Scholarship fund aims to help
Buffalo victims, families

scholarship fund created in the aftermath of a horrific, racially motivated attack at a Buffalo-area supermarket has raised more than $42,000 — but more support is needed.

The attack left local residents feeling unsafe and insecure within their own community. Ten people were killed and three were wounded. Among those killed were union members Margus Morrison, Pearl Young and Aaron Salter Jr.

To honor their lives and the lives of others slain in the attack, the statewide union established the NYSUT Memorial Scholarship Fund for Buffalo Victims & Families. Contributions benefit the families of those murdered in the attack, and high school seniors who live in the surrounding neighborhood.

“If you’re able, I encourage you to consider donating to the Buffalo scholarship fund,” said NYSUT Secretary-Treasurer J. Philippe Abraham, whose office oversees social justice issues for the union. “These community members will be forever haunted by this event; we’d like to do something positive for them, however small.”

To administer the fund, which will continue for the foreseeable future, the statewide union is partnering with Say Yes Buffalo, an education-focused Buffalo nonprofit that spearheads a citywide scholarship program for public and charter high school graduates.

For questions about the fund, contact Tanice Pendergrass: tpendergrass@sayyesbuffalo.org, 716-247-5310, ext. 208.

To donate, visit nysut.cc/buffalomemorial. Mail check donations to Say Yes Buffalo, 1166 Jefferson Ave., Suite A, Buffalo, NY 14208. Make checks payable to “Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship;” write “NYSUT Fund” in the memo line.