by JONATHAN LEMIRE
Heroic firefighter Stephen Siller left behind five young children when he died on 9/11 after running through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel to the burning World Trade Center. The foundation that bears Siller's name has dedicated itself to helping other kids who have lost parents and is now collecting toys for children still affected by Hurricane Katrina. "My brother dedicated his life to helping people, and he lost his life helping people," said Frank Siller, who organized the Firefighter Stephen Siller Let Us Do Good Children's Foundation. "If he was still here, he'd be doing more than any of us." The foundation, which has raised money each year since the 9/11 attacks with a charity run that retraces Stephen Siller's steps to the twin towers, sent 28 truckloads of supplies to the Gulf Coast last year. "We wanted to remind these people that no one has forgotten them," said Siller, whose organization also has donated thousands of dollars to various area burn units and over $1 million to the New York Foundling Hospital's center for children. This year, the foundation is delivering toys to the Gulf Coast children. In conjunction with the FDNY, it hopes to fill seven trucks that will be driven by 24 active and retired firefighters to Mississippi and Louisiana. "It's just a way of reciprocating the outpouring of support we got after 9/11," said Tom O'Connor, a retired FDNY lieutenant. "New York cares, too." Anyone wishing to donate toys may drop them off at any city firehouse before Dec. 2.
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