BUFFALO, N.Y. (Sept. 3, 2025) – Delaware North team members at corporate headquarters for the second year participated in the UPlift Design Challenge & Fundraiser hosted by UPward Design for Life (UDFL).
The nonprofit organization was founded by Dionne Williamson in Western New York to support and empower individuals and families from diverse and vulnerable backgrounds by providing home furnishings through community donations and sponsorships. UDFL has a warehouse of new and gently used items – from dressers, sofas, tables and beds to linens and towels to kitchen supplies and home decor – that are provided to clients who have been displaced by various factors. Delaware North recently donated some of the furnishings from the renovation of The Westin Buffalo hotel to UDFL.
Most of the clients are survivors of domestic violence, and UDFL aims to help families and individuals escape abusive relationships by providing essential and comfortable furnishings to new homes. UDFL partners with organizations and sponsors across the community to host an annual design challenge, selecting several clients with a hope to restore dignity and independence.
Vote for Delaware North’s team in the 2025 UPlift Design Challenge, which is in competition against the Rich’s Family Foundation and Salon Giante, by 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 11. The winning team will be announced at an awards ceremony hosted by UDFL the evening of Sept 11.
Delaware North’s 2025 UPlift Design Challenge team: Hannah Russell (team captain), project manager, Project Management Office; Matt Nowakowski, director of building services; Katie Gorman, director of corporate social responsibility and strategic initiatives; Joe Quagliana, design and construction manager; Joe Cartagena, facilities manager; Janice Heckt, building services manager; Natalie Murphy, communications analyst; and Jo Leach, catering manager, Patina Group. Russell’s daughter, Aislin, also volunteered on the challenge day. Aislin Russell, a high school student and Russell’s daughter, also volunteered on the challenge day.
Delaware North was one of three teams and corporate sponsors of the fourth annual challenge, which required hours of volunteerism through:
- Initial walkthrough of clients’ home to understand their needs and preferences
- Warehouse day to select items, including furniture, living essentials and decor
- Challenge day during which the team had six hours to transport selected items from the warehouse to the home and provide its uplifting makeover through building furniture, setting up decor and providing special touches
As part of the challenge, teams could only work with items in the UDFL warehouse for their clients, who were a mother and her six-year-old and one-year-old daughters.
Team members also had the opportunity to meet the clients and see their reactions to their new spaces, which range from being awestruck to having immense gratitude for their new safe and welcoming space.
Watch video below to learn more about the UPlift Design Challenge and see Delaware North’s team in action: