STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The EMTs at Priority One Ambulance were adjusting to the new daily conundrum as the coronavirus (COVID-19) took over Staten Island: Do you toss or reuse that mask and gown, unsure if thered be any personal protective equipment (PPE) left at all in a few days time?

Then, a timely donation of equipment from the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation gave them some much-needed breathing room.

We were doing what we had to do at the time, said Christopher Magnus, operations manager for the Graniteville-based private ambulance company, which handles non-emergency and emergency transfers of patients between hospitals, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and medical clinics. We were always worried that we were running out.

The Tunnel to Towers delivery of face masks and other PPE couldnt have been more timely for his 90-member staff, Magnus said.

Were busier these days, and getting PPE has been rough. They do some great work, and it definitely helped us out, big time," he explained.

Magnus said he understands why hospital emergency departments are the first priority when it comes to PPE, but that does not ease the challenge of protecting his staff and patients during a pandemic.

Maybe you have a three-day supply one day, and your trying to buy it, even though the prices are inflated, he said. But they supplied us with face shields. They were great guys, very generous.

So far, the foundations COVID-19 Heroes Fund has provided 100,000 meals, and sorely-needed PPE to EMTs, ambulance workers and health-care workers, first responders and nursing home workers on Staten Island and all over the country.

In fact, the foundation will soon have delivered 3 million pieces of PPE, said Frank Siller, its chairman and CEO.

But, for Siller, that is not nearly enough. So, a new fundraising initiative is now underway.

FUNDRAISING PRINT SALE

To recognize and honor the heroism of front-line workers, the foundation has teamed up with Staten Island artist Scott LoBaido, who created Sunrise: A Tribute to First Responders, a painting depicting a firefighter, police officer, member of the military, health-care worker and an EMT -- raising a tattered American flag at sunrise, as the bottom of the flagpole jams the coronavirus into the ground.

Prints will be on sale for a limited time, from May 10 through Memorial Day, May 25, for $100, at Tunnel2Towers.org. Those who become an $11-a-month donor to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation between now and Memorial Day will receive the print for free, Siller said.

Were really, really excited about this painting, said Siller, who recently received a presidential citation from President Donald Trump for the foundations efforts aiding front-liners in the midst of the coronavirus Not only does it depict greatness and heroes, but, at the end of the day, itll raise money so we can buy even more protective gear for those on the front lines.

LoBaido, known as an at-times controversial political artist, said this painting is not political, its American. He said he was influenced by the iconic images of Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima during World War II, firefighters raising the flag at 9/11s Ground Zero and the recent flyover salutes to todays heroes performed by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds, which the artist incorporated as a last-minute touch to his work.

After I finished the painting, I went down to see the Blue Angels at the boardwalk, LoBaido recalled. Theyre flying around, paying homage and tribute. How can I not include them in the painting? Its the perfect balance.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from sales will go into the COVID-19 Heroes Fund, established in April by the foundation to assist healthcare workers battling the coronavirus pandemic. The fund has grown to over $5 million, Siller said, and the goal is to raise $10 million.

The fund had an initial $1 million set aside to provide temporary mortgage payments for families of health-care workers who lose their life to COVID-19, leaving behind young children. Currently, the foundation has assumed mortgage payments for 25 first responders and front line workers. No one on Staten Island has qualified thus far, Siller said.

The foundation was created by Siller, along with his siblings, in honor of their brother, firefighter Stephen Siller, an off-duty firefighter who died on 9/11 after running to the towers to rescue those trapped in the World Trade Center.

And though the foundations truck and three cargo vans have delivered PPE to all five boroughs of New York City and to other U.S. cities, including Chicago, Detroit, Austin, Atlanta and Washington, D.C., Siller stressed that charity begins at home.

Being a native Staten Islander, my heart is here, first and foremost, Siller said, noting that the very first deliveries of PPE went to Richmond University Medical Center and both Staten Island University Hospital campuses.

Were in a position to make sure we give back to Staten Island, he said. The community of Staten Island is second to none. Staten Islanders always step up to help someone in times of need. Were based here, and well most certainly take care of Staten Island.

The original painting, which is 5-feet-wide and 6-feet-tall, is encased in a gilded frame and will be moved and displayed from place to place, Siller and LoBaido said.

Maybe it will be put in hospitals, maybe a police station, Siller said. Eventually it will be auctioned off. Im in the business of raising money. If we dont raise it, we cant give it away.

The prints are signed by LoBaido and are 20 inches tall and 16 inches wide.

LoBaido, whose artwork has raised funds for the foundation many times before, said he considers this work his most epic painting.

He said it is fitting that the painting is being unveiled on Mothers Day, and credits his late mother, Karen, with teaching him the value of charity.

I love being able to give to my community, he said. My mom taught me that. She said to take care of the less fortunate. It was great hooking up with the Siller Foundation. Its just a great, great organization. Everybody is a gem. Everybodys heart is in the right place.

Tunnel to Towers CEO Frank Siller receives a presidential citation recently at the White House, for the foundation's efforts in aiding front liners and their families in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. (Courtesy of Tunnel to Towers)

Read the rest here:

Tunnel to Towers Foundation working to take care of Staten Island - SILive.com