Tunnel to Towers Foundation builds community for special families

NEW YORK - The Tunnel to Towers Foundation's Let Us Do Good Village broke ground in Land O' Lakes, Florida, in December 2021. The property will have more than a hundred mortgage-free homes for wounded veterans, families of fallen first responders, and Gold Star families.

Army Staff Sgt. Danielle Thornton is a Gold Star widow. In 2017, Sgt. Robert Thornton Jr., her husband, collapsed and died during a training exercise at Fort Bragg. 

Thornton and her two children will move into the village to be with other families who have faced similar tragedies in their lives. She said the village will be more than a place to live; it will be a community of neighbors who can relate to each other.

"I feel like with Tunnel to Towers doing this village, they are bringing together a whole community that is going through the same thing," Thornton said. "We can all heal together, we can all grow together, our kids can grow up together. So I feel like this is a great opportunity for me and my children."

She is so thankful that she wants to give back. She will partake in the annual Tunnel to Towers 5K Run and Walk in New York City on Sunday, Sept. 25. Thornton said she will be thinking of her husband.