Greg and Joanne Bauer are Buffalo pride personified. The husband and wife team were born and raised here in Western New York. They founded their company, Employer Services Corporation, in Buffalo and their family makes it a priority to support many local businesses and causes. That was part of the reason they jumped at the chance to participate in the Herd of Hope campaign.
But hometown pride was not the only reason. Supporting Roswell Park has a deeply personal meaning to the Bauer family. Greg’s father, Dr. Charles Bauer, was treated for leukemia there in 2014.
“My dad practiced medicine all his life, and when he first found out he was sick, he called me right away and said ‘I need you to take me to Roswell,’” Greg said. “We are so grateful we ended up in the clinic of Dr. Elizabeth Griffiths.”
Charles’ cancer was aggressive, but Greg recalls the way his father and their entire family was cared for at Roswell Park with fondness.
“Dr. Griffiths had a way of caring for her patients that I will never forget. She treated my dad with such dignity, and showed my entire family so much respect and compassion,” said Greg. “The way she talked to my dad—it was a beautiful thing.”
Greg’s father died about a year after he was diagnosed. The exceptional care he received encouraged Greg and Joanne to continue supporting Roswell Park. When they heard about the Herd of Hope campaign, they knew they wanted to be involved.
“We feel lucky to be able to support an institution like Roswell Park, where all the doctors, scientists, nurses—everyone who works there—are working as hard as they can on behalf of their patients,” said Greg. “We all need to do our part to beat cancer and this is our way of helping.”
Although Greg and Joanne see their support of Herd of Hope as a meaningful tribute to Greg’s father, it is also a way to honor everyone in their lives who have been touched by cancer. This includes Greg’s oldest brother, Joanne’s parents, some of their close friends, and many staff members at Employer Services Corporation. The company, a human resources firm, has about 55 employees.
“Many members of our team have dealt with cancer in some way, and Herd of Hope is our way of rallying around them and countless others in our community who have been affected,” said Greg. “This isn’t just about my dad, although that is a very important aspect of it for our family. But it’s about all of us—the Western New York community we care about so much.”
To Greg, the blue buffalo on display at the offices of Employer Services Corporation represents the company’s ongoing commitment to boosting Buffalo.
“We’re going to show our clients and employees our Herd of Hope statue as a way of saying: we are Buffalo and we’re doing our part to support an important Buffalo institution,” said Greg. “The blue buffalo is a symbol of the part we all play in helping Roswell Park advance the next lifesaving treatment.”
Is your company interested in joining Herd of Hope? Find out more here.
