It was an exciting day yesterday for our service dogs and those Veterans receiving them. Thank you to the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office and Niagara County SPCA for their partnership. The Veterans will continue their training and learn how to handle their dogs for the next 5-6weeks with our trainer John Knoph. We will be placing new dogs back into the jail next month and start all over again. Looking forward to more exciting adventures!

March is Women’s History month and WNY Heroes has over 330 local women in its Female Veterans Group who’ve shaped history by serving in all branches. Please click the image to learn more.

We recently asked for your feedback and boy did you deliver! Click the image to see what local Veterans are saying about how your support and our assistance has impacted their lives.

We are so excited to be finally letting Rick meet his Veteran at the Sabres vs Lightening game on January 11. Rick (Named after Rick Jeanerette) still has months of training to go at the Niagara County Sheriff Office before he can officially be with his Veteran full time. We have been working Rick for a few months now and he has made big leaps from then till now. We rescued Rick from our friends at the Niagara SPCA

Our Veteran of the year! Mr. Casey Bukowski served in WWII and was a POW for 14mos. He was shot down over enemy territory & lost an eye. He was only 20 years old. What a true honor to have in our presence. Please watch this short 3 min. video, listen to the man himself, and donate today to allow us to continue helping our local heroes like Casey. Thank You So Much.

Thanks to this dynamic duo (Larry & Tony) for representing WNY Heroes at the Naval Park for the Buffalo Stand Down from 10- 3 pm. Thank you Veterans One Stop for putting this amazing event!

Thank you so much for the visit Cindy. Cindy (Chautauqua County Dwyer) stopped in today and dropped off 34 red white and blue afghan blankets. We truly look forward to seeing you at your event on October 9th.

Hey kiddos! Need a break from schoolwork?! Stop on by and get your weekly craft! Every Friday we will have a craft available for your family!

NYS Health Invites You to Attend a Webinar: “Military Sexual Harassment and Its Impact on Veterans’ Health “Approximately 8 out of 10 women in America report experiencing some form of sexual harassment in their lifetime. Women who serve in uniform are no exception. According to the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military, many service women describe feeling singled out and report being the subject of near-daily sexist comments. Not only does this harassment negatively impact the health of victims, but the unchecked behavior also creates a significantly higher risk for sexual assault. Countless studies over the years have shown the pervasiveness of military sexual harassment and assault, and numerous recommendations have been made to address the problem—but these harmful behaviors continue. Please join NYS Health for a webinar with Haley Britzky, a military reporter who has covered the high-profile cases of Specialist Vanessa Guillén and Corporal Thae Ohu, about the military’s efforts to end sexual assault, the extent of military sexual harassment, and the health implications for veterans. Webinar Date: Tuesday, October 5, 202112:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

ith our Pawsitive for Heroes service dogs. We were given permission to allow everyone a look on the inside. The guys and the dogs are doing great. The dogs have come a really long way. Our hope behind developing the program is to also give these guys something to fall back on once they have been released back into our community. I/We believe everyone deserves a second chance, no matter what. We are here to offer that second chance with much better hope at the same time. We look forward to swapping out the dogs when they are done, pairing them up with Veterans on our waiting list and bringing in fresh dogs to start all over again. Unfortunately one of our dogs will be exiting the program due to an injury that occurred PRIOR to our receiving her and her entry into our program. We will be swapping her out for another dog next week. After her being seen by Donner Creek Vet Clinic her injury is nothing that we can do to fix. After a long discussion with the dr. we feel we would not be doing right by the Veteran who would receive her either. Therefore she will be released to a foster home who can and is willing to love up. She Is amazing and obviously had A LOT of training through us already.

US Army Airborne Ranger Vet Jason tossed out the first pitch at a recent Bison’s game. The team gave WNY Heroes 200 to distribute to local heroes who had a great time with their immediate family members.

Pawsitive for Heroes Night was another huge success. 27 Veterans showed up. Many currently in our program, others considering coming into our program, along with our trainers. Huge thank you to Mercy Flight who did a flyover for us. The pilot also happens to be one of our trainers haha! Huge shout out and thank you to our dog food sponsor Purina for providing all the dog food for our service dogs. Thank you to our other sponsor DUFFS Eastern Hills Mall for the giveaways. Many new faces and we absolutely look forward bringing you into our program and making a life change for you.