On Friday, September 12, Aspire of WNY welcomed over 400 guests to our annual Art & Wine Celebration. This year’s Night in Bloom theme sprang to life in every corner, with floral décor, a croquet station, and a build-your-own flower crown area. Guests even arrived in their best floral outfits, helping the celebration to truly blossom!
This year was extra special as it marked our first time hosting the celebration at our brand-new venue, the Buffalo Convention Center! The change in venue provided a larger, more accessible space, allowing the individuals we support to move around and participate with greater ease.
Attendees indulged in tastings of wine, craft beverages, and delicious bites that were generously donated by local favorites, including Johnson Estate, Southern Tier Brewing, Labatt USA, Arrowhead Spring Vineyards, Resurgence Brewing, Premier Wine & Spirits, Owl’s Brew, Ellicottville Brewing Company, Erie Wine Trail, Platter’s Chocolate, Cheesy Chick, Venus Greek & Mediterranean, Ilio DiPaolo’s, Wegmans, Hofbräuhaus Buffalo, Buffalo Strive, and a popcorn bar generously sponsored by Melissa and Troy Roth.
Later in the evening, all eyes turned to the stage for the art auction, led by RJ from Auctioneers International. His classic auctioneer fast talk kept the energy high and helped ensure each piece found a loving home.
Guests had the opportunity to bid on four original live-auction pieces and three silent-auction works, with each live piece beautifully complemented by a custom floral arrangement. Florists were given a photo of the artwork in advance and designed arrangements to reflect each piece. The stunning creations were prepared by Wildroot Floral, Woyshner’s Flower Shop, North Park Florist, and Maureen’s Buffalo Wholesale Flower Market.
New this year, our iXpress Store was transformed into a space that felt like a world-class art gallery, thanks to brand new gallery walls constructed by our very own Environment & Safety (E&S) division! Attendees had the chance to browse and purchase an array of incredible creations, from paintings and pottery to jewelry, coasters, and other handmade treasures that were all thoughtfully crafted by the Aspiring Artists.
The celebration came alive to the sounds of Universal Mind, Aspire of WNY’s sponsored all-abilities band. Guests flocked to the dance floor to sway, twirl, sing along, and celebrate the night together in perfect harmony with the music.
The event also beautifully tied into our agency’s Beleaf-Abilities initiative, a brand new program across agency locations where the individuals we support gain hands-on experience growing vegetables, herbs, flowers, and more—while developing confidence, communication skills, and a sense of purpose. Each table featured a centerpiece that highlighted the Beleaf-Abilities mission, with flowers that were among the first harvests from these very garden spaces!
This fun and floral celebration was only made possible by the support of our amazing sponsors, including Parkview Health Services, Jennifer Ball & Jamie McClellan, The Bonadio Group, KeyBank, Corebridge Financial, Rich Products, Keller Technology Corporation, Walsh Duffield, Cross Country Medical Staffing Network, Rusiniak’s Service Inc., Hover Networks, P&A Group, MobilityWorks, Tontine Carpet, Barclay Damon, Tri-Main Development, and Bond, Schoeneck & King.
We are deeply grateful to the sponsors, staff, community members, local businesses and volunteers who made this awesome evening possible! Thanks to your support, our annual Art & Wine Celebration continues to raise funds that allow the Aspiring Artists of our iXpress Program to explore new ways of expressing themselves and sharing their creativity with the world!
