Miracle Makers: B&L Wholesale Supply, Inc.
Outstanding Commitment by a Corporation
Golisano Children’s Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center relies on strong partnerships within the community in order to provide phenomenal care for the children of our region. B&L Wholesale Supply, Inc., continuously recognizes that need and has regularly exhibited its notable generosity.
B&L Wholesale distributes residential roofing, siding, windows, doors, decking, veneer stone and commercial roofing and has the largest inventory and delivery fleet in the Finger Lakes region, and has supported the hospital ever since its inaugural Charity Golf Tournament in 1995. Raising $3,000 its first year, the tournament has flourished and is now an annual event, taking place every June for the past 18 years.
“The golf tournament has evolved into the single, largest external community fundraising event for the children’s hospital,” said Michael Fahy, assistant director of Community Affairs. “In 2012 they enjoyed a record-shattering year, raising $141,983 for us.”
With a passion to help the children, B&L Wholesale’s owners Don Tomeny, Art Finocchario and Bob Latour have provided funding for various pieces of equipment, such as a 3D ultrasound, neonatal beds for babies who have undergone open-heart surgery, named a room in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, named the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit within the Pediatric Surgical Suite, and served as a lead supporter for the expansion of the Pediatric Outpatient Treatment Center, giving $250,000. They also provide support for the social work fund, which helps hospital families in financial need.
Most recently, B&L Wholesale has pledged $500,000 toward a PET-MRI suite within the new Golisano Children’s Hospital. This child- and family-friendly suite will revolutionize the care given and available for patients, and will be one of only a handful of comparable machines across the country. Instead of a patient undergoing positron-emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, the PET-MRI machine combines the roles of the two and will, in turn, produce more detailed images and reduce the patient’s potential exposure to radiation. Not only will the machine allow pediatric oncologists to diagnose cancer more quickly, but it will also aid in the general diagnosis of neurological diseases and provide more information than ever before.
Within the company, the generosity continues. Tomeny, Finocchario and Latour have also collaboratively given and pledged more than $250,000 toward equipment and space in the new Golisano Children’s Hospital.
“They do a lot for us,” Fahy said, “They have reached a company-giving total of $1.2 million, which is just incredible.”
B&L Wholesale Supply, Inc., has helped Golisano Children’s Hospital improve the level of care and expertise available in Rochester. Its long-term commitment has allowed the children in our community to receive the best medical care possible and, with that, we would like to congratulate them on their 2013 Miracle Maker Award for Outstanding Commitment by a Corporation. We look forward to continuing our partnership and to work with such a compassionate and philanthropic company again in the future.