by SC Features Writer Reanna Haase
Two years ago, John Henshaw and Jeff Muddell finished the Tunnel to Towers Foundation Tower Climb together, hoping to one day bring a full Team Sanibel to New York to support the foundation.
Now, this June, that dream becomes a reality as 15 islanders take on 104 flights, or 2,226 steps, inside the One World Trade Center just before the 25th anniversary of 9/11. They’ll be climbing alongside more than 1,200 participants as part of T2T’s annual climb.
Muddell noted their ongoing goal: “We’ve always wanted to get the community more involved, especially with this year marking the 25th anniversary. It’s one of those experiences where you say, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I’ve done that,’ and now, everyone gets to share that moment and be a part of it.”
Building from that first climb in 2024, the initiative has grown into something much bigger: a team from a small island community coming together to support a cause that impacts families across the country and around the world.
This year, the team consists of firefighters, police officers, city employees, and civic leaders. Those taking on this challenge on June 7 are:
• John Henshaw, Sanibel City Councilman
• Jeff Muddell, President of Florida Wealth Trust Management
• Kevin Barbot, Fire Chief
• Arian Moore, Firefighter
• Robert Bell, Firefighter
• William Dalton, Chief of Police
• Matt Casola, Sergeant
• Chris Chiappy, Officer
• John Agnew, City Attorney
• Chris Menzel, Tradesworker
• Eric Jackson, Public Information Officer
• Steve Chaipel, Deputy City Manager and CFO
• James Evans, CEO of Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation
• Toniann Conte, Sanibel resident and dentist
• Bill Harkey, Sanibel philanthropist
To understand the significance of this climb, it’s important to know that the Tunnel to Towers Foundation was founded in December 2001, shortly after Firefighter Stephen Gerard Siller laid down his life after racing on foot through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to save others during the tragedy that struck our nation. Since then, the foundation has made it its mission not only to honor Siller’s life, but to honor our nation’s first responders and soldiers who make sacrifices every day.
The annual climb, begun 11 years ago, commemorates heroes lost on 9/11 and supports the foundation, which has raised over $1 billion for gold star families, families of fallen first responders, veterans, and more.
For Team Sanibel, this mission is deeply personal. This year, Chris Menzel, Sanibel Recreation Center tradesworker and retired Bedford, NY Police Chief, joins the climb to the One World Observatory with a deep understanding of the impact 9/11 had on our nation and first responders.
Menzel was born and raised in Bedford and served in law enforcement there from 1986 to 2009. Menzel shared that, while he was not at Ground Zero, the effects on him, his career, and his community were profound. From learning about neighbors and people he knew who lost their lives 25 years ago, to the people still impacted today, Menzel believes remembrance and support are the most important things we can do.
“I was on vacation with my family in Long Island, New York, that day. Then, when the second plane hit, pretty much right away, I was recalled to work,” Menzel said. “The impact on my law enforcement career was just immense in terms of trying to prevent or be prepared for another terrorist attack and how to cope with that.”
“It was really traumatic for just my small community alone.”
To Menzel, the support from a small town in Southwest Florida and the opportunity to be part of the initiative hold deep meaning.
“I’m just privileged and honored to be able to meet the team up there,” Menzel said. “That’s a lot of people coming from one town in Florida. To go all the way up there will be fantastic… This community just comes together and gets things done.”
Camaraderie will also play a crucial role on the day of the climb. For Fire Chief Kevin Barbot, one of the most important aspects of the trip will be the support that team members and fellow climbers will give each other.
“We’re all going to stick together, we’re all going to make sure that every single one of us finishes and goes all the way up to the top,” Barbot said. “We started this as a team and as a unit, planning and making sure everything works out, and I think we are going to finish it as a team as well.”
Support from the wider community is just as inspiring. Along with the remembrance and support fostered by the group of 15 traveling to the climb, the team has already surpassed their donation earnings from the past two years and has raised over $30,000 for the foundation.
If you would like to support Team Sanibel’s fundraising efforts, you can make a donation directly at https://runsignup.com/teamsanibel2026. Your contribution will help the Tunnel to Towers Foundation support first responders and their families.
Councilman John Henshaw, the other member of the original duo, recognized the importance of first responders’ participation from the start. Shortly after 9/11, he was appointed Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health. For the next 10 months, Henshaw was heavily involved in search-and-rescue and cleanup efforts following the tragedy.
During this time, he met emergency personnel who shared stories of those who were among more than 400 first responders who lost their lives in the World Trade Center attack. He believes that while the team’s overall growth speaks volumes, the island’s first responders experiencing this are among the most important elements.
Henshaw shared that the flights and stays for the team’s firefighters and officers are being sponsored to ensure they can experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“We felt like it was very important to experience it and see the support – not only community support from Sanibel but also, around the country – the support for the first responders,” Henshaw said. “That’s what we felt was most important.”
The sponsorship of this trip for these individuals was important not only to Henshaw but to Police Chief William Dalton. All of the participants are scheduling time out of their work schedules and away from their families to honor the fallen, but Dalton maintains that this sponsorship has made it much easier for them to go and honor those who lost their lives.
“It’s an honor. Considering how many people lost their lives that day,” Dalton said. “I haven’t been back to New York City since September 11, so I’m sure it’ll be pretty touching.”
While in NYC, the team will complete the climb, but before that, they will visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. After the climb, they will visit O’Hara’s Restaurant and Pub, known for honoring first responders and 9/11 heroes.
“All the walls are covered with patches from all around the world, from first responders who have come through and given their respects,” Henshaw said when describing O’Hara’s.
With the physical and mental challenge ahead, Team Sanibel members are preparing in the best way they know how: climbing whatever steps they can.
“I know the firefighters, Robert and Arian, have already calibrated the step machine at the fire station to the actual number of steps in the tower,” Muddell said.
Others in the group are climbing in parking garages and continuing to be active in whatever way they can to prepare, while knowing the hardest challenge of the day won’t be physical, but mental.
“It is 104 flights, each flight is 21 to 22 steps, that’s over 2,200 steps,” Menzel said. “Mentally, I think that is, to me, probably the bigger challenge. Once you’re up there, the reason you’re there will be intense.”
As for their goals on the day of the climb, all the team members share the same sentiment: being there for fellow climbers to ensure everyone finishes. Among the climbers will be Dr. Toniann Conte, a triathlete who is also leading the race to their fundraising goal – her main objective is to be a team player.
“This year, it’s the 25th anniversary, and it runs near and dear to my heart. I’m a Jersey girl,” Conte said. “I’m a great teammate, and I inspire people and motivate them… It’s going to be a great experience, once-in-a-lifetime, in my opinion.”
“And if we can help others in the process, we’re honoring our brave and fallen heroes… to be a part of that and to help in some small way is fantastic.”
While the team consists of a wide array of people from city employees to first responders to civic leaders, one theme remains the same: to finish, together, while supporting our nation’s heroes.
“I think probably everyone has their own individual reason, but collectively, I know everyone’s just excited to assist with the fundraising effort,” said John Agnew, an Army and National Guard veteran. “I’m excited to be able to help and make an impact.”
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