The FDNY Boxing Club raised $250,000 for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation during its 9th annual Thrilla in Camilla charity boxing event held Friday, June 13, at St. Camillus Church in Rockaway Beach.
The outdoor event, attended by hundreds of community members and first responders, featured 12 amateur bouts pitting New York City firefighters and other public safety officers against members of Ireland’s National Police Service. Additional fighters from the New York City Department of Sanitation and the Massachusetts Port Authority Fire Department also competed in the ring.
Proceeds from the event benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a nonprofit that honors the legacy of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, who died on Sept. 11, 2001. The organization provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star families and families of fallen first responders with young children, in addition to building specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. Tunnel to Towers also works to combat veteran homelessness across the country.
“These first responders and military service members put themselves on the line on a daily basis for our community and our country,” said Stephen Siller Jr., whose family founded the nonprofit. “The least we can do is put together a good night to support them, show up for their families, and do what the foundation does.”
Among those in attendance was Scott Nokes, a 34-year-old Marine veteran and former FDNY member who received a smart home from Tunnel to Towers. After serving in Afghanistan, Nokes developed severe health complications that led to sepsis, resulting in the loss of both legs and his vision. He now serves as an ambassador and employee for the foundation.
“I think it’s incredible that these guys and girls fighting tonight are not only dedicating their lives to service, but now they’re also getting punched in the face, essentially for free,” said Nokes. “And that money they could be making from doing it, they’re donating back to the charity. It says a lot about them.”
The event also highlighted the sense of camaraderie and community that surrounds the FDNY. James Gennari, an FDNY firefighter and U.S. Marine Corps veteran who regularly participates in the annual event, said it’s a meaningful way to bring people together for a cause.
“I love to fight, and it’s cool that we get to do it for charity,” said Gennari. “Working in the fire department, it becomes family, but I get to combine my actual family with them at these events. My mom’s hanging out with my firehouse right now. It just feels good to bring everybody together.”
The Thrilla in Camilla continues to grow each year as a unique way to honor public servants through sport while raising funds for a foundation committed to helping the nation’s heroes and their families.
