84%
The manager of the
group home said,
00:13:31.770 --> 00:13:36.330 align:middle line:84%
\"I think you need to talk to
Sean about his father being
00:13:36.330 --> 00:13:38.500 align:middle line:90%
gone.\"
00:13:38.500 --> 00:13:42.320 align:middle line:84%
I had taken pictures of
Sean, and pictures of Jack,
00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:44.820 align:middle line:84%
and pictures of the
Towers, but only would
00:13:44.820 --> 00:13:47.370 align:middle line:84%
use pictures of the
Towers with smoke.
00:13:47.370 --> 00:13:49.740 align:middle line:84%
And we went through
the series of pictures,
00:13:49.740 --> 00:13:54.080 align:middle line:84%
and then I said,
\"Sean, this is smoke.
00:13:54.080 --> 00:13:54.820 align:middle line:90%
Bad smoke.\"
00:13:54.820 --> 00:13:56.660 align:middle line:84%
I said Dad got hurt
in the bad smoke.
00:13:56.660 --> 00:14:01.480 align:middle line:90%
Dad\'s not coming back.
00:14:01.480 --> 00:14:04.608 align:middle line:90%
And Seanie screamed.
00:14:04.608 --> 00:14:06.039 align:middle line:90%
He just screamed.
00:14:06.039 --> 00:14:10.340 align:middle line:90%
00:14:10.340 --> 00:14:18.245 align:middle line:84%
And I knew that he did
understand that Jack was hurt.
00:14:18.245 --> 00:14:22.160 align:middle line:90%
00:14:22.160 --> 00:14:24.790 align:middle line:84%
Late, late on the
night of September 11,
00:14:24.790 --> 00:14:27.500 align:middle line:84%
when I felt in my heart
that Bob was gone,
00:14:27.500 --> 00:14:31.170 align:middle line:84%
I really did think
my life was over.
00:14:31.170 --> 00:14:32.570 align:middle line:90%
He was my future.
00:14:32.570 --> 00:14:33.460 align:middle line:90%
He was everything.
00:14:33.460 --> 00:14:38.600 align:middle line:84%
I thought what am I going to
do with the rest of my life?
00:14:38.600 --> 00:14:42.660 align:middle line:84%
And through the support
of family and friends,
00:14:42.660 --> 00:14:43.610 align:middle line:90%
I stand here today.
00:14:43.610 --> 00:14:45.340 align:middle line:84%
And I want to share
with you a story
00:14:45.340 --> 00:14:47.520 align:middle line:90%
that my grandmother told me.
00:14:47.520 --> 00:14:49.910 align:middle line:84%
She had a young brother
in World War II,
00:14:49.910 --> 00:14:51.817 align:middle line:84%
and he had a young
wife at home, and he
00:14:51.817 --> 00:14:52.900 align:middle line:90%
used to write her letters.
00:14:52.900 --> 00:14:56.390 align:middle line:84%
He wrote her, he said, \"If
something happens to me
00:14:56.390 --> 00:14:56.890 align:middle line:90%
in this war.
00:14:56.890 --> 00:14:58.720 align:middle line:84%
If something
happens to me, don\'t
00:14:58.720 --> 00:15:00.320 align:middle line:90%
let this war ruin two lives.\"
00:15:00.320 --> 00:15:03.370 align:middle line:90%
00:15:03.370 --> 00:15:09.100 align:middle line:84%
So they took 2,749
lives that morning,
00:15:09.100 --> 00:15:12.365 align:middle line:90%
but they didn\'t take mine.
00:15:12.365 --> 00:15:17.300 align:middle line:84%
And I think it\'s a testament,
really, to all those victims
00:15:17.300 --> 00:15:21.990 align:middle line:84%
to make the most of this life,
and to really celebrate it.
00:15:21.990 --> 00:15:24.580 align:middle line:84%
And it helps to carry
on their memories
00:15:24.580 --> 00:15:27.415 align:middle line:84%
just in living your life as
best you can to the fullest.
00:15:27.415 --> 00:15:33.310 align:middle line:90%
00:15:33.310 --> 00:15:36.550 align:middle line:84%
Piermont was a special
place for Dennis and I.
00:15:36.550 --> 00:15:39.220 align:middle line:90%
We went to church down here.
00:15:39.220 --> 00:15:41.450 align:middle line:84%
Our favorite restaurants
were down here,
00:15:41.450 --> 00:15:44.900 align:middle line:90%
and we exercised down here.
00:15:44.900 --> 00:15:47.355 align:middle line:84%
After September
11 when we trying
00:15:47.355 --> 00:15:49.805 align:middle line:84%
to get some meaning out
of what had happened
00:15:49.805 --> 00:15:52.450 align:middle line:84%
and go forward in
a positive way,
00:15:52.450 --> 00:15:54.690 align:middle line:84%
my family and I
and Dennis\' friends
00:15:54.690 --> 00:15:56.840 align:middle line:84%
created a foundation
after his name.
00:15:56.840 --> 00:15:59.760 align:middle line:84%
And our first
project was helping
00:15:59.760 --> 00:16:03.190 align:middle line:90%
Piermont build a library.
00:16:03.190 --> 00:16:05.400 align:middle line:84%
We felt that was important,
because that was also
00:16:05.400 --> 00:16:07.880 align:middle line:90%
a big piece of who Dennis was.
00:16:07.880 --> 00:16:10.620 align:middle line:84%
Being a fireman, he had a
lot of time on his hands,
00:16:10.620 --> 00:16:12.970 align:middle line:84%
and he really
helped raise Chloe,
00:16:12.970 --> 00:16:15.660 align:middle line:84%
so he knew every
library in town.
00:16:15.660 --> 00:16:17.630 align:middle line:84%
Dennis would know the
story times in each one
00:16:17.630 --> 00:16:20.860 align:middle line:90%
and bring Chloe.
00:16:20.860 --> 00:16:23.410 align:middle line:84%
It was a bit of hope
thing going in front
00:16:23.410 --> 00:16:26.960 align:middle line:84%
of me of trying to make
sense out of something
00:16:26.960 --> 00:16:29.990 align:middle line:90%
as crazy as September 11.
00:16:29.990 --> 00:16:33.700 align:middle line:84%
I just really wanted my
kids to see how important it
00:16:33.700 --> 00:16:36.950 align:middle line:84%
is to give back, and to be
the people they should have
00:16:36.950 --> 00:16:40.030 align:middle line:90%
been if Dennis was still here.
00:16:40.030 --> 00:16:42.855 align:middle line:84%
I wanted them to see
the good in the world.
00:16:42.855 --> 00:16:49.110 align:middle line:90%
00:16:49.110 --> 00:16:51.960 align:middle line:84%
The foundation\'s tag name
is Angels for Autism,
00:16:51.960 --> 00:16:56.100 align:middle line:84%
because I always call Sean
and Patrick my two angel boys.
00:16:56.100 --> 00:16:58.420 align:middle line:84%
Many, many of the families
have done different things
00:16:58.420 --> 00:17:01.800 align:middle line:84%
to honor their loved ones
in the aftermath of 9/11.
00:17:01.800 --> 00:17:05.160 align:middle line:84%
And we didn\'t really have to
think of anything as a family
00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:11.470 align:middle line:84%
because we already had a need
being that both of our son\'s
00:17:11.470 --> 00:17:13.609 align:middle line:90%
are autistic.
00:17:13.609 --> 00:17:15.829 align:middle line:84%
Tony from the office
had gone to Connecticut
00:17:15.829 --> 00:17:18.119 align:middle line:90%
to purchase Powerball tickets.
00:17:18.119 --> 00:17:20.680 align:middle line:84%
My husband called me, and
he was like, what would we
00:17:20.680 --> 00:17:22.150 align:middle line:90%
do if we one a lot of money.
00:17:22.150 --> 00:17:23.510 align:middle line:90%
And I said, I don\'t know, Jack.
00:17:23.510 --> 00:17:27.700 align:middle line:84%
He said we\'re going to buy a
group home for autistic kids.
00:17:27.700 --> 00:17:32.130 align:middle line:84%
Three weeks later, he
was gone in the Trade,
00:17:32.130 --> 00:17:38.130 align:middle line:84%
and that conversation became the
cornerstone for the foundation.
00:17:38.130 --> 00:17:41.500 align:middle line:84%
After the Trade, people
from all over the world
00:17:41.500 --> 00:17:43.900 align:middle line:84%
sent letters and
sent checks, and we
00:17:43.900 --> 00:17:47.130 align:middle line:84%
decided that we would create
a foundation in Jeff\'s name
00:17:47.130 --> 00:17:49.800 align:middle line:84%
and help families like
ours and other kids
00:17:49.800 --> 00:17:53.480 align:middle line:84%
like our own
children with autism.
00:17:53.480 --> 00:17:55.800 align:middle line:84%
Within four months,
we got the approval
00:17:55.800 --> 00:18:02.510 align:middle line:84%
to do two group homes, which
is a huge accomplishment.
00:18:02.510 --> 00:18:05.570 align:middle line:84%
You know, talk about collateral
damage from the incident,
00:18:05.570 --> 00:18:08.403 align:middle line:84%
and then there was this totally
good thing that happened.
00:18:08.403 --> 00:18:12.100 align:middle line:90%
00:18:12.100 --> 00:18:15.740 align:middle line:84%
I remembered when it first
happened and people would say,
00:18:15.740 --> 00:18:17.120 align:middle line:90%
I wish you peace.
00:18:17.120 --> 00:18:19.375 align:middle line:84%
And that\'s all I wanted
was peace in my heart.
00:18:19.375 --> 00:18:25.340 align:middle line:84%
All I wanted was a few moments
of not thinking about it.
00:18:25.340 --> 00:18:28.274 align:middle line:84%
And now I reflect, and
I go about the day,
00:18:28.274 --> 00:18:29.690 align:middle line:84%
and you think about
it, but you\'re
00:18:29.690 --> 00:18:33.200 align:middle line:84%
able just to experience
life like you knew it.
00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:36.480 align:middle line:84%
Feel sorry for
someone\'s sorrows and be
00:18:36.480 --> 00:18:39.896 align:middle line:84%
delighted with their
happiness as well.
00:18:39.896 --> 00:18:44.370 align:middle line:84%
I think it was just like little
by little the veil would lift,
00:18:44.370 --> 00:18:49.490 align:middle line:84%
and those things weren\'t as
dark and as foggy as they were.
00:18:49.490 --> 00:18:54.600 align:middle line:84%
In the time line that we
live, it becomes smaller line.
00:18:54.600 --> 00:18:56.340 align:middle line:90%
It doesn\'t mean it changes.
00:18:56.340 --> 00:19:00.750 align:middle line:84%
There\'s just more life
that fills in around it.
00:19:00.750 --> 00:19:03.780 align:middle line:84%
Many people in this community
have done amazing things
00:19:03.780 --> 00:19:06.610 align:middle line:84%
to pull themselves out
the rubble, so to speak.
00:19:06.610 --> 00:19:10.810 align:middle line:84%
Someone said it\'s the family you
never wanted, but you have it.
00:19:10.810 --> 00:19:12.150 align:middle line:90%
And we are blessed.
00:19:12.150 --> 00:19:13.850 align:middle line:90%
There must be a reason for that.
00:19:13.850 --> 00:19:16.100 align:middle line:84%
I mean, like my
journey to Africa,
00:19:16.100 --> 00:19:18.430 align:middle line:84%
I would love to just
connect with one widow,
00:19:18.430 --> 00:19:19.300 align:middle line:90%
and talk to her.
00:19:19.300 --> 00:19:22.080 align:middle line:84%
And just maybe
give her something,
00:19:22.080 --> 00:19:25.960 align:middle line:84%
and she give me something,
and we can comfort each other.
00:19:25.960 --> 00:19:28.550 align:middle line:84%
I\'ve always wanted to do
humanitarian work overseas.
00:19:28.550 --> 00:19:31.440 align:middle line:84%
And I was asked
by a friend who\'s
00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:34.550 align:middle line:84%
a physician who studies
malaria to join her
00:19:34.550 --> 00:19:37.080 align:middle line:84%
on a humanitarian
trip to Rwanda.
00:19:37.080 --> 00:19:46.530 align:middle line:90%
00:19:46.530 --> 00:19:49.080 align:middle line:84%
When I arrived there, I was
able to connect with some
00:19:49.080 --> 00:19:50.075 align:middle line:90%
of the Rwandan widows.
00:19:50.075 --> 00:19:54.430 align:middle line:90%
00:19:54.430 --> 00:19:57.260 align:middle line:84%
I ask them how they were able
to move through their grief
00:19:57.260 --> 00:20:02.520 align:middle line:84%
and survive the horrific
ordeal that they went through?
00:20:02.520 --> 00:20:06.430 align:middle line:84%
They offered to show me how
they dealt with their grief,
00:20:06.430 --> 00:20:10.930 align:middle line:84%
and the way they do it
is they reenact the day
00:20:10.930 --> 00:20:14.190 align:middle line:84%
that they found out that their
husbands and children were
00:20:14.190 --> 00:20:16.780 align:middle line:90%
slaughtered.
00:20:16.780 --> 00:20:20.390 align:middle line:84%
One woman would find another
woman, and then another woman,
00:20:20.390 --> 00:20:24.090 align:middle line:84%
and they would carry each
other out of the fields
00:20:24.090 --> 00:20:25.530 align:middle line:90%
and nurse them back.
00:20:25.530 --> 00:20:30.130 align:middle line:90%
00:20:30.130 --> 00:20:33.370 align:middle line:84%
They created organizations where
they would support each other
00:20:33.370 --> 00:20:36.380 align:middle line:84%
where they would help the
orphans that were left behind.
00:20:36.380 --> 00:20:38.412 align:middle line:84%
And they said that if it
wasn\'t for each other,
00:20:38.412 --> 00:20:40.120 align:middle line:84%
they would not have
been able to survive.
00:20:40.120 --> 00:20:44.590 align:middle line:90%
00:20:44.590 --> 00:20:46.810 align:middle line:90%
There are so many widows though.
00:20:46.810 --> 00:20:50.610 align:middle line:84%
This one organization I
went to had 4,000 members
00:20:50.610 --> 00:20:54.270 align:middle line:84%
of just women who
had no husbands.
00:20:54.270 --> 00:20:58.240 align:middle line:84%
Many of them were infected
with HIV during the genocide.
00:20:58.240 --> 00:20:59.910 align:middle line:84%
And they kept saying
to me that they
00:20:59.910 --> 00:21:03.660 align:middle line:84%
were so happy they could
help me with my grief.
00:21:03.660 --> 00:21:05.920 align:middle line:84%
I really have gotten
tremendous strength from them,
00:21:05.920 --> 00:21:08.375 align:middle line:84%
because going
there you just know
00:21:08.375 --> 00:21:09.500 align:middle line:90%
it\'s going to be all right.
00:21:09.500 --> 00:21:11.840 align:middle line:84%
Because these women
are still standing,
00:21:11.840 --> 00:21:15.430 align:middle line:90%
and they\'re moving forward.
00:21:15.430 --> 00:21:18.360 align:middle line:84%
When I\'ve been able to
make the best decisions
00:21:18.360 --> 00:21:20.920 align:middle line:84%
is when I\'ve thought
just about Jack
00:21:20.920 --> 00:21:24.680 align:middle line:84%
and how Jack would want
things to be handled.
00:21:24.680 --> 00:21:28.140 align:middle line:90%
00:21:28.140 --> 00:21:33.790 align:middle line:84%
We have some ongoing smaller
fundraising one big benefit
00:21:33.790 --> 00:21:36.070 align:middle line:90%
a year.
00:21:36.070 --> 00:21:39.350 align:middle line:84%
Different agencies applied
for grant requests,
00:21:39.350 --> 00:21:45.900 align:middle line:84%
and eight out of the 16 agencies
that applied were chosen,
00:21:45.900 --> 00:21:52.320 align:middle line:84%
and probably $100,000 will be
given out at the dinner event.
00:21:52.320 --> 00:21:56.550 align:middle line:90%
00:21:56.550 --> 00:21:59.780 align:middle line:84%
I wanted to thank you very
much for coming out tonight.
00:21:59.780 --> 00:22:01.540 align:middle line:84%
There are many,
many special people
00:22:01.540 --> 00:22:04.970 align:middle line:84%
in this room that
we could introduce,
00:22:04.970 --> 00:22:07.230 align:middle line:84%
but no more special
is Sean and Patrick.
00:22:07.230 --> 00:22:08.990 align:middle line:84%
I know they want
to say hi to you,
00:22:08.990 --> 00:22:10.626 align:middle line:84%
and they\'re right
here at table one.
00:22:10.626 --> 00:22:19.320 align:middle line:90%
00:22:19.320 --> 00:22:21.030 align:middle line:84%
But we also have
the city of Hoboken.
00:22:21.030 --> 00:22:23.850 align:middle line:90%
They adopted us.
00:22:23.850 --> 00:22:28.550 align:middle line:84%
Over 100 employees take $5.00
out of their paycheck every two
00:22:28.550 --> 00:22:31.200 align:middle line:84%
weeks, and that money
automatically goes
00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:33.340 align:middle line:90%
to the foundation.
00:22:33.340 --> 00:22:37.782 align:middle line:84%
People have been very, very
generous to us financially,
00:22:37.782 --> 00:22:42.230 align:middle line:84%
in spirit, physically,
emotionally,
00:22:42.230 --> 00:22:45.070 align:middle line:90%
just very, very good to us.
00:22:45.070 --> 00:22:47.070 align:middle line:84%
Wherever I go,
wherever life takes me,
00:22:47.070 --> 00:22:49.220 align:middle line:84%
I know there\'s no
place like New York.
00:22:49.220 --> 00:22:50.842 align:middle line:84%
I am so proud to
be a New Yorker.
00:22:50.842 --> 00:22:54.160 align:middle line:84%
They have stood by us,
and they never forget.
00:22:54.160 --> 00:22:57.210 align:middle line:84%
New York is the kindest
place in the world.
00:22:57.210 --> 00:23:00.990 align:middle line:84%
For me, I have to look
at the big picture.
00:23:00.990 --> 00:23:05.450 align:middle line:84%
What would my life had been like
I hadn\'t met Stephen Siller?
00:23:05.450 --> 00:23:07.320 align:middle line:90%
And I can\'t look at that.
00:23:07.320 --> 00:23:09.495 align:middle line:84%
It\'s better to have loved
him and then lost him
00:23:09.495 --> 00:23:12.020 align:middle line:84%
than to never have
had him in my life.
00:23:12.020 --> 00:23:12.910 align:middle line:90%
I have been blessed.
00:23:12.910 --> 00:23:15.368 align:middle line:84%
Some people never get their
Steve Siller in their lifetime.
00:23:15.368 --> 00:23:20.150 align:middle line:84%
So I know that, my
children know that.
00:23:20.150 --> 00:23:24.640 align:middle line:84%
He taught us through his
tragedy of losing his parents
00:23:24.640 --> 00:23:27.410 align:middle line:84%
early on that there\'s
no time to be wasted.
00:23:27.410 --> 00:23:28.610 align:middle line:90%
You cannot wallow.
00:23:28.610 --> 00:23:30.500 align:middle line:84%
You cannot feel
sorry for yourself.
00:23:30.500 --> 00:23:32.720 align:middle line:84%
He was never like that
throughout his life,
00:23:32.720 --> 00:23:36.510 align:middle line:84%
so that after this happened,
we knew we had to do something.
00:23:36.510 --> 00:23:39.210 align:middle line:90%
00:23:39.210 --> 00:23:42.325 align:middle line:84%
The foundation was truly
started by Stephen\'s siblings
00:23:42.325 --> 00:23:47.690 align:middle line:84%
to honor Stephen, and to honor
everybody who was lost on 9/11.
00:23:47.690 --> 00:23:51.380 align:middle line:84%
In December of 2001, we
started a Stephen Siller
00:23:51.380 --> 00:23:53.107 align:middle line:84%
Let Us Do Good
Children\'s Foundation.
00:23:53.107 --> 00:23:55.440 align:middle line:84%
And we wanted to help kids
who lost one or both parents,
00:23:55.440 --> 00:23:58.550 align:middle line:84%
mostly orphans, because
Stephen was orphaned at age 10.
00:23:58.550 --> 00:24:00.480 align:middle line:84%
It didn\'t have to
be related to 9/11.
00:24:00.480 --> 00:24:02.530 align:middle line:90%
We just wanted to help all kids.
00:24:02.530 --> 00:24:05.850 align:middle line:84%
So we were sitting, we were
praying, we were thinking,
00:24:05.850 --> 00:24:09.080 align:middle line:84%
and all of a sudden one day,
one of his friends called us.
00:24:09.080 --> 00:24:11.902 align:middle line:84%
And he said, Frank, how
about if you have a run.
00:24:11.902 --> 00:24:15.870 align:middle line:84%
How about if you run
what he did that day.
00:24:15.870 --> 00:24:17.490 align:middle line:90%
You run through the tunnel.
00:24:17.490 --> 00:24:19.192 align:middle line:90%
I almost fell on the floor.
00:24:19.192 --> 00:24:21.910 align:middle line:84%
I said oh my God,
we could retrace
00:24:21.910 --> 00:24:24.000 align:middle line:90%
Stephen\'s final footsteps.
00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:27.250 align:middle line:84%
His final heroic
footsteps as we say it,
00:24:27.250 --> 00:24:29.570 align:middle line:90%
and I was just so overwhelmed.
00:24:29.570 --> 00:24:33.370 align:middle line:84%
And I said, that\'s
it, it has to be done.
00:24:33.370 --> 00:24:36.040 align:middle line:84%
It erases, really, what
sustains the foundation,
00:24:36.040 --> 00:24:39.410 align:middle line:84%
so the entry fee enables us
to give out scholarships.
00:24:39.410 --> 00:24:40.619 align:middle line:90%
And that\'s my favorite.
00:24:40.619 --> 00:24:42.160 align:middle line:84%
I give out scholarships
to the school
00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:43.910 align:middle line:90%
that Stephen and I attended.
00:24:43.910 --> 00:24:45.850 align:middle line:90%
and to his high school.
00:24:45.850 --> 00:24:47.540 align:middle line:90%
And we help the military.
00:24:47.540 --> 00:24:49.560 align:middle line:90%
We help the burn center.
00:24:49.560 --> 00:24:51.810 align:middle line:84%
The first year there were a
couple of thousand people,
00:24:51.810 --> 00:24:56.630 align:middle line:84%
and now over 20,000
more, so it\'s grown.
00:24:56.630 --> 00:24:57.315 align:middle line:90%
It\'s tremendous.
00:24:57.315 --> 00:25:01.830 align:middle line:90%
00:25:01.830 --> 00:25:04.760 align:middle line:84%
The story of the
Tunnel to Towers run
00:25:04.760 --> 00:25:08.690 align:middle line:84%
is how it has brought
so many people together.
00:25:08.690 --> 00:25:12.820 align:middle line:90%
We have over 2,000 volunteers.
00:25:12.820 --> 00:25:20.110 align:middle line:84%
We have 646 firefighters who
stand right outside the tunnel.
00:25:20.110 --> 00:25:22.855 align:middle line:84%
343 of them are
holding American flags
00:25:22.855 --> 00:25:27.180 align:middle line:84%
to represent the 343
firefighters that
00:25:27.180 --> 00:25:29.315 align:middle line:90%
died that day.
00:25:29.315 --> 00:25:30.690 align:middle line:84%
When you come out
of that tunnel,
00:25:30.690 --> 00:25:34.180 align:middle line:84%
you see those 343 banners
hanging there of every member
00:25:34.180 --> 00:25:36.357 align:middle line:84%
from (INAUDIBLE) to the
chief of the department
00:25:36.357 --> 00:25:37.982 align:middle line:84%
and the first deputy
fire commissioner,
00:25:37.982 --> 00:25:40.874 align:middle line:84%
that tells you what this
department is all about.
00:25:40.874 --> 00:25:44.248 align:middle line:84%
Our families are our
most important asset.
00:25:44.248 --> 00:25:46.815 align:middle line:84%
It just brings every
emotion out of you.
00:25:46.815 --> 00:25:51.170 align:middle line:84%
Because you know the loss was
so great for so many people.
00:25:51.170 --> 00:25:53.150 align:middle line:84%
When the race first
started, I always
00:25:53.150 --> 00:25:56.225 align:middle line:84%
felt I should be at the finish
line where he crosses over.
00:25:56.225 --> 00:25:57.920 align:middle line:84%
And then I realized
that maybe it
00:25:57.920 --> 00:26:02.220 align:middle line:84%
was time to put on Steve\'s gear,
and follow his footsteps, too,
00:26:02.220 --> 00:26:04.370 align:middle line:84%
and that was very
cathartic for me.
00:26:04.370 --> 00:26:06.920 align:middle line:90%
00:26:06.920 --> 00:26:09.510 align:middle line:84%
There comes a point in your
life where you have to let go,
00:26:09.510 --> 00:26:12.540 align:middle line:84%
and I\'ve had to do
that in this journey.
00:26:12.540 --> 00:26:14.310 align:middle line:84%
But it still brings
me back when I
00:26:14.310 --> 00:26:16.550 align:middle line:84%
see Steve\'s banner
across the finish line,
00:26:16.550 --> 00:26:18.690 align:middle line:84%
when I see the name
on his bunker jacket.
00:26:18.690 --> 00:26:21.595 align:middle line:84%
It tugs at your soul, but you
can\'t live in that moment.
00:26:21.595 --> 00:26:24.376 align:middle line:90%
00:26:24.376 --> 00:26:25.750 align:middle line:84%
The Tunnel to
Towers Run has just
00:26:25.750 --> 00:26:28.420 align:middle line:84%
spiraled into something that\'s
been truly inspirationally
00:26:28.420 --> 00:26:28.920 align:middle line:90%
amazing.
00:26:28.920 --> 00:26:32.120 align:middle line:84%
And what makes it
so amazing to me
00:26:32.120 --> 00:26:34.600 align:middle line:84%
is the volunteers
that keep this going.
00:26:34.600 --> 00:26:36.245 align:middle line:84%
And enable this
event to help people,
00:26:36.245 --> 00:26:39.229 align:middle line:84%
because without the volunteers,
we wouldn\'t be anywhere.
00:26:39.229 --> 00:26:41.805 align:middle line:90%
00:26:41.805 --> 00:26:43.854 align:middle line:84%
People often want to talk
to me, and they ask me,
00:26:43.854 --> 00:26:45.770 align:middle line:84%
do you believe your
husband was a hero the way
00:26:45.770 --> 00:26:47.110 align:middle line:90%
he sacrificed himself?
00:26:47.110 --> 00:26:50.120 align:middle line:84%
And I tell them my husband was a
hero the way he lived his life.
00:26:50.120 --> 00:26:55.260 align:middle line:84%
And I think that sets the whole
precedence of the men and women
00:26:55.260 --> 00:26:58.603 align:middle line:90%
who were taken on September 11.
00:26:58.603 --> 00:27:01.390 align:middle line:84%
You don\'t prove to anybody
that you love them any more
00:27:01.390 --> 00:27:02.730 align:middle line:90%
by staying in a bad place.
00:27:02.730 --> 00:27:05.310 align:middle line:84%
I think that you
do the opposite.
00:27:05.310 --> 00:27:08.730 align:middle line:84%
I think that you show
their great love,
00:27:08.730 --> 00:27:10.990 align:middle line:84%
and how important
the person was to you
00:27:10.990 --> 00:27:13.748 align:middle line:84%
if you go out and do something
positive in their name.
00:27:13.748 --> 00:27:18.390 align:middle line:90%
00:27:18.390 --> 00:27:19.720 align:middle line:90%
Everybody is so moved.
00:27:19.720 --> 00:27:23.250 align:middle line:84%
Here we are, and you still
have people coming up to you,
00:27:23.250 --> 00:27:25.790 align:middle line:84%
and they\'re movement
touched by the tour.
00:27:25.790 --> 00:27:30.200 align:middle line:84%
But they feel this need to
process to share their story.
00:27:30.200 --> 00:27:34.050 align:middle line:84%
I do believe September
11 has empowered me.
00:27:34.050 --> 00:27:36.240 align:middle line:84%
I had to step out
of my comfort zone
00:27:36.240 --> 00:27:38.560 align:middle line:84%
and do things I wouldn\'t
normally have done,
00:27:38.560 --> 00:27:40.460 align:middle line:84%
or Dennis would
have been doing it,
00:27:40.460 --> 00:27:44.170 align:middle line:84%
and I would have been
taking the pictures.
00:27:44.170 --> 00:27:46.130 align:middle line:84%
This tragedy completely
knocked us down
00:27:46.130 --> 00:27:50.540 align:middle line:84%
for quite a period of time,
but it did not beat us.
00:27:50.540 --> 00:27:53.970 align:middle line:84%
You have to take the
positive in all of this,
00:27:53.970 --> 00:27:55.400 align:middle line:90%
and pay it forward.
00:27:55.400 --> 00:27:57.630 align:middle line:84%
And there is positive
in September 11,
00:27:57.630 --> 00:28:01.770 align:middle line:84%
because we\'re still here, and
we\'re still moving forward.
00:28:01.770 --> 00:28:03.486 align:middle line:90%
And we\'re still helping people.
00:28:03.486 --> 00:28:11.803 align:middle line:90%
00:28:11.803 --> 00:28:13.636 align:middle line:84%
(MUSIC - MAVIS STAPLES,
\"YOU ARE NOT ALONE\")
00:28:13.636 --> 00:30:00.871 align:middle line:90%
Distributor: Bullfrog Films
Length: 30 minutes
Date: 2011
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 9-12, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
Interactive Transcript: Available
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