Zaengles Floor and Home in Susanville was honored Thursday with recognition for contributions made by the independent owners of Carpet One stores across the country to Building for America’s Bravest, a program of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, in an effort to build smart homes for the United States’ most catastrophically injured service members. Through Carpet One and Mohawk independent store owners like the Zaengle family are providing flooring for 200 of these smart homes for disabled vets.
Battalion Commander John Martorana, a 35-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department, visited the store and presented the Zaengle family with a framed piece of steel, cut from the wreckage of the Twin Towers, in appreciation for what this store has accomplished through a partnership with the Building for America’s Bravest program.
On the morning of the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center every on-duty firefighter in Martorana’s firehouse, Ladder 118, were killed when the twin towers collapsed.
The Siller Foundation was named for Stephen Siller, an NYFD firefighter, who had just left work and was headed home when he heard news of the attack on his radio. Siller raced back to the scene to help but was stopped at the Battery Tunnel in Brooklyn by law enforcement who had shut down the city in the wake of the crisis. Siller parked his vehicle and travelled three-miles on foot to make it back to the World Trade Center. He was killed when the towers finally buckled and collapsed.
Carpet One and flooring manufacturer partner Mohawk have been working together for more than two years to help build Smart Homes across the United States. As part of the Carpet One cooperative, Zaengles has helped to build 18 homes for America’s Bravest, and 18 more are already in progress.
The smart homes built by the foundation through the program are custom designed to fit the needs of each individual. The goal of each new home is to help severely injured heroes have a better quality of life and regain their independence. The homes are designed to be energy efficient, automated and easily accessible.
“Carpet One has been an amazing partner for us,” said Frank Siller from the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. “We know that for each home we build, we will be working with a passionate, local business owner with the knowledge and experience to provide beautiful and functional floors for these worthy individuals.”
Recently Zaengles added a way for customers to get involved in supporting this program by making a donation. Every donation – even $10 – makes a difference in helping to build homes for the long list of catastrophically injured veterans. Donations can be made by visiting the store on Susanville’s Main Street.
Read more about Carpet One Floor and Home’s participation and learn more about the recipients of these smart homes at www.CarpetOneCares.com. To learn more about Carpet One’s partnership with Building for America’s Bravest, please visit carpetone.com/our-bravest.
