Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 9

Tunnel to Towers Honors Woody Johnson With December Award After 12-Year Partnership

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 9

Tunnel to Towers Honors Woody Johnson With December Award After 12-Year Partnership

Q: What specific life-changing technologies are hidden inside the mortgage-free smart homes gifted to severely injured veterans?

The “smart homes” Tunnel to Towers provides are typically built around accessibility technology that allows severely injured veterans to live more independently. The clearest feature cited in the supporting material is voice-activated home control systems, which let residents operate core functions without needing to physically reach switches or controls. In practice, that usually means voice-controlled lighting, thermostats, door locks, and sometimes window shades and entertainment systems. The homes are also described as fully accessible, with adaptive features such as wide doorways and roll-in showers, which are essential for wheelchair users and others with major mobility impairments. The broader smart-home model used for disabled residents often includes safety and monitoring tools as well, such as video doorbells, fall-detection or emergency-response features, and smart appliances that reduce strain or burn risk. While the news story itself does not list every device installed in each Tunnel to Towers home, the organization’s own program descriptions make clear that the life-changing core is a combination of voice-activated systems and custom adaptive design. So, the hidden technology is not one single gadget. It is an integrated setup of voice-controlled and accessibility-focused systems designed to restore day-to-day independence for veterans with catastrophic injuries.

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 9

Woody Johnson will receive Tunnel to Towers' Follow the Footsteps Award at the charity's December gala, recognizing more than a decade of support.
Johnson's partnership began with a $1 million donation in 2014 to the Building for America's Bravest program, which funds mortgage-free smart homes for severely injured veterans.
Frank Siller said Johnson, his family and the Betty Wood Johnson Foundation helped six catastrophically injured veterans secure adapted homes and supported first responder families in keeping theirs.
Last month, Johnson and Tunnel to Towers presented Command Sergeant Major William "Bud" McElroy with a mortgage-free smart home, underscoring the group's ongoing housing mission.
Founded in 2001, Tunnel to Towers supports 9/11 first responders, veterans and their families; Johnson is also a founding trustee of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.