Metro Buffalo can expect a new charitable windfall worth hundreds of millions of dollars thanks to the generosity of Ralph C. Wilson Jr., the late founder of the Buffalo Bills. Wilson’s estate recently agreed to sell the Bills to Terry and Kim Pegula for $1.4 billion, and an informed source told The Buffalo News on Friday that a large portion of that money will go to the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation. What’s more, the source said that Wilson instructed that the money be spent only in Detroit – his hometown – and Buffalo. The source also told The News the foundation will be aggressive in supporting charitable causes in Buffalo and that its endowment will dwarf that of the Buffalo-based John R. Oishei Foundation, which describes itself as the area’s largest private foundation, with more than $300 million in assets. “This just seals Ralph Wilson’s legacy as just a great benefactor for Buffalo and Western New York,” said Rep. Brian Higgins, a Buffalo Democrat who said he received word of Wilson’s latest and largest gift to Buffalo a few days ago. “This is huge.” Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said: “This leaves me breathless, and all that can be said, from the bottom of our hearts, is: Thank you, Ralph.” The Wilson Foundation’s website states its mission is “to provide support to charitable and educational purposes” and “to support nonprofit organizations that make a tangible positive impact on people’s lives.” In the past several years, for example, the foundation’s grants have included: • $100,000 awarded to the Hunter’s Hope Foundation this May for its annual family and medical symposium. • $500,000 given to St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit in 2012 for telemonitoring equipment. • $1 million given to the Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Department at the University at Buffalo in 2011. • $1 million awarded to the Roswell Park Clinical Sciences Center in 2011. The new money that will be coming to Buffalo from the Wilson Foundation is likely to dwarf all that, while carrying on a mission that Wilson had worked on quietly for many years. “A lot of what he did was behind the scenes,” said Candace Johnson, deputy director at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, shortly after Wilson’s death on March 25. “He has given over $11 million to medical institutions, and Roswell Park was fortunate to get $2 million to fund innovative research projects as seed money. That was parlayed into another $10 million to $12 million for those projects.” It’s uncertain, though, exactly when Wilson’s bequest to Buffalo will come to benefit the community. The Wilson Foundation is expected to get the proceeds from the Bills sale sometime after the NFL’s fall ownership meeting this Wednesday in Manhattan, where team owners are expected to approve the sale of the team to the Pegulas, currently the owners of the Buffalo Sabres. And like all foundations, the Wilson Foundation has a rigorous process for evaluating grant proposals. “What we all must do now to forge a proper legacy that honors him, is to put to good use his astounding gift in ways that builds a brighter future for Buffalo,” Schumer said. “The presence of the Bills – and now the great work that will occur because of the financial success of that franchise – will make eternal Ralph Wilson’s extraordinary spirit.” Rep. Chris Collins, R-Clarence, agreed. “It is fitting that the proceeds from the sale of the Buffalo Bills will allow the Wilson family to continue Ralph Wilson’s generosity and deep commitment to Buffalo and Western New York,” Collins said. “Mr. Wilson cared about our community, and his impact will be felt in numerous ways for many years to come.” The sale of the Bills will bring one more big change: Mary Owen, an influential Buffalo Bills executive and Ralph Wilson’s niece, will not remain with the team under its new ownership. Owen has confirmed she will leave the team. Instead, she will focus on her role as executive director of the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation. The Bills promoted Owen to executive vice president of strategic planning in January 2011. She has served on the NFL’s international committee and Super Bowl advisory committee. Now, though, she will be in charge of building the legacy of her uncle both in Buffalo and Detroit through the foundation. Wilson grew up in Detroit and ran his various businesses out of suburban Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich. All the while, though, he loved Buffalo, where he founded the Bills in 1960. “This just signals that the goodwill that people have for Buffalo is very real,” said Higgins, who predicted that Wilson’s gift would benefit all sorts of institutions in the community. “It’s a major game-changer,” he said. email: tgraham@buffnews and jzremski@buffnews
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 16:07:19 +0000
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