Suneel’s Light, a Western New York non-profit foundation with the mission of raising funds for research that will lead to a cure of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and to increase public awareness of the genetic disease, has announced that local philanthropist and nationally renowned restaurateur, Russell Salvatore will serve as the 2016 Honorary Chairman of Suneel’s Celebrity Gala, the Foundation’s annual “Dancing with the Stars” inspired fundraiser. Peter M. Vito, retired commissioner of Erie County Central Police Services and chairman and CEO of Peter M. Vito & Associates, Inc., and his wife Elizabeth R. Donatello, Esq. Niagara County Assistant District Attorney were also named Event Chairs. Funds raised by Suneel’s Celebrity Gala in Buffalo help this local non-profit foundation support critical research for treatments in search of a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a lethal genetic childhood disease. 

The Rural Outreach Center (ROC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting rural poverty, will host a fun-filled “Roctober” event from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9, at Elm Street Bakery, 72 Elm St., East Aurora.

The event will feature Elm Street Bakery food, wine and beer, one-of-a-kind silent auction items and music by Doug Yeomans. Tickets to this special event are limited and are available for a $50 donation to the ROC. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Elm Street Bakery, and proceeds will be used to support programs and social work for the underserved and impoverished, helping all to become self-sufficient.

Thirty nine Western New York girls are on their way to smashing through the glass ceiling of the tech and computer programing industry with the assistance of AT&T, WNY STEM Hub, SUNY Buffalo State and the Girls Scouts of Western New York, which have partnered to create and host the region’s first computer coding program exclusively for girls, It’s Your World! Develop It! Powered by AT&T, to encourage more women to enter the field of technology, specifically coding, an industry that is alarmingly male-dominant.