P.U.N.T Foundation
P.U.N.T Foundation
P.U.N.T provides pediatric cancer support for families across WNY; find them at Ellicottville’s Fall Fest
Her voice fluctuated between exhausted and exhilarated, a tonal pendulum portraying a vast array of emotions. Earlier in the week, she spearheaded two events in Nashville, Tennessee, a few of many during a summertime gauntlet requiring a constant smile and laser-focused drive. The work they do - and by they, there are only three full-time on staff - creates an impact rippling across the western New York community and far beyond. As Madison Szpaicher and I spoke on the phone, one simple facet was prevalent: her passion.
Maddie works for P.U.N.T. Pediatric Cancer Collaborative, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) providing families across western New York facing pediatric cancer with financial and emotional support. She began her role as Assistant Director in July of 2019, helping build the foundation into a regional name stay.
Founded by legendary Buffalo Bills punter Brian Moorman as a public charity, P.U.N.T. has seen annual growth because of its admirable mission and litany of programs.
“Around 10 years ago, Gwen’s (P.U.N.T. Directer Gwen Mysiak) 15-year-old nephew was diagnosed with sarcoma,” Maddie said. “His name was Andrew. He battled hard for 20 months. Brian (Moorman) had the Buffalo Embassy Suites donate their pool so Andrew could have his last swim. He died two days later. Gwen ended up meeting Brian at the funeral, and six months later he reached out asking if Gwen was interested in helping.”
On her 40th birthday, Mysiak quit her career at WNED and took over at P.U.N.T.
The charity provides six key programs: Helping Hands, providing financial assistance to help families make ends meet; Adopt-A-Family, where holiday wish lists are fulfilled; Game Day, giving kids with cancer a private suite at a Buffalo Bills game; Locker, which distributes gas and grocery cards, hospital parking and cafeteria vouchers; Ultimate Compassion, encompassing bereavement programs for families who have lost a child; and Field of Dreams, where children suffering from cancer are presented with a special gift or memorable experience.
The charity relies on the help of volunteers for many of its programs, but at its heart the 3-person team does the heavy lifting.
“My major day-to-day responsibilities include back-end assistance, accounting, running the Twitter and Instagram handles (@puntpediatriccancer) and organizing events,” Maddie said. “September was pediatric cancer awareness month so it was all hands on deck.”
Maddie, a graduate of Ellicottville Central and Alfred University, took a part-time job with the Buffalo Bills as an event coordinator. When Gwen’s longtime assistant quit, people within the organization recommended Maddie. Although it’s not an official partnership, the strength of relationships built by Maddie during her time with the Bills allows the two organizations to work together fluidly.
P.U.N.T. has cultivated a relationship with Bills tight end Dawson Knox, a Nashville native and all-around #greatguy. You may have seen Knox repping a P.U.N.T. t-shirt during his post-game interview with Josh Allen.
“Dawson has become a huge part of the organization,” Maddie said. “He’s really our unpaid spokesperson. Last June, he offered to do a fundraiser. We connected with the downtown Nashville Bills backer group (the Music City Mafia Crew) — one of them is originally from Springville. Coincidentally, she had my mom as a teacher. We raised over $10,000, and it was so successful they invited us back.”
One of the women, a cancer survivor and South Buffalo native, invited P.U.N.T. to host a fundraiser at her country club just outside of the city. On Sunday, they went back to the Bills bar for an additional fundraiser - raffling off signed Knox jerseys at both - and collectively raised over $12,000.
And the fun isn’t over. Maddie has taken advantage of her Ellicottville roots, pulling in more awareness and participation from the Southern Tier. The beneficiary of this year’s Boardroom Banked, slated for Sunday, March 6th at Holiday Valley, is P.U.N.T.
P.U.N.T. is also hosting a Kid’s Zone at this year’s Fall Festival in Ellicottville. “It will be in the Katy’s Cafe parking lot Saturday and Sunday 11:00am-4:00pm,” Maddie said. “The village wanted a more family-active zone. Essentially, it’s 9 holes of putt-putt, crafts, balloons, and other kid-centric activities. Everything will be ticketed - it’s $1 per - and all proceeds go back to the charity.”
The Bills-themed activities are sponsored by Brooke Szpaicher and Dave Blanchard of Keller Williams Realty.
“The support from the western New York community has been unbelievable,” Maddie said, referencing a record-setting fundraising summer. “It’s amazing to see how our region will rally around causes that help people they might not even know.”
For more information on P.U.N.T. and how you can help, visit puntpediatriccancer.org.
