NORFOLK, Va. — TheTunnel to Towers Foundation paid off the mortgage for the family of a fallen Norfolk firefighter in addition to a Virginia Beach Gold Star family.
The foundation was started after the 9/11 attacks and pays off mortgages to Gold Star families as well as families of fallen first responders.
In a press release, the organization said it paid for the Suffolk home of fallen Norfolk Fire-Rescue Firefighter Christopher Griffin. Griffin died on Oct. 1, 2021, after a fight with job-related Glioblastoma Brain Cancer.
Griffin started working with Norfolk Fire-Rescue in 2008 after moving to Virginia from Pennsylvania. He is survived by his wife and their son.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation also paid the mortgage for the family of Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Caleb Andrew Nelson, of Virginia Beach.
Nelson was conducting a combat patrol in Afghanistan in Oct. 2011 when his vehicle hit an IED, the foundation said. He died in the explosion.
Nelson, who was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, enlisted in the U.S. Navy on Dec. 8th, 2004. He was a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient. He leaves behind a wife and two children.
The foundation said it has delivered more than 30 mortgage payments to Gold Star families and fallen first responder families across the country.
