The Tunnel to Towers Foundation will bring its 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit to the Florida Keys in November, giving residents and students an opportunity to learn about the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, remember those who died and honor the first responders who risked their lives to help others.
John Hodge, a retired chief operating officer of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and cousin of the organization’s inspiration, firefighter Stephen Siller, discussed the upcoming events on Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning.
The mobile exhibit will visit Islamorada, Big Pine Key and Key West as Monroe County prepares to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the attacks in 2026, alongside celebrations marking America’s 250th anniversary.
The exhibit will be at Founders Park in Islamorada November 17 and 18, with public hours scheduled for November 18 from 2 to 5 p.m. It will then move to Big Pine Key Community Park, where events are planned November 19 through 21. An additional stop in Key West has also been added, with the location and public hours still to be announced.
The exhibit features authentic artifacts recovered from Ground Zero at the World Trade Center and is staffed by retired New York City firefighters and other first responders who lead visitors through the displays and share their experiences.
Hodge said the exhibit was created in response to concerns that younger generations were not learning enough about the September 11 attacks.
“We realized that pretty much across the country, 9/11 was not being taught to the students,” Hodge said.
He said the foundation wanted the exhibit to do more than recount the tragedy.
“One of the things we go out of our way to do, yes, we tell the story of September 11th. We tell all about the World Trade Center towers. Also talk about the heroes of 9/11,” Hodge said. “But we celebrate what they did that day: first responders and civilians, primarily first responders.”
The exhibit was first put on the road in 2013. Hodge said he participated in designing the mobile display, which evolved from an initial idea for a trailer carrying a piece of World Trade Center steel into a much larger traveling exhibit.
The 83-foot tractor-trailer opens to provide approximately 1,150 square feet of interior exhibit space.
“You wouldn’t know other than the graphics on the side, really what’s inside, but when it stops, it’s like a transformer,” Hodge said, describing how the vehicle opens to reveal the exhibit.
The foundation also plans to bring its Tunnel to Towers 5K run to Big Pine Key on Saturday, November 21, beginning at 9 a.m.
The run recreates the route Siller took on September 11, 2001, when he returned to his firehouse after learning of the attacks, put on his firefighting gear and ran through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel toward the World Trade Center after traffic was closed.
Siller, a New York City firefighter with Squad 1 in Brooklyn, joined fellow firefighters in responding to the attacks. He and his fellow Squad 1 members died in the collapse of the South Tower.
Hodge said the run has grown into a nationwide movement, with communities across the country organizing events to honor Siller and other first responders.
In the Florida Keys, local first responders participate wearing their protective gear and completing the 5K.
“It’s very inspirational,” Hodge said. “Because the first responders in the Keys come to this run, and they again do what Stephen did that day. They put on all that gear, and they run the full 5K.”
Registration is available through the foundation’s website at T2T.org by selecting the runs section.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was inspired by Siller’s sacrifice and has expanded to provide assistance to military families, injured veterans and first responders. Hodge said the foundation has provided more than 2,000 mortgage-free homes nationwide as of September 11, 2026, representing more than $1 billion in committed assistance.
The homes include mortgage-free housing for families of fallen first responders and military personnel, as well as specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders.
The foundation has also expanded its work to address veteran homelessness. Hodge said it is purchasing and renovating older hotels into studio apartments for homeless veterans, with support services intended to help residents transition back into society.
The foundation’s work has also directly benefited families in Monroe County. Hodge said that after moving to the Keys in 2021, he contacted the foundation when a county fire-rescue employee died in the line of duty, leaving behind a wife and young daughter.
Because the family had been renting, the foundation purchased a mortgage-free home for them in Big Pine Key.
Hodge said the foundation continues to work on other projects to help first responders, although he declined to discuss one effort that has not yet been finalized.
He encouraged residents to consider supporting the organization through its $11-per-month donation program.
“$11 a month, and those $11 together, and they have been able to do over a billion dollars, and or over just to start with 2,000 mortgage-free homes across this country to people that need it and deserve it because of the sacrifice of a loved one,” Hodge said.
The foundation’s 9/11 Institute also provides educational programming for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Hodge said schools in Monroe County have already expressed interest in bringing students to the mobile exhibit.
The foundation hopes the visit will help students understand the significance of September 11 and the sacrifices made by first responders and civilians.
“We wanted people to celebrate the heroes of that day, and then two, we wanted to make sure that the younger children got to learn something about it, so that we do never forget,” Hodge said.
The Monroe County Tourist Development Council is supporting the exhibit’s visit and related events, including a planned appearance by the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team and a patriotic drone show.
Hodge said the foundation hopes the exhibit will make a lasting impact on students and other visitors who may not have the opportunity to travel to the 9/11 Memorial in New York.
“We love it down here in the Keys, and so I hope we could actually make an impact down here in the Keys now,” Hodge said.
More information about the exhibit, the 5K run and ways to support the foundation is available at T2T.org.