Tunnel to Towers Foundation named grand marshal of 2026 South Side Irish Parade
Chicago's South Side was going green ahead of time in early February.
On Wednesday, organizers of the South Side Irish Parade in the Beverly neighborhood announced the Tunnel to Towers Foundation as this year's grand marshal.
The national nonprofit helps American heroes — including veterans, Gold Star families, and fallen first responders' families.
The name of the foundation honors Stephen Siller, the FDNY firefighter who on Sept. 11, 2001, abandoned his truck and ran through New York City's Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel with all his gear toward the World Trade Center. He was killed when the South Tower collapsed.
The foundation notably organizes the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Run in New York, which draws tens of thousands of people in late September every year.
"The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has been honoring those who have given their lives or been seriously injured in the line of duty for decades," Bill Letz, chair of the 2026 South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade, said in a news release. "We are pleased to name Tunnel to Towers Foundation as Grand Marshal, honoring the significant financial impact the Foundation makes by helping the injured and their families across the country, in the Chicago area, and right here in our own community,"
On Tuesday, parade organizers highlighted some of the Chicago families the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has helped — including the widows of fallen Chicago police officers, a Cook County Sheriff's deputy, and Chicago police Officer Carlos Yanez Jr., who lost his right eye and was left partially paralyzed in the Aug. 7, 2021, shooting that also killed his partner, Officer Ella French.
Parade organizers also announced Tuesday that St. Christina Catholic Parish, at 3342 W. 111th St. in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood, will be parade honoree. The parish, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, serves many Chicago first responders and their families — with more than 80% of the children at its elementary school being the sons and daughters of police and fire personnel.
The announcement Tuesday was accompanied by bagpipe music from the Chicago Stockyard Kitty Band, and a procession of St. Christina grammar school students.It was held at King-Lockhart Memorial Park, at 10609 S. Western Ave., which holds a 9/11 First Responders Monument with a steel beam from the destroyed World Trade Center.
The South Side Irish Parade will steps off at noon March 15 at 103rd Street and Western Avenue in Beverly.
