This past September, Todd Anton, Heritage teacher and History extraordinaire, took remembering 9/11 to a new level. It left the classroom and gave his students a chance to give back in a big way. Anton created the Patriots’ Challenge and partnered with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation to raise donations that would help America’s first responders all over the nation. How were they able to do this? By hosting a car wash at Heritage School in Phelan!
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was created as a way to honor NYFD firefighter Stephen Siller, whose shift had ended on September 11, 2001. On his way to play golf, he heard the call come over the radio that a plane had hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center. He changed course and headed back towards the towers to lend a hand with the dire situation that was unfolding. When he reached the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, he found it was closed, but that did not stop him. Siller strapped his 60 pounds of gear to his back and ran through the tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he gave his life while saving others. The foundation has grown tremendously since its start and is now actively helping first responders across the nation.
“My heart has always been drawn to first responders,” shared Anton. With his father having served as sheriff for the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, Anton’s decision to create the Patriots’ Challenge and partner with Tunnel to Towers was a perfect way to give back and continue the mission to Never Forget.
When asked what the phrase “Never Forget” meant to him, Anton explained, “You need to know what it is that you’re not forgetting. You have to remember that they were real people with names and families, not just a date.” He continued, “A person is not dead until they are forgotten. Anytime you are trying to honor the memory of someone, they are alive.”
And so, the Patriots’ Challenge was issued to schools, students, youth clubs, and youth-related organizations to host a fundraising event, giving the youth of today the opportunity to give back to those first responders whose future they saved with their sacrifice. The Heritage Builders Club, partnered with Chick-fil-A Leader Academy, did just that! Anton hopes to take the Patriots’ Challenge national and have schools across America join in next year.
“Every First Responder is sacrificing for them. They have our back and are taking care of us every day, and we don’t even know it,” added Anton.
After 35 years of teaching, Anton is retiring this year. He shared, “I’m not retiring, I’m graduating. I want to make my classroom more than four walls.” Even though he won’t be teaching at Heritage next year, he plans to continue to keep the Patriots’ Challenge going at Heritage and beyond!
Anton’s passion for history is evident when you walk into his classroom. He takes the words off the pages of a textbook and brings them to life with artifacts for his students to experience and see up close. History has never been more exciting!
When asked what message Anton would like to share, he expressed, “If you are frustrated with the state of the way things are, let it begin with you to improve it.”
If you are interested in making a donation through the Patriots’ Challenge to Tunnel to Towers in support of our First Responders across the nation, you can do so here https://dogood.t2t.org/campaign/todd-antons-patriots-challenge-for-tunnel-to-towers-2025/c720247. If you would like to learn more about Tunnel to Towers, you can visit t2t.org
