Harvest of Hope to benefit MDA

The Western New York chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association will hold its Fifth Annual Harvest of Hope benefit at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 19 at the Statler Ballroom, 107 Delaware Ave., Buffalo.

The event will include selections from many local wineries and microbrew companies, such as Johnson Estate Winery, Merritt Estate Winery, Dr. Frank's Wine Cellars, Southern Wine and Spirits, Premier Group and Flying Bison Brewery.

A silent auction with over 50 items donated by area businesses and friends of the MDA, including two complimentary round-trip tickets from Southwest Airlines, will be available for bidding.

In addition, there will be a raffle for a Toshiba 42-inch flat-screen television and DVD player. Tickets for the raffle are available at the event.

The evening's entertainment will be provided by Civiletto Sings Sinatra.

Alfred Caffiero, once a physical therapist, now lives with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and helps support the MDA and its beneficiaries as a member of the Harvest of Hope committee.

"When I was practicing physical therapy, my goal was to help my patients get better," said Alfred Caffiero.

"I never thought that someday I would be a patient," he said. "Now that I have my friends at the MDA looking out for me, I can concentrate on my new goal: raising money to find a cure."

The Muscular Dystrophy Association is the world leader among voluntary agencies in fighting ALS.

The MDA's ALS division offers the most comprehensive range of services for those living with ALS and leads the search for a treatment or cure through its aggressive $13 million worldwide research.

For more information regarding the Harvest of Hope, including ticket sales and sponsorship information, please contact the Western New York MDA office at 626-0035.