On Friday, September 11, 2026, I'll be participating in the 9/11 Memorial Tower Climb at Circuit of The Americas. We will climb the 419 stairs of the iconic COTA Observation Tower to honor the lives lost on 9/11, remember the courage and sacrifice of our first responders, and support those who continue to serve our communities and our country.

Why I'm Fundraising

I was just shy of 11 years old on 9/11/01. I lived in Queens, New York. I flew on an airplane alone the month before 9/11 visiting family in CA. I was allowed to enter the cockpit and wave to my mom who walked me to the gate. I don't know that a single day has ever changed the way I see the world more than September 11th 2001. The emotions were so palpable in New York, I would burst into tears just from the sheer volume of emotion hovering in the air at all times. We delivered cookies to fire houses, I cut out the infamous images of survivors and taped them in my diary and just wrote and wrote, so I could sort through what my childhood brain couldn't understand. 

I've since worked for survivors who were in the towers that day. I've since learned friends of mine lost their parent, uncles, friends, loved ones. Most of all, I witnessed my fiance (now husband) lose his father in 2016 after battling a 9/11 related illness for most of the decade prior. He was a specialized utility captain of sorts for Con-Ed, who was at the site, shutting down large transformers of existing and crumbling nearby buildings. Risking his health to keep others safe.

Every step I take and every dollar raised supports Samaritan Center's Hope for Heroes program, which provides counseling and mental health services for veterans, military service members, first responders, and their families.

Your support helps ensure these heroes and their loved ones have access to compassionate, life changing care when they need it most. Thank you for helping me take steps that make a difference.

To learn more, visit Samaritan-Center.org.