GO EXPLORE
ARTICLE BY LAUREN BOCKA
Uplifting the Community One Smile at a Time Kimberly LaRussa hardly ever has a typical day. One day, she might be seen on television, surprising a child in need with a bedroom makeover. The next, she might be out in the community to raise funds for nonprofits, or you might see her advocating to help pups from local shelters find their forever homes. Surprising a child battling cancer with a baby kangaroo named Gumball at their front doorstep is far from typical, though. Still, the work she does for the community does share a common thread: it makes people smile, and it makes a difference. You don’t have to be a child for a baby kangaroo hopping around your living room to make you smile. Kimberly strives to bring smiles and make a difference through her company, Sweet Buffalo. Her work runs the gambit from writing uplifting news stories for her company’s website and making TV appearances, to surprising children in need, to running fundraisers and holding events in the community for nonprofit organizations. It all began with Kimberly’s passion for positive storytelling and her desire to share uplifting news in her community. With a background in broadcast journalism from Buffalo State College, Kimberly started off as an on-camera journalist and transitioned to writing for community newspapers as a reporter and editor. Of all the news stories she was assigned to, it was the uplifting ones she felt most passionately about. “I just always saw myself gravitating towards stories that made a difference,” says Kimberly. Sharing positive news stories in the surrounding community is what propelled Kimberly to create Sweet Buffalo. Starting as a blog six years ago, Sweet Buffalo has blossomed into a burgeoning company that aims to make a difference and provide help for the people (and canines) that need it the most. Whether it’s rallying around kids and families in need, helping animals to get adopted, or simply sharing a sweet story to make someone smile, Sweet Buffalo lives up to its hometown’s title: City of Good Neighbors. “I don’t think I could do what I do anywhere else,” Kimberly says, fondly noting the outpouring of support from the Buffalo 22 THEHOMEPUBLICATIONS.COM | Buffalo
