Company's 'superhero' picnic raises $5,000 for WNY Heroes

By Jeannine Alsous

If you happened to drive by Gratwick Park at 110 Ward Road, don’t worry – you didn’t miss a superhero convention. With everyone dressed in their favorite superhero attire, the Precious Plate and Precision Process annual company family picnic raised funds for WNY Heroes.

Angelo Vecchio, Diana Henderson, Mary Baty and Brian Baty accepted a check for $4,500 from Precious Plate President Scott Law and Precision Process President Ben Pratt. The companies added $500 to the total for a total donation of $5,000 for WNY Heroes.

In addition, both companies were presented with eagle statues symbolizing 12 years of commitment to WNY Heroes.

Although unable to attend, founder Chris Krieger said, "Each year, the amazing staff whom we also call our family amaze us with the amount of love and support they continue giving us. Their support has been with us since inception. That means a lot to us and forces us to continue working hard to keep them and all of WNY proud to stand with us when it comes to supporting our local heroes.”

The picnic included food catered from the Gratwick Fire Co; an ice cream truck donated by Kyle Holz with LuGia’s Ice Cream; 100 cookies donated by The Village Bake Shoppe; 100 cupcakes donated by Lovelee Soul; caricature stylings by Sal Anello, owner of Canvas Crashers in Niagara Falls; a Velcro wall; an inflatable maze; face-painting by The Smiling Face Painter; an employee-run cornhole tournament; an employee appetizer and cookie contest; and an extensive basket auction with more than 100 baskets and gift certificates from local businesses including Eat Rite Foods, ChrisFit, Salon Diaz, Crunch Fitness, Casa Antica, Rock Burger, Flip Burger, The Griffon Gastropub and the Sheraton Inn Niagara Falls.

Founded in 2007 by U.S. Army veteran Krieger and community activist Dionne Kane, WNY Heroes is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization serving the needs of Western New York's veterans and their families. Its mission is to provide veterans, members of the armed services, and the widows and children of deceased veterans with access to essential services, financial assistance and resources that support their lives and sustain their dignity.

It is the vision of WNY Heroes to create a centralized resource to meet the needs of veterans and their families through collaborations with partnering community organizations. Companion organizations provide direct support or serve as bridge organization for physical and mental health, as well as financial, legal and workforce development opportunities.