You are now a part of the Siller family -- foundation pays off mortgages of widows of slain NYPD officers By Andrew V. Simontacchi | asimonta@siadvance MANHATTAN -- With more than 500 NYPD officers present, the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced Wednesday that it raised the money so the widows of slain Police Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu would have their mortgages paid off and any necessary home repairs completed. The press conference came after a 10-day fundraiser, started by the Siller familys foundation shortly after the officers were assassinated in Brooklyn, which raised more than $1 million. We would like to extend our greatest gratitude to everyone who donated to this foundation, said Pei Xia Chen, widow to Liu. And to all our extended blue family, be safe out there and cherish life everyday. Frank Siller, chairman and CEO of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, presented both Ms. Chen and Maritza Ramos, the widow of Ramos, with the documents that stated the terms of the fundraiser. These documents say three things: One, that were going to pay off your mortgages immediately; two, that youre going to decide how the remaining money will fix up your homes; and three, that you are now a part of the Siller family and the Siller Foundation forever. Sindy Ramos, the slain officers sister, offered some words following the families acceptance of the funds. The NYPD has been amazing, the love and support has been overwhelming, she said teary-eyed. Nothing will bring back my brother. But knowing that Maritza and the boys could sleep a little better, helps to bridge that gap, thank you. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who wrote the first check, for $20,000, also addressed the gathering. The New York City Police Department is the finest law enforcement agency in the United States, you are the best and the biggest in the country, he said. And the FDNY, youve got everything from the biggest skyscrapers to the fields of Staten Island. You do it all, and you do it the best. Its so wonderful to see so many firefighters and police officers standing shoulder to shoulder. After sorting through bank complications, the foundation is estimating to have raised $1,010,000 in less than two weeks after announcing its intentions, officially closing the donation box at 11 a.m. Wednesday morning. They will be officially handing the money over Jan. 15, with the largest donation being $50,000, from a donor that wished to remain anonymous. Liu, 32, and Ramos, 40, were shot to death, execution-style, by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, while the two were working overtime as part of an anti-terrorism drill in Bedford-Stuyvesant in December. Brinsley, 28, who had a history of mental illness, had shot his girlfriend in Baltimore earlier that day before traveling to New York to carry out the police assassinations. He killed himself after the slayings. The Tunnel to Tower Foundation was formed in memory of Stephen Siller, a West Brighton native and father of five, who raced to the World Trade Center through the Battery Tunnel on September 11 and died while participating in the rescue effort. The mortgage buyout is the foundations latest home-related charity effort. By the second anniversary of Hurricane Sandy this October, the organization had rebuilt 150 homes for families. The foundation also provides financial support to help build specialized, adapted homes for injured U.S. military veterans. Read more: silive/news/index.ssf/2015/01/post_1055.html
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 06:53:15 +0000
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