Buffalo Rising Online

Jun 19th 2008, 12:01am By Tony Astran

This past weekend, amidst the packed beginning of “festival season” around Western New York (e.g., Allentown Art Festival, Juneteenth Festival, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure), more than 500 volunteers reminded residents of the Lovejoy neighborhood why Buffalo is called the “City of Good Neighbors.”

In a matter of about four hours on Saturday morning—despite intermittent rain—volunteers with Brush Up Buffalo repainted 14 homes and the Iron Island Museum. Most of the homeowners were elderly and disabled, and some hadn’t even been outside their homes in months. But even a hidden sun couldn’t stop them from feeling like their day was brightened.

Brush Up Buffalo celebrated its 12th event since 1996, held typically every June on the Saturday before Father’s Day. After this past weekend’s event, the organization now stakes its claim to revitalizing more than 235 homes throughout Buffalo.

This year’s event included a few historic and fun twists. First, the staging area—the Central Terminal—was a new site. Volunteers congregated there between 7:15 and 8:15 a.m. before being bused to Lovejoy, directly two miles east.

Volunteers returned between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. for another new treat: catered Chiavetta’s chicken for lunch (as opposed to the usual hot dogs and hamburgers).

Finally, but certainly not least, this year’s homes surrounded P.S. #43 Lovejoy Discovery School, which is currently undergoing reconstruction. The opportunity to truly revitalize a neighborhood was a key factor for gaining sponsorship and logistical support from LPCiminelli, the company overseeing the reconstruction efforts. (The list of all sponsors is available at http://www.brushupbuffalo.org/content/pages/sponsors-and-donors.)

And without the year-round support of Brush Up Buffalo’s steering committee—about a dozen individuals and growing—the event might not be possible. The event is a one-day affair that takes careful planning and more than $25,000 raised in sponsorship dollars and in-kind support.

But most importantly, the reason Brush Up Buffalo 2008 was so successful and so much fun was because of the volunteers. Western New Yorkers from all walks of life—young, old, city dwellers, suburbanites, paint pros, paint novices—all came together for a common goal. And 14 homeowners and the Iron Island Museum now share some added pride with their fellow Lovejoy neighbors.

Brush Up Buffalo 2009 is tentatively scheduled for June 20, 2009. But despite having to wait more than 365 days for the next event, new sponsors and steering committee members are welcome anytime—call 250-3353 to leave a message.

[Pictured above: Volunteers with Creditors Interchange repaint a home, and volunteers with Harter Secrest & Emery LLP stand in front of a finished home.]