Dallas – September 17, 2026 -- Two Texas communities managed by FirstService Residential raised more than $56,000 for first-responder and veteran charities during 25th-anniversary tribute events marking the September 11 attacks.
Pecan Square participants climb 5,850 floors, raise $16,000 for veteran housing nonprofit
At Pecan Square in Northlake, a 1,200-acre master-planned community with roughly 5,000 residents, participants climbed 5,850 floors on stair climbers inside the community's 22,000-square-foot arena -- the equivalent of 53 ascents of the World Trade Center. The "25 Years of Remembrance, 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb" event, held with residents, local first responders and guests, raised more than $16,000 for Building Homes for Heroes, a national nonprofit that builds and modifies homes for injured veterans and first responders. The event was backed by developer Hillwood Communities alongside FirstService Residential, Life Fitness, Primoris Electrical and Premier Lighting.
Austonian residents climb 110 flights, generate $40,000 for local first-responder families
More than 250 residents and guests at The Austonian, a 56-story residential tower at 200 Congress Ave. in downtown Austin, climbed 110 flights through the building's stairwell in tribute to first responders who ascended the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001. The climb raised more than $40,000 for the 100 Club of Central Texas, which supports families of first responders killed or seriously injured in the line of duty. Jose Depaz and Valentina Baez, members of The Austonian's facilities team who also serve in the U.S. Army Reserve, completed all 110 flights.
FirstService Residential executives frame events as measurable community impact
"Twenty-five years later, September 11 continues to remind us of the courage of our first responders and the strength we find when communities come together," said Katie Ward, president of west region at FirstService Residential. Susan Ward-Freeman, president of the high-rise division at FirstService Residential Texas, said the event brought high-rise neighbors together around a shared purpose, converting each flight climbed and dollar raised into direct support for local first responders.