PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — When Danyelle Madsen found out how her husband Jesse died in the line of duty, it didn’t surprise her.
The Tampa Police Master Patrol Officer likely sacrificed himself to stop a wrong-way driver in March on I-275.
“That’s what he did. That’s who he was to his core. He was just loyal and protective of everything and everyone," she said.
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Danyelle was a USF police officer and the idea of going back on the job after her husband’s death was traumatizing for her and her three children.
But the Tunnel To Towers Foundation made it so she wouldn’t have to return to police work. They paid off the mortgage on her Wesley Chapel home.
“It was just such a blessing. I couldn’t figure out how I was going to keep working. And want to go back to the job. They made it so I didn’t have to," said Madsen.
Now Tunnel to Towers will be able to help dozens more families.
An anonymous donor gave them land in Land O’Lakes, and they are using it to create a place called Let Us Do Good Village.
They’ll build about 100 homes on the land and give them away to seriously injured veterans and to surviving families of fallen military and first responders.
“It’s going to be a community. We really want to focus on a support system. Because we don’t just give homes and provide homes to these families. We also are a big support system. They are a part of our family," said Jeanna Dellaragione, executive vice president of Tunnel 2 Towers Foundation.
Groundbreaking on the Let Us Do Good Village on Dec. 11.
And Danyelle knows exactly how much it will help those who live there.
“It’s amazing. It’s truly a blessing for everybody involved.”
For more information on Tunnel 2 Towers, click here.
