Two bereaved Colorado Springs-area families will receive the gift of a fully paid mortgage, thanks to the efforts of a national organization dedicated to supporting the families of fallen service members and first responders.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit, is observing Memorial Day by gifting mortgage-free homes or mortgage payoffs to 30 families of fallen service members or first-responders with prior military service across the U.S., including the families of Micah Walker and Julian Becerra.

“We can’t give them back their loved ones. That’s impossible,” said John Huvane, Tunnel to Towers’ engagement coordinator. “So what we try to do is take their biggest financial burden, and we pay that off for them. It’s bad enough to have to grow up without a parent, or face the future without your spouse. But having to move out of your house because you can’t pay your mortgage makes it so much worse.”

Initially a grassroots effort launched in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Tunnel to Towers has grown exponentially in the 22 years since its inception and has provided about 1,000 homes to families across the country, officials said.

The nonprofit also supports service members who have survived catastrophic line-of-duty injuries, including local wounded warrior Israel Del Toro, a retired Air Force senior master sergeant who was badly injured in an explosion while deployed to Afghanistan in 2005. Tunnel to Towers provided Del Toro and his family with a fully equipped and furnished “smart home” in October.

“If you’re in the military or a first responder, and you don’t make it home, we’re going to make sure your mortgage is paid,” said Huvane, a retired New York police detective. “That’s what we’re doing for the families of heroes like Staff Sgt. Walker and Officer Becerra. Their backstories are unbelievable.”

Army Staff Sgt. Micah Walker of Peyton spent six years as a missionary in South Africa before joining the Army and becoming a Green Beret medic. Walker died on July 27, 2021 in a training incident while attending the Army Combat Diver Qualification Course in Key West. He is survived by his wife, Cori, and their three children.

Julian Becerra spent eight years in the Air Force before joining the Fountain Police Department in 2018. On Feb. 2, Becerra sustained multiple injuries after falling from a bridge while chasing carjacking suspects. He died nine days later, leaving behind his wife, Katie, and their two children.

Because Becerra was an organ donor, he “continued to save lives even in his death,” officials said.

According to Huvane, the Walker family purchased their home just a few months before he died. Now, thanks to T2T’s gift, they will be able to keep the house.

“Our home has always been a safe haven, especially these past two years,” Cori Walker said. “As I found out the news of our mortgage being paid for I was watching our children laughing and playing in our yard. What a balm to the soul knowing this home is fully ours.”

In a statement, Katie Alderman, Becerra’s widow, called the mortgage payment a life-changer.

“It’s hard to put into words just how much this gift truly means,” she said. “Receiving support from Tunnel to Towers has changed our lives.”

T2T plans to provide for at least 100 families in the remaining months of 2023, Huvane said.

“Unfortunately, the list (of fallen heroes) is long,” Huvane said. “But we want to provide peace of mind for as many of these families as we can. That’s our mission.”