Company gets piece of World Trade Center
By John Joyce
Published in News on November 19, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Greg Johnson, left, the owner of Carpet One, accepts a shadowbox containing a piece of steel from the World Trade Center from Jack Oehm with the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Retired New York Fire Department Battalion Chief Jack Oehm lost 20 of his men the morning two hijacked airliners crashed into the World Trade Center.
Among them, one firefighter, Stephen Siller, exhibited a level of bravery and dedication that stands out amid the rest. It is in his honor that a foundation was created that now provides funding to build smart homes for returning veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who have lost limbs or are paralyzed due to their service.
One local business, Carpet One Floor and Home, owned and operated by Goldsboro native Greg Johnson, contributes to that cause.
Oehm and other retired NYFD firefighters are traveling to Carpet One locations across the country to present shadowboxes containing pieces of steel from the World Trade Center to business owners like Johnson who have contributed to the Tunnel to Towers fund, the foundation created in Stephen's name.
Countless fundraisers are held each year in the name of the foundation, and in honor of Stephen, the 34-year-old firefighter who is among the 343 brothers and sisters in uniform who gave their lives to save others the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
Today, thanks to contributions made by Carpet One stores across the nation, and those made by Mohawk, a supplier of Carpet One, as well as the millions raised by 5-K runs and other events throughout each year, veterans returning without limbs or without the ability to move are able to gain more independence through the construction of smart phones.
The program combines two organizations, Building For America's Bravest and Tunnel to Towers, to build homes in which everything -- from the showers to the kitchen cabinets -- is operated either by smart phone or by iPad.
"We have pledged to build 200 of these smart homes. We have 23 built so far and 20 are in the process right now either with groundbreakings or with construction already begun," Oehm said.
Tunnel to Towers also raises money in the event of other tragedies. After Hurricane Sandy ravaged New York and New Jersey -- specifically Staten Island, where Oehm hails from -- the foundation raised $12 million to help rebuild people's homes. When two N.Y. police officers were assassinated in their patrol car in Brooklyn in 2014, the foundation raised $1 million in 10 days to pay off their families' mortgages.
"And we renovated their homes with what we had left over so their families would have someplace nicer to live. It doesn't replace their loved ones, but we hope it makes their lives a little bit easier," Oehm said.
The smart homes for veterans with amputations or paralysis make things the average person takes for granted possible again.
"Think about that, getting a glass of water for himself, changing the channel on the television or taking a shower. These little things he now doesn't have to ask his wife or caretaker to do for him. How important is that to this guy," Oehm said. "Now he can tap his faucet with his prosthetic and get himself a glass of water."
Carpet One as a corporation gives each of its stores the option to contribute to charitable causes such as Tunnel to Towers. Johnson, whose store is located at 214 N. Spence Ave., contributes to numerous charities and began giving to Stephen's organization this past year.
"The company does not like to say how much it gives, and (Oehm) you will never hear him ask for money. He just tells his story and talks about what the organization does. And you heard how much money they can raise in just a few days," Johnson said.
The shadowbox given to Johnson by Oehm and Tunnel to Towers will be prominently displayed at the front of the store for the next few weeks and then will make its way to a back wall of the store where other trophies and plaques are displayed.
Johnson's store will contribute all the carpet, tile and flooring materials needed for all of the Building for America's Bravest homes, two of which have been built as nearby as Fayetteville and Greensboro.
"It's a no-brainer," he said of giving to such a worthy cause.
"And the remarkable thing about them, 90 cents of every dollar given to the fund goes to the foundation," Johnson said. "Only 10 cents goes to their overhead costs. These guys don't get paid. They are all volunteers," he said.