ABOUT THE PROJECT

Created to honor the 98 lives lost, their families, and all who answered the call.

On June 24, 2021, the Champlain Towers South collapse changed countless lives forever. In the days and weeks that followed, responders and community members from across the country came together with a single purpose: to bring everyone home.

Firefighters, EMS personnel, Urban Search & Rescue teams, law enforcement officers, dispatchers, chaplains, peer support teams, K9 teams, engineers, construction workers, volunteers, and countless others stood side by side through unimaginable loss and heartbreak.

Some carried tools. Some carried hope. Some carried each other.

The individuals behind this project were among the firefighters and first responders who answered the call during the Surfside response. Some served in the initial fire attack operations, while others later transitioned into peer support roles, serving those carrying the weight of the work, the loss, and the emotional toll of the operation as the mission evolved. What we witnessed was extraordinary courage, compassion, sacrifice, and unity. People from different backgrounds and professions came together as one community, determined to continue the mission until everyone came home.

This commemorative challenge coin was created to honor the 98 lives lost, the families forever changed, and every responder, worker, volunteer, and community member who stood together throughout the operation.

Five years later, we still remember.

We searched until everyone came home. We carried each other.