Little Heroes

All too often, veterans and their families in WNY are living paycheck to paycheck, just getting by on disability benefits, which barely cover the necessities of life, if they are lucky.

Children in these families often must forego the educational, healthy, and fun extracurricular activities and enrichment programs that are available to their friends and classmates – simply based on their parents’ inability to pay. Classes, lessons, equipment & uniforms are sometimes just too costly to fit into a military family’s budget. In 2011, WNY Heroes, Inc. introduced, Little Heroes.

We have expanded our current Program services to include grants for children of military.

Currently our program offers veterans’ family members financial assistance, which can now be used to fund enrichment programs for children of Veterans or currently serving military personnel.

Here’s how the program works:

Children aged 2 to 18, (toddlers to high school seniors) who reside in WNY with a parent who is a veteran or military spouse/widow/widower, will qualify.

Assistance will be allocated locally to fund activities and items such as:

  • Sporting equipment or uniforms for elementary, middle or high school sports
  • Musical instruments or uniforms for elementary, middle or high school orchestra/band
  • Dance classes (at a recognized WNY dance academies, such as David DeMarie School of Dance, Sherry Martin School of Dance, etc.)
  • Gymnastics classes (at a recognized WNY gymnastics center like Stumpfs, Flips, etc.)
  • Tae Kwon Do (at a recognized martial arts facility, ie: Master Chong’s, etc)
  • Rolly Pollies (gym, music and art classes for kids up to age 6)
  • Music with Mar.

Parents can register children for classes, extracurricular activities or other enrichment programs, and WNY Heroes will either:

Write a check directly to the organization to cover part or all of the qualifying tuition. (We will make a one-time payment on invoices from organizations such as Rolly Pollies, Alessi Fitkids, Music with Mar, local dance/ gymnastics/martial arts schools)

OR

Reimburse a parent who submits a current, original register receipt for sporting equipment or uniforms, musical instruments, etc. WNY Heroes will write a check for the exact amount paid for the items, if the receipt is for the current school semester. (Recognized commercial retailers/stores only – Dick’s Sporting Goods, Great Skate, etc.)

The Little Heroes program will not cover items such as the following: Medical/Dental/Orthodontic expenses, Child Support Payments, Private school tuition, Travel expenses, Entertainment or attractions such as amusement park tickets, concert tickets, sporting events, birthday parties, mini golf, video games, etc. Past enrichment programs or expenses (must be for current or future semester) All applicants to the program must demonstrate need; fill out the requisite WNYHeroes grant application form and be approved by the WNY Heroes grant committee, just as any other applicant would.​


Children of deployed soldiers make significant sacrifices when their parents bravely serve our country. When parents serve, their kids serve too.

Now, we’d like to help give a little back to them.

With help from the NFADA, we can.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
We look forward to working with you again!

Grant Request Form

This financial assistance request falls under the same guidelines of WNYHeroes, Inc. Board of Directors. We have developed this program to allow our parents (Veterans) to give this opportunity to their children. For residence of the following: W. Seneca, Tonawanda, Kenmore and Hamburg, check with your town hall as they have partnered with our program and already offer this to disabled veterans residing in their township.

To take part in any of our programs, veteran/family must reside within one the 12 counties of Western New York (WNY) for a minimum of one (1) year. Grants will be approved or denied at the sole discretion of the Assistance Review Committee.