Another year, another climb and this year our youngest, Ezekiel - who was born 11 years after that September day - will be joining Lis & I on the climb up the Freedom Tower to commemorate the lives and sacrifice of those who perished on that Tuesday morning 24 years ago. Our team, along with a thousand other climbers, will take the journey up 104 stories - step by step - to get to One World Observatory above the New York City skyline.
It sounds easy, going up some stairs, but the effort it takes hits you when you are looking up at what's ahead of you realize how constant a companion your breath is. It's hard to imagine how first responders climbed up on that day wearing upwards of 50 pounds of gear, not worried about how they were going to make it back down. They just needed to do something.
So we climb to help support the families of those first responders who were impacted by that day as well as other programs that bring assistance to homeless veterans, smart homes to disabled first responders, and provide assistance to the families of those first responders who have fallen in the line of duty - just to name a few.
We also climb for Manuel Jimenez. He was a Roselle Park Police Captain who introduced us to the climb eight years ago. He was a first responder on September 11th. He passed away four years ago from illnesses attributed to that service.
So any support you offer will be greatly appreciated and much needed. Thank you.
