Flag football game dedicated to the memory of Leah Mayer

Story and photo by Alice Gerard

Senior Contributing Writer

Dedicating the May 6 flag football game to Leah Mayer was something that player Kennady Ulrich asked her team to do.

Leah died after being struck by a car at the intersection of Broadway and Beaver Island Parkway in September 2024. She was 13 years old.

“I felt like it was the right thing to do,” Kennady said of the game, which featured Grand Island High School’s flag football team against the Niagara Wheatfield team. “It’s terrible what happened. I feel like the community needs to do more about it. I feel like more people need to do stuff like I’m doing.

“Personally, it was pretty easy (to do). The girls were so on board with it. We all know (Leah’s older sister, who was a member of the team), so it was pretty good for them. We have a lot of younger people on the team, and they don’t know a lot about it. I texted in our group chat, and I said, ‘Hey guys, we’re going to do this.’ I didn’t ask if it was OK. I just straight up said, ‘We’re doing this.’ ”

Leah’s grandfather, Bill Daniels, said about the dedication of the game: “This is a compassionate game for Leah by the girls’ football team.

“It means to me that there’s some community support. I’m trying to get New York state to make some changes where Leah was killed. I’m having trouble with the Town Board getting a resolution. I’ve been working with an organization called Go Bike Buffalo, an advocacy group for traffic safety. They said I’ve got to get local support. When Leah was killed, her brother was playing JV football, and they dedicated a game to Leah. He’s now playing varsity football and basketball. He’s a sophomore. He’s 6’2”. He’s a good kid. Still growing. It shows that the community has some support and some concern.”

Leah’s older sister is now in college, studying nursing, Daniels said.

“Leah was a dancer and an artist,” Daniels said. “She didn’t live long enough to play football. She was my youngest. Every Saturday, she’d say, ‘Grandpa, you coming over?’ She liked to go shopping with a passion. We’d go to Savers, and I put her on a budget, and we’d go to Barnes & Nobles to get books every Saturday. Then we’d go out to lunch.

“The only thing we want is Leah coming through the door, and it’s not going to happen.”

Daniels asked for community support for changes to the intersection where Leah was killed.

“There is a petition,” he said. “I want people to get involved, to show up at Town Board meetings. They meet on the first and third Mondays of each month. (I want them) to ask people who you elected to serve you to do something to advance traffic safety, especially near the elementary school. I’ve been there pretty much by myself. My brother came once for moral support. But pretty much, I’ve been there alone. It would be great if people would show up to support our young people on Grand Island.

“The family sponsored a public input hearing on Sept. 6, and Karen Carr Keefe wrote an article on it. It was on the same day that Zonta was having their distribution of mums. Pete Marston, the town supervisor, was there. I had an article in The Buffalo News on Jan. 31.”

Find the petition at https://www.change.org/p/install-a-traffic-light-and-crossing-signals-at-broadway-and-beaver-island-parkway.