Humans of Buffalo, NY

06/11/2020

I admire John Elmore for his generous contributions to our community, especially our youth. I keep his book on my office bookcase and a year ago a mother who saw its title asked me to borrow it, to help her talk to her son. I was pleased to loan it to her, and she returned it with a wonderful thank you note.

A former NYS Trooper and elite attorney, John also mentors youth with his boxing experience.

We need more mentors like John in our community.

Fighting for Your Life: The African-American Criminal Justice Survival Guide

11/11/2018

The Japanese at Iwo Jima underestimated the Fighting Irish from Buffalo. .

10/08/2018

Max Muscato’s brother Sonny was diagnosed with autism, a condition that creates challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and non-verbal communication. On the flip side, it can also cause unique strengths. Music was Sonny’s safe place, so Max and his father Marc came up with the idea for Rock Autism - a nonprofit organization using rock concerts to raise autism awareness and funding for music and art therapy programs.

Rock Autism has already recruited an impressive lineup of partners. including: People Inc., Sense Music, Villaggio Restaurant, Hodgson & Russ Attorneys, Labatt Blue, 103.3 The Edge and Holiday Valley Resort. The 2018 Rock Autism Music Festival in Ellicottville was the first major music event to benefit music and art therapy programs at People Inc., Autism Services of Western New York, The Autism Center at Oshei Children's Hospital, Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Center, and The Summit Center.

Max plans taking Rock Autism to places where it can create greater awareness about autism and contribute a portion of the tour’s proceeds towards autism support services wherever the tour plays. Rock Autism hopes to tour in Nashville and Los Angeles, but will always culminate in Ellicottville. To learn more about Rock Autism, go to www.rockautism.org and its postings about events on Facebook and Instagram.

05/15/2018

Catherine is featured among people I admire most at Humans of Buffalo, NY. Want to restore your faith in humanity and take a break from online negativity, check out the people featured there.

07/05/2017

Catherine Cook-Cottone, Ph.D., is founder and president of Yogis in Service. http://yogisinservice.org
Its teams of teachers she recruited offer free community classes at its studio in Resurrection Village - hosted by Resurrection Church. YIS also serves community members in the Buffalo area at places like schools, after-school programs, hospitals, treatment centers, holding centers, and recovery programs for those who would not otherwise have access. She has written four books and over 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Her most recent book, Mindfulness and Yoga for Self-regulation, is a primer for mental health professionals. Catherine says you don’t need to be graceful and flexible, you just need to be; and by healthy perseverance you can find peace and happiness. Her teaching and writings will continue enriching the lives of many. She is one of the most encouraging people I know.

04/04/2017

When teaching yoga to children, Christina felt schools could do more to educate and inspire students and their families to lead a healthy lifestyle, through better nutrition, exercise and mindfulness, just like she was teaching her 5-year old son. She was determined to recruit a nutritionist and a coach, and train educators using the Mindful School Curriculum. In 2015, when competing in an American Ninja Warrior competition she was inspired to add obstacle course training to her methods and procured a truckload of obstacle course components.
Christina founded the School Wellness Awareness Project (SWAP), which brings yoga, her nutritionist, coach and obstacle course to family fitness events at WNY schools. Her passion for health became a crusade and because of SWAP more kids are eating healthy, moving more, and being kind to others. Here are some of my photos of SWAP’s family fitness night at the Pembroke Intermediate School.
If you share Christina’s goals and want to support SWAP, you can get more information at:
http://www.schoolwellnessawarenessproject.com/
https://www.facebook.com/swapwny/

12/17/2016

Being a single mom at a community college wasn’t easy, but she had grit, graduated from law school and has become one of the most prominent lawyers in Buffalo. She’s honest, blunt, often profane, and has a sharp wit. A great role model and mentor for many young people, I wish there were more lawyers like her. She loves the snow and doesn’t take herself too seriously.

08/12/2016

When I first met her, I knew she is a kind person. When she told me how excited she was to have obtained her degree in music therapy, I had no idea what that is about; so I asked her to email me to explain why she is so passionate about that. Here’s what she sent me. She invited me to shorten and edit her statement; but I found it so sincere and she expressed her feelings so beautifully, I didn’t change a word:

"I am so passionate about music therapy because it unites my two largest passions: music and helping people. I have always loved music, and once I realized the impact music can have on others, I was moved to pursue this as a profession. Music therapy goes beyond the music to achieve a wide range of goals. To an outside eye group music therapy may look like a sing a long; however goals such as eye contact (social pragmatics), communication skills, emotional wellness, motor skills, and overall spirituality of the individual are often addressed. Music therapists work with a wide range of people in a variety of settings from babies in the NICU to children and adults with developmental disabilities to individuals affected from traumatic brain injuries (TBI) to eldercare and end of life and everything in between.
"I see a broken society filled with people seeking to be loved, acknowledged and accepted, and music naturally brings people into a sense of community and belonging. Music provides a way for people to express their true emotions and open up more to each other and their world. We are not in control of our lives as much as we’d like to think; we are not promised tomorrow, which is why the present is so special. We need to make the most of the time God has given us, to be more compassionate and empathetic to those around us. The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) defines Music Therapy as “the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.” For more info check out www.musictherapy.org"

07/27/2016

People who knew him as a child told me they thought he would grow up to be a reprobate, but he proved them wrong. He became one of Buffalo’s finest trial lawyers and contributed to architectural restoration in Buffalo. His investments and efforts helped preserve and renovate the North Park Theater (a 1920 magnificent landmark), Ulrich’s tavern (1868, the oldest bar in Buffalo) and the Cornell Mansion (1894, designed by Edward Kent, who died on the Titanic).

04/03/2016

Newell Nusbaumer (R) promoted Buffalo before it was cool.
Long before influential figures like Kim and Terry Pegula and Howard Zemsky championed game-changing projects like HarborCenter and Larkinville, there was Newell Nussbaumer—a native Buffalonian with an unrelenting passion for his city and plenty of ideas about how to make it better. Among other things, Nussbaumer founded/instigated some of Buffalo’s most beloved events: the Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts, the Witches Ball at the Hotel Lafayette, the Saturday Artisan Market at Canalside, Buffalo Old Home Week (now Citybration) and even Rusty Chain beer by Flying Bison. Nussbaumer also is the editor of Buffalo Rising website—and has long been one of the city’s most vocal advocates.
Excerpted from Gusto article by Matthew Biddle:
http://buffalo.com/2015/03/24/buffalo-magazine/newell-nussbaumer-first-buffalover-promoting-buffalo-before-it-was-cool/

09/29/2015

Shark Girl is half-human and half-shark, a Buffalo celebrity because she sits on a rock at Canalside and tourists take selfies with her. Here's my photo of a Shark Girl impersonator practicing acroyoga at Bidwell Park. Did you know shark girl is running for President?
http://www.albrightknox.org/collection/public-art/piece:shark-girl/