New York Jets owner Woody Johnson will be honored with the Follow the Footsteps Award at the Tunnel to Towers Foundation's annual gala in December. The award recognizes Johnson's decade-long partnership with the organization, which supports 9/11 first responders, veterans, and their families.
Johnson's involvement with Tunnel to Towers began in 2014 with a $1 million donation to the Building for America's Bravest program. This initiative provides mortgage-free smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans. "Woody Johnson has been standing with our families for more than a decade, and he’s never once asked for anything in return," said Tunnel to Towers Chairman and CEO Frank Siller. "Because of Woody, his family, and the Betty Wood Johnson Foundation, six catastrophically injured veterans are living in specially adapted smart homes today, and first responder families across this country are keeping their homes."
Most recently, Johnson and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation surprised Command Sergeant Major William “Bud” McElroy with a new mortgage-free smart home. "Tunnel to Towers’ extraordinary work is a constant reminder of the importance of honoring the memory of the heroes who demonstrated courage and made the ultimate sacrifice for this country," Johnson stated. "Over the past two decades they have channeled grief into action, and it’s a privilege to be recognized by such an honorable group."
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, established in 2001, aids 9/11 first responders, veterans, and their families by providing housing assistance. Johnson, who previously served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom during the first Trump administration, is also a founding trustee of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.