We Could Be Heroes

Just For One Day

What’d You Say

Lyrics from the Song, Heroes - by David Bowie

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – When it comes to Heroes, National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 3 isn’t short of them.

Since 2018, 80 Members of this NALC Branch here in Western New York have been honored nationally by NALC as Heroes for making a difference in the communities where they deliver mail - including three who were named NALC Eastern Region Heroes of the Year, according to Branch 3 President David Grosskopf, Jr.

That also includes these Branch 3 Members who were honored in in 2025: January - Jared Matesic/Blasdell; April - Daniel Mayville/Niagara Falls; July - Austin Carney/Cheektowaga; August - Lane Wolf/Westfield; October - Colleen Kreuzer/West Seneca, Kim Hullett/Cheektowaga, Michael Pennetti/Tonawanda, Alexander Skomra/Central Park & Theodore May/Central Park and Kimberly Davis-Hullett/Buffalo-Cheektowaga; and in November - Abbey Carey/East Aurora.

“It shows the community ‘how involved we are,’” Grosskopf tells WNYLaborToday.com. “And ‘it’s a nice way to put our Members in the spotlight for what they’ve done.’”

“Many of them ‘are so humble, they don’t want the notoriety for the good they are doing.’ ‘But it’s important they receive that recognition because they are just trying to help those in the communities where they deliver mail,’” he said.

With apologies to those who are not highlighted here in this report, the following are a few examples of what some of those Branch 3 Letter Carriers did to receive such recognition from NALC (The following synopsis of each appears on NALC Branch 3’s Facebook Page):

Lane Wolfe (Pictured Above): Alarmed by an open house door of a customer who usually greets him, Wolfe found the man inside, confused and unwell. Wolfe called 911 and stayed with him until EMS arrived, helping to save his life.

Abbey Carey (Pictured Above): Carey noticed one of her customers’ mail had been piling up in their mailbox. She knocked on the resident’s door and he answered. Carey asked if he needed any help. Even though the man said he was fine, Carey felt - based on his physical appearance, that something may not be right. The next day she stopped at the East Aurora Police Department to ask if an Officer could accompany her on a welfare check. The police granted her request and again the resident declined any help. But this time Carey notified neighbors to keep an eye on him. That night one of the neighbors had to take the resident to the hospital to be checked out for his condition. Her persistence paid off and the resident got the medical attention he needed.

Mike Pennetti (Pictured Above): While delivering mail, this Letter Carrier came across an elderly man wandering around the neighborhood, appearing lost. Pennetti spoke to the elderly gentleman who couldn't provide his address. Pennetti dialed emergency services to get assistance in helping the man. He was able to convince the individual to show him his ID. Pennetti realized the man was only a few houses away from his own home - but did not know where he was. He escorted the man back to his home, but when they arrived all the doors were locked. A neighbor saw Pennetti assisting the man attempting to get back into the home. The neighbor called the man's daughter who provided a garage door code which Pennetti used to allow them access to the home. Police then showed up to assist and check on the elderly man as well. Pennetti's quick thinking and ability to communicate with the man made sure this story had the right ending.

Carrier and Branch 3 Trustee Colleen Michelle Kreuzer (Pictured Above): While delivering mail, Kreuzer heard a jogger yell for someone to call 911. She immediately did and ran over to assess the situation. Colleen observed one of her customers, an elderly gentleman, had fallen in his driveway, hit his head and was bleeding noticeably. She started talking to the man, who was not communicating and appeared confused as to what had just happened. Kreuzer kept the man awake until Paramedics arrived. Eventually the man responsed and the Paramedics subsequently transported him to the hospital to be treated.

Kimberly Davis-Hulett (Pictured Above): While delivering mail, Davis-Hulett witnessed a young boy run from a home, across a major thoroughfare. She pulled her postal vehicle over and tried to communicate with the boy in order to get him out of the middle of the road. The boy was non-verbal, but Davis-Hulett managed to get him to walk with her out of the road and to take shelter under a tree as temperatures were high on this day. She called 911 for assistance. A car came driving by and it was the boy’s sister who was out looking for him. She confirmed her brother was autistic and that his mother was worried as he disappeared on her. In the end, Hulett was successful in reuniting the boy with his family.

And if that wasn’t enough, Branch 3 and its Members were involved in the month of December raising monetary donations for FeedMore WNY.

Grosskopf delivered a $3,333.33 check on behalf of Branch 3’s Membership to the local Food Bank to help continue to provide food for those in need.

The Branch 3 donation drive was due to the negative impact of the recent shutdown of the Federal Government, as well as cuts the Trump Administration has made to a host of Federal programs (such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP).

Grosskopf (Pictured Above Presenting The Check To Feedmore WNY/NALC Branch 3 Provided Photo), tells WNYLaborToday.com there are 47 million Americans - including 7.2 million children, who live in households with food insecurity.

In addition, 1.2 million Veterans live in households that participate in SNAP, he added.

“That’s why the National Association of Letter Carriers and its local Branches ‘have responded to this need,’” Grosskopf said.