by Erin COLLINS
Brian Rusk loves to help people, especially children. His favorite way to do this is
through an organization called Hope for Tomorrow. The group donates surgeries and medical
supplies to children in third world countries.
Founded by Dr. Jeffrey Meilman, a board certified plastic surgeon, it began with a meeting
between Rusk, Meilman, Richard Solecki, Earl Waxman of the Harbor Health Care Foundation
and Pope John Paul II at the Vatican twelve years ago.
“The Pope asked our group to help children in need throughout the world,” said
Rusk. “So, Dr. Meilman created the Hope for Tomorrow foundation.”
The group has traveled to countries including India, Tanzania, Jamaica, Poland, Hungary
and Albania. This year, the group will travel to Nepal.
Dr. Meilman brings some of the children he’s helped to meet the Pope, who personally
blesses them. The group also brings children back to the United States to perform
extensive surgeries that cannot be performed in their countries.
“The mission is to help needy children who otherwise would be without plastic
surgery,” said Rusk.
Over a hundred children have benefited from Dr. Meilman’s donated surgeries in the
past twelve years and approximately twenty have been brought to the United States for
surgery, according to Rusk.
“My wife Maureen and I are blessed to have healthy and happy children. It makes me
feel very good that we can hopefully provide the same opportunities for good health to
these other children,” said Rusk. “I only wish we could help more.”
When he’s not helping children, Rusk is very involved in the Polish community. He
serves as president of the General Pulaski Association and he heads the Pulaski Day
parade, which hosts more than 150,000 people every year, twice as many as at a Bills game.
He also serves as the national vice president of public relations for the Polish American
Congress.
The Pulaski Day parade, which takes place every summer—this year July 20th at 1:30
pm—is the largest Polish-American event is upstate New York, according to Rusk. The
route begins on Walden Avenue at the Thruway Plaza, heads west to Harlem road and ends at
Cheektowaga Town Park.
Famous leaders like President John. F. Kennedy, Governor George E. Pataki and Vice
President Nelson Rockefeller have marched in the parade, which celebrates the life and
legacy of General Casimir Pulaski, a Revolutionary War hero.
“He fought for freedom in both Europe and the United States and died at the tender
age of 32,” said Rusk. “We keep his legacy alive to let everybody know that
there is a large price to pay for freedom.”
Rusk hosts his own radio show, the Rusk Report. He’s interviewed such famous guests
as Sam Donaldson, Marie Osmond, Congressman Tom Reynolds and Governor George Pataki, who
has appeared five times. The show, in its 24th year, airs Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. on WKBW-
AM 1520.
“It’s a wonderful learning experience for me to enjoy local, national and
international leaders on the program.”
Rusk is also a member of the board of directors of Kenmore Mercy Hospital; he’s a New
York Republican State Committeeman; he serves on the executive committees of the Erie
County Republican party, the Town of Amherst Republican party, the MDA and is also
president of the Amherst South Rotary Club .
Rusk also serves as an assistant public information officer for the New York State Thruway
Authority and New York State Canal Corporation. He assists in publicizing events west of
Syracuse to the Pennsylvania state line.
From a boy who grew up on Morgan Parkway in Williamsville to a man who has become an
outstanding leader in his community, Brian Rusk has committed himself to helping less
fortunate children all over the world as well as making his own part of the world a better
place.
Rusk credits his parents for shaping him into the person he is today. His father was a
medical doctor and his mother was a real estate broker with Hunt Real Estate Corporation.
“Growing up I learned a lot from my parents about honesty and hard work and giving
back to one’s community, and also, a pride in our Polish-American culture.”
Rusk went to Williamsville public schools and graduated cum laude at age 19 from the State
University of New York at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and
theater.
Rusk and his wife Maureen have been married for 13 years. She is the assistant dean of the
business school at Canisius College. They have two children, Justine, age 12, and Michael,
age 8. The family enjoys annual trips to Palm Beach, Fl. where they play golf and tennis,
go swimming and ride bicycles. Rusk also enjoys taking his children skiing.
“I’m blessed with a wonderful wife, beautiful children and good health. I just
hope to make the rest of the world as blessed as I and my family have been,” he said.
Erin Collins is a Staff Associate with Living Prime Time.