11/07/09: 4,500 WNY Volunteers Help Buffalo ‘Extreme Makeover’

Buffalo’s Delores Powell’s eyes filled with tears as she watched more than one thousand volunteers in blue shirts and white construction hats march down Massachusetts Avenue. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown headed the mass filled with AmeriCorps volunteers and Western New York construction crews.
Their mission: to perform and “Extreme Makeover” on the Niagara District home.
Powell is a Jamaican immigrant and Buffalo community activist who moved to the United States 22 years ago in search of the American Dream. Then Powell worked as a home health aide making $100 a week.
“I came here and I found out that it was a really nice place and I love it so much,” said Powell hugging one of her children.
ABC’s “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” show wants to give the Powell family a dream house.
“You see it on television and now it’s happening to you. I was so overwhelmed with joy. I was shaking. It was mixed emotions it was joy,” added the anxious mother of four. Soon Deloress and her children, Joel, 18, Gabrielle, 16, Deborah, 15, and Anschel 10 will have a new space to call home. A limo whisked the family away to the airport in route to Disney World, while crews work around the clock to demolish and rebuild the house.
“It’s so exciting to being so many Western New Yorkers together to help western New York, “said WNY AmeriCorps Director Mark Lezzara.
The volunteers carried pairs of shoes to donate to families in need back in Powell’s native Jamaica. More than 4,500 volunteers signed up to work on the Extreme Makeover project. There’s also more than 500 people on a waiting list who want to volunteer.
AmeriCorps volunteers plan to touch up 40 additional houses around Massachusetts Avenue. Some of which will undergo extensive green environmentally friendly renovations.
“About 20 of them will have more significant things. Siding, painting, we’re going to be building a community garden,” said Lezzara.
“We’ve been working very hard to make every build a green build. The greener the better. From what I understand this may be one of the greenest houses we’ve ever done,” said Extreme Makeover Home Edition’s Eduardo Xol.
“We are behind this and we’re going to make a difference in their life. Part of those volunteers are going to make a difference in many lives here on Massachusetts,” added Lezzara. The Extreme Makeover project is not just rebuilding one home. They have plans to improve several. They will also turn some of the vacant lots into community gardens.
“I think we’re going to make an attempt to recycle every single part of the house,” said Xol. The son of Mexican immigrants says he identifies with seeking the American Dream and hopes the project will strengthen the Niagara District community.
“We’ll hopefully leave something that the community will continue to build on. But I also want to say we’re also coming into a community that’s already doing it,” said Xol.

11/03/09

11/03/09 info to come

11/02/09: Vigilant Guard Runs Tonawanda Earthquake Disaster Drill

A New York National Guardsman covered in a protective suit held a woman with a bleeding face wound with one hand and walkie talkie in the other.
“Sir I need more assistance. Copy? Over,” he yelled in the receiver. “Ma’am we’re going to get you out of here,” he consoled the woman.
Thirteen-hundred New York National Guard troops are participated in the Vigilant Guard Earthquake emergency response at the rubble Pile in Tonawanda. Earthquake victims were pulled from the wreckage, decontaminated and rushed to a triage.
“Time is of the essence and you need to have absolute trust and confidence in each and every member of your team,” said Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Cooper looking at hundreds of New York National Guard Troops rescuing victims from an earthquake scenario. Cooper says seconds can mean the difference between life and death when disaster strikes.
“It could not only prevent you from getting the causality out but it could create an injury of one of your team members and they you’re becoming part of the problem not the solution,” added the Lieutenant Colonel.
Western New York’s Army National Guard is among the 150 agencies teaming up for the Vigilant Guard statewide disaster training.
“Vigilant Guard is likely the largest joint military and civilian disaster response exercise ever conducted in here in the state of New York,” said Brigadier General Michael C. Swezey.
This week 2,600 people from eight different states will participate in disater drills.
“It’s real. It you have an earthquake with unreinforced structures you’re going to have collapses with injuries,” said Lieutenant Colonel Cooper.
The emergency response exercise is a dress rehearsal in more ways than one. The men and women are putting on protective suits in an effort to enter into a building which has collapsed. Erie County officials say in the wake of the Flight 3407 crash, the Hepatitis-A outbreak and the October surprise storm, that it’s important to be prepare for any type of emergency.
“We need to plan, as we say in the boy Scouts ‘you gotta be prepared’ and this is another way of Erie County and our emergency prepared department being ready,” said Erie County Executive Chris Collins.

11/01/09: 100 WNY Drummers “Stick it to Hunger”

“You listen to any kind of song, any kind of music and drums are in my opinion the most important part of any song,” said Nicholas Plant. The Williamsville music teacher is one of one hundred drummers “Sticking it to Hunger” in Cheektowaga.
One hundred Western New York musicians are drumming up money for an area food bank. The drummers played together for the “Sticking It To Hunger” fundraiser in at the Marygold Manor in Cheektowaga.
It’s part of an international campaign to raise money to fight poverty and hunger, while promoting music education in schools.
“One guy started the event on his own and he had 533 people the same place,” said Buffalo Drum Outlet Owner Paul Musilli.
It's the second year for the event happening in about 12 cities to drum up money for area soup kitchens. Musilli helped organize the Buffalo-area fundraiser. There were others taking place in the following locations:

Bellevue, WA: Donn Bennett Drum Studio - bennettdrums.com
Buffalo, NY: Buffalo Drum Outlet - buffalodrumoutlet.com
Champaign, IL: Skins-n-Tins Drum Shop - skinsntins.com
Columbus, OH: Columbus Percussion - columbuspercussion.com
Hollywood, FL: Resurrection Drums - rezdrums.com
Houston, TX: The Percussion Center - percussiononline.com
San Jose, CA: Lemmon Percussion- drumsusa.com
St. Louis, MO: Drum Headquarters - drumheadquarters.com
Toronto, ON: Just Drums - justdrums.com
Tulsa, OK: Drum World - drumdaytulsa.com
Willowick, OH: Stebal Drums - stebaldrums.com
READ ABOUT THE “BIG BEAT” http://www.fivestardrumshops.com/PDFs/BB_PR_Aug.pdf
Buffalo area drummers are raising money for the Saint Adalbert’s Response To Love Center in East Buffalo.
“It’s in one of the poorest neighborhoods. We counted the houses going down the street and about ¾ of them were boarded up,” said Musilli. Response to Love offers hot meals, groceries, job training and G-E-D classes to low income families.
SAINT ADALBERT’S RESPONSE TO LOVE CENTER
http://www.responsetolovecenter.org/
130 Kosciuszko Street
Buffalo, NY 14212
716-894-7030
The musical fundraiser also contributes to the Mr. Hollands Opus Foundation working to enhance music education programs. So far they’ve raised $3,300 for instruments at Buffalo’s South Park, Grover Cleveland and Seneca High Schools.
“It’s a great thing when you get people of all ages doing a positive thing for other people,” said Musilli with a smile.
“My whole family plays drums. I like to get to learn stuff and basically I like to beat on things,” added six year old Roco Lucciano.

10/31/09: BPD & SUNY Buffalo Police Increase Halloween Weekend Patrols

Buffalo’s Daniel Sondel goes all out decorating for Halloween, but he says tomb raiders took one of his lawn decorations from his University Heights front yard.
“I used to live in Cheektowaga and you could put anything out. But now we’re afraid to put anything out,” said Sondel pointing to his yard.
“I mean it’s a tombstone. It’s only a couple dollars but it’s ridiculous to have it stolen,” he added.
Last year Sondel’s display attracted a couple of inebriated UB students who posed for pictures with the scary characters. Still, Sondel says it’s not the students, but the criminals who threaten people that have residents on Heath Street worried. They say now, more than ever it’s important to have an active neighborhood watch.
“The college kids have all the new electronics,” said Sondel. “Laptops, phones and IPods… that’s what they’re [thieves] after,”
“The residents of the University Heights have wanted extra patrols in their area,” said Lt. Mark Gates with UB’s State University Police force.
Lt. Gates said residents requested higher security after the shooting death of 23-year-old Javon Jackson at Main in Lisbon, just hours after graduating from UB back in May. Police are currently investigating a fatal stabbing on Lisbon Saturday morning.
“The whole month of October we’ve had more patrols in that area,” Lt. Gates added.
State University Police are teaming up with Buffalo Police to combat crime around Main, Winspear and Bailey streets.
“You’ll see more officers out, more officers on foot patrols in the street and in cars. It will be a combination,” said Buffalo Police Department spokesman Mike DeGeorge.
Buffalo Police increased the number of officers patrolling heavy bar and house party areas.
“We expect bigger crowds in the Chippewa entertainment district area and the University Heights district area. Because of that patrols will be stepped up in those two areas,” DeGeorge added. It’s an effort to make the streets safer for residents and candy craving visitors.
“Trick or Treat!” yelled the McDade children walking down Heath Street. The McDade family always “trick or treats” in a pack. Their parents advise the children to always put safety first.
“Kids do need parents to supervise them as they trick or treat. Because it’s so crazy today and you never know what to expect,” said their father Derek McDade leading the group to the next house.
“I always keep a device on me so that I can call somebody. Or make sure I’m around a group of people in public not in private,” added 12-year-old Kayla McDade.

10/30/09: “H.O.M.E.” Breaks Ground on New Home for 2010

A Western New York group dedicated to helping others find homes is breaking ground on a new home of its own. The Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) program has worked to curb housing discrimination since 1963. The organization is currently housed at Main and Tupper, but plans to move to Main and Ferry by September 2010. Neighbors say the vacant building has gone unattended for at least four years.
“Main Street has always been the divide in the City of Buffalo,” said City Common Councilman Michael LoCurto. “This is a project that can help bridge that gap,” the Delaware District representative added.
The $2.4million project links the Delaware and Masten District corridors while providing a permanent home for HOME.
“We have the Performing Arts Revitalization, the Michigan Street Revitalization, the Main Street revitalization coming back up this way [pointing toward Ferry Street] as well as all the other projects on Main Street,” said Buffalo Common Councilman Demone Smith. “What we now have is this investment at HOME becoming a median between all these investments,” added the Masten district representative.
The HOME fair housing civil rights group will operate out of the bottom floor while the two upper floors will have ten affordable housing apartments. Former Buffalo Bills player Ernie Warlick says he encountered housing discrimination in the suburbs when he first moved to Buffalo back in 1962. He says HOME volunteers helped his family settle around the Queen City.
“They had gotten wind that some of the neighbors were complaining about a Black guy that was moving in.” Warlick said. “Some members of HOME and other friends, all white, took turns driving by the house at night to make sure that nothing happened,” he added.
HOME organizers say the new building is a green mixed-use energy efficient project. The new home for home is slated to open its doors for business September 2010.

10/26/09: Fruit Belt Family Cashes In on Community Safety at Buffalo Foreclosure Auction

“I came for a fight. I came for someone going at me, going at me,” smiled Dorthea Aughtry, motioning with her paddle waving like she’s in a bidding war.
The East Buffalo native says she’s fighting to protect her Orange Street block in the Fruit Belt. Aughtry is part of FCA Development LLC, a family business working to buy properties in the 200 block. “FCA” stands for “Frank and Charlotte Aughtry” the parents of seven adult kids working to buy the block where they grew up and several live.
Seventy-five year old family matriarch Charlotte says she loves living on Orange Street. The family works together to manage several properties and also care for 78 year old patriarch Frank who’s living with Alzheimer’s Disease.
FCA Development has six houses on the family’s street. Several of the homes are split in to two and four single family apartments. They renovated the homes and rent them out to people looking to live in the Fruit Belt and take care of the neighborhood.
“No loud noise, no partying. Because we want to make it a home not a hang out place,” said Dorthea Aughtry.
“I don’t want anyone to take their stuff and tear them down and put some other stuff here,” said Perez Aughtry seated next to his mother Charlotte. “There are a lot of senior citizens in this neighborhood and churches coming up in this area,” he added looking at his mother.
The Aughtry’s bought the house next door to their parents’ home of 40 years. It’s one of 1,800 residential and 243 commercial properties on Buffalo’s foreclosure auction block.
Law requires Buffalo property owners pay taxes, user fees, sewer and water charges. But when they fall short, the city moves in and foreclosure is imminent.
“It’s a traumatic time for most people who are in this situation and we recognize that,” said Buffalo Assessment and Taxation Commissioner Martin F. Kennedy. “The city administration does everything possible to make sure it doesn’t come to this,” Kennedy added.
Monday the Aughtry’s bought a foreclosed two-family home for $1,500.
“That’s what it got me fifteen hundred dollars. A nice house with a big backyard,” Plus nice neighbors that the Aughtry’s already know. They want to buy the homes surrounding their parents’ place.
“It’s wonderful I’m excited. It’s just beautiful to know that I can control who’s next door to my parents,” Dorthea said with a huge sigh or relief.
The Aughtry family members say they are working to improve safety on Orange Street between High and East North. But abandoned eyesores like the house at 247 stands in the way. Neighbors say it's been covered in trash for four years and suspect drug dealers and dog fighters use the location. There are several Buffalo City caution signs displayed outside the home.
“Safety, what kind of safety can there be? That stuff needs to come down and get out the way,” said Orange Street resident Mattie Davis.
Perez Aughtry says he boarded the doors at 247 years ago, but it’s not stopping the trash pile-up.
“There’s all kind of garbage, dead dogs, rats,” Perez said in disgust.
“We’ll they [Buffalo City] gonna tear it down,” interjected his mother Charlotte.
“They say they going to tear it down. I don’t care! It’s gotta to go! Nobody can live like this,” Perez told his mother.
The Aughtry’s say the garbage attracts crime and drug activity. While they can buy the homes, they can’t buy security and peace of mind.
“A lot of these young people, they’re lost. I don’t know what to do. I’m afraid for my mother and father and a lot of these other people,” said Perez holding his mother’s hand.