Tunnel to Towers brings 5K to Hope Mills to support Gold Star families, first responders

HOPE MILLS, N.C. (WTVD) -- A race honoring those who served their communities will take place Saturday in Hope Mills, as the Tunnel to Towers Foundation brings its mission to the Sandhills.

The organization, founded in honor of New York firefighter Stephen Siller, supports fallen first responders and military members by providing mortgage-free homes to their families. Siller died on Sept. 11, 2001, after running through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in full gear to help save lives.

For the first time, Cumberland County firefighters will host a Tunnel to Towers 5K locally. The race begins at 9:11 a.m. and is intended to show support for first responders, military members, law enforcement officers, EMS workers and their families.

Joann Yost, a Gold Star wife, said the foundation helped her rebuild her life after her husband, Master Sgt. Anthony Ray Charles Yost of the 3rd Special Forces Group, was killed in Iraq in 2005.

"They gave me my future. They gave me hope, and they gave me a sense of relief to know that I can go on with my next chapter in my life," Yost said.

She described her husband as "an amazing husband, father, and friend to a bunch of people. Tony was a weapons instructor, and that's why we were at Fort Bragg. The Saturday before Thanksgiving, on November 19th, is when I was told that Tony had passed and he was killed."

After becoming a single mother of three, Yost said she found the strength to move forward. She later survived breast cancer in 2015 and now gives back to cancer patients through her shop.

In 2020, she received a call from the foundation.

"I received a phone call from Tunnel to Towers, and they said, 'Is this Joanne Yost?'" she said.

The organization paid off her mortgage, providing stability for her family.

Bill Reagan, a volunteer firefighter, veteran and lead organizer for the Hope Mills event, said the foundation has a direct impact on those it serves.

"If you think about every dollar that you donated to the foundation, $0.93 of every dollar goes directly to first responders, military, and their families," Reagan said. "What we want to convey is to the first responders, military law enforcement, and EMS folks is that the community cares."

The Tunnel to Towers 5K in Hope Mills is open to the public.

More information and registration details are available here.