The Rotary Club of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus recently dedicated a bench to the memory of John Embow, an area roofer who passed away unexpectedly two years ago.We also formally installed a bike repair station, all along the Niagara Greenway Trail.
The repair station is located on the bike trail near the Naval Reserve on Porter Avenue in Buffalo.
Purchase and installation of the bench and repair station was a cooperative effort between BNMC and Roofers Local 74.
PHOTO:Past Pres. Tony Billoni, Pres. Amir Johnson, Past Pres. Bryan Bonn, Greg Stevens (Executive Director at Niagara River Greenway Commission, Past Pres. Wendy Sanders, Immediate Past Pres. Sean Brennan, Past Pres. Bob Grinewich
See Wendy's moving dedication in "Read more..."
Hello and thank you all for coming. By way of introduction, as many of you know, I am Wendy Sanders. Before I begin this dedication, I would like to acknowledge and thank Peggy and Evie, and Elliot who could not be here, John Embow’s wife and children, for attending. As a recent past president of the Rotary Club of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, we’ve been conceptualizing and working on our portion of the Greenway Trail. The Niagara River Greenway trail is a 36-mile-long corridor extending the length of the Niagara River in Erie and Niagara counties. The Niagara River Greenway Commission has created an ambassador program to support and maintain access to the natural environment and abundant waterfront recreational opportunities.Thank you to Greg Stevens from the Commission for being here this evening. Several Rotary clubs and other organizations have adopted sections of the trail and the Rotary BNMC has been involved for several years, maintaining our section with clean ups annually or more. We’ve been planning on a bike repair station and, more recently, a bench, to enhance the trail. It has been a journey for our club lead by several past presidents including Bob Grinewich, Sean Brennan, myself and now, Amir Johnson. Tragically, John Embow, one of the signatory contractors of Roofers Local 74, died by suicide nearly two years ago. He was also an avid cyclist and known by several of my fellow Rotarians. My relationship with him was as a fellow contractor, a nearby neighbor and a person I admired for his intelligence, with the occasional audacity to confront what I considered my better judgement. He was a hard worker, a great dad and a tremendous asset to our industry and is missed by many.
It was time for action. It was time for our small but determined Rotary to complete our goal of a bike repair station on our part of the trail. It was appropriate for the Local 74 contractors to step up and memorialize John’s passing and perhaps, most importantly, recognize the voice all of us experience when someone chooses to leave. It is the goal that this space is a respite for those cycling or walking the Greenway Trail, to repair their equipment and reflect while enjoying the natural environment.
Service above self, one of the Rotary mottos, certainly meets what our club and the contractors have accomplished here, but ultimately it is a joint tribute to the memory of someone who would have loved visiting and using the space.
Thank you again to Peggy and the kids for being here, members of the Embow family, the contractors who have supported the Rotary BNMC, all our Rotarians and especially Bryan Bonn as the constant on getting this space established, my personal workforce with Michael Kiebzak and our team in providing logistics, and also for Jeffrey Pirrone, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Buffalo & WNY for providing education to our club, and more broadly the community about the importance of mental health awareness and support. Today is a joyful somber event and I am proud to make this dedication, even with the acknowledgement that we all owe those who struggle – even if we don’t see it – peace and dignity. Thank you all for making this possible for our Rotary and for honoring John’s memory.
PHOTO 1: Wendy reads the dedication of the bench and repair station in John Embow's memory.
PHOTO 2: Peggy and Evie Embow