Tunnel to Towers Middle Tennessee 5K Run/ Walk is slated for June 6 at 8:30 a.m.

“It’s official. Tunnel to Towers is going forward,” said Joey Clark, who has been awaiting approval from the national foundation. “It will, once again, be held at Warren County High School.” 

Clark, who is employed by Warren County EMS and volunteers at Centertown Fire Department, organizes the local event. 

“This is an amazing cause,” he said. “The organization is named and operated in honor of a firefighter who was killed on 9/11. The overwhelming majority of the staff are volunteers so there’s very little overhead. Out of every dollar, 93 cents raised goes straight to the mission.”

The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation honors the sacrifice of its namesake and the more than 300 first-responders who were killed Sept. 11, 2001. It honors military and first-responders who continue to make the supreme sacrifice of life and limb.

The foundation’s programs are available nationwide. Proceeds go to catastrophically injured veterans and the families of fallen first-responders. Launched in September 2018, was The Gold Star Family Home Program. It honors the legacy of those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country by providing a mortgage-free home to surviving spouses with young children.

“This organization recently provided a home for the family of a veteran in Smithville who was killed in Afghanistan,” said Clark. “We also paid off the mortgage for the family of officer Spencer Bristol, the officer from Hendersonville who was killed. We also paid off the mortgage of a Huntsville police officer who was killed in December.” 

Clark participated in a Tunnel to Towers race in New York City in 2018 and ran right into a passion for the organization. 

“I applied to be a volunteer director for them, and we now have the only Tunnel to Towers 5K run in Tennessee here in McMinnville,” said Clark. 

During its inaugural event, the race attracted 222 participants and raised more than $20,000.