Charity Fund dishes out the money

Story and photos by Larry Austin
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, February 8, 2007

Town of Niagara Supervisor Steve Richards, left, receives a proclamation from Niagara County Legislator Danny Sklarski as Mary Whelan, general manager of the Fashion Outlet Mall, looks on. Richards and Whelan are two members of the Niagara County Charity Fund committee that gave out $50,000 to worthy causes Saturday.

Dozens of service agencies gathered Saturday in the Town of Niagara to receive a belated Christmas gift from the Niagara County Charity Fund.

The fund distributed $50,000 to charities in a ceremony at the Town of Niagara Community Center in amounts ranging from $350 to $2,000.

Niagara County Legislator Danny Sklarski, 6th district, and a former Town of Niagara councilman, said an agreement with the Fashion Outlet Mall that began in 1999 provides $100,000 to the Town of Niagara in a payment in lieu of taxes and an additional $50,000 to charitable organizations and not-for-profit entities all over the county, not just the Town of Niagara.

“I’m the chairman of community services in Niagara County. Eleven departments report to me. The biggest department I have is Social Services, and I’m telling you guys, there’re some hard stories out there,” Sklarski told approximately 100 supporters at the Community Center Saturday.

Town of Niagara Supervisor Steve Richards told the representatives of dozens of service agencies that the money, normally given away in December, was held up after what he called a battle between him and former town supervisor Jim Sacco, who asked the Niagara County District Attorney to investigate the disbursement of money.

“This fund is something I really cared about,” Richards said.

Richards stressed that the money is not town money and has never been town money as per the original host community agreement with the mall.

“But rest assured, the money doesn’t belong to the town, it belongs to a committee of three people who decide who to give the money to,” Richards said.

Those three people – the town supervisor, the general manager of the Fashion Outlet Mall, and one other private citizen – distribute a yearly gift of $50,000 to charities. The seed money comes from the mall as part of a host community agreement with the town.

“I thought I was going to jail,” Richards said of the investigation. He also said Sacco told the press that his complaint was an effort for greater accountability of funds.

Richards said the district attorney found no evidence of criminal activity in the use of the host community money.

“This is a big thing and, as the supervisor alluded to, we can’t have anybody stop the good that this town and the Fashion Outlet Mall have been doing,” Sklarski said.

At the event, Sklarski read a proclamation from the legislature to the committee recognizing the success of the Niagara County Charity Fund.

Mary Whelan, general manager of the Fashion Outlet Mall, said it’s an exciting time for the mall. The new ownership of the mall has seen the importance of the fund and has agreed to a 10-year extension of the deal.

The third member of the committee, accountant Patrick Brown, called serving on the committee “an honor and a privilege,” and added that the agreement shows how government and business can work together for the good of the community.

“We couldn’t give the money away during a criminal investigation,” Richards explained, regarding the delay in organizations receiving donations. “I was pretty devastated because I thought, ‘Why am I taking this abuse?’ ”

He acknowledged that, as a politician, he’s open to criticism, but the other members of the committee, Brown and Whelan, are “people like you, who donate their time and don’t get any money for it. They do it because they believe in their cause.” He thought about ending the fund, but reconsidered, he said, deciding that he wouldn’t let one person ruin what had been started.

Organizations receiving money included: Active Hose Fire Co., American Legion Sanborn Post 969, American Red Cross, Blue Knights NY 5, Boy Scout Troop 845, Canine Helpers for the Handicapped, Capital “Coats for Kids” Fund, Carolyn’s House, Center for Young Parents, Colonial Village Home School Group, Colonial Village Presbyterian Church, Community Missions, Conrad F. Kania Detachment, Copin Foundation Inc., Girl Scout Troop 36, Girl Scout Troop 84, H.A.R.T. Program, Health Association of Niagara County, Heart Love and Soul Food Pantry, Holy Ghost Lutheran School, John Paul Bobo Chapter 264, LaSalle Junior Sportsmen’s Club, Margo Fritton, Miss Niagara Scholarship, Niagara Arts and Cultural Center, Niagara Civic Ballet Company, Niagara Community Action Program, Niagara Community Center Association, Niagara County Sheriffs Explorers, Niagara County SPCA, Niagara County Volunteer Firemans Association, Niagara Falls Aquarium, Niagara Fine Arts Program, Inc., Niagara Foster Grandparent Program, Niagara Frontier Lodge No. 132, Niagara Interfaith Chaplaincy, Niagara Military Affairs Commission, Niagara Presbyterian Church, Niagara Presbyterian Puppets, Niagara River Anglers Association, Niagara-Wheatfield Hockey, Niagara-Wheatfield Wrestling, Northpointe Council Inc., Alcoholism Council in Niagara, N-WHS Music, N-WSA After Prom Party, Opportunities Unlimited of Niagara, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Power Cats Wrestling Club, Rivershore Inc., Rotary Club Central, St. James Lutheran Church, St. Leo’s Roman Catholic Church, St. Peter’s Lutheran School, The Salvation Army, Town of Niagara Historical Society, Town of Niagara Lions Club, Town of Niagara Lioness Club, Town of Niagara Recreation Department, United Cerebral Palsy Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Wheatfield Legion Baseball.