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Fundraiser planned for GSE student
By DONNA BUDNIEWSKI
Reporter Assistant Editor
Students, athletes, friends and UB faculty and staff members will gather from 7 p.m. to midnight on Nov. 19 at The Steer restaurant, 3151 Main St., to raise money for a fund to benefit Kevin Pitra, a second-year student in the Graduate School of Education and former captain of the UB men's soccer team who is battling melanoma.
Pitra, who graduated from UB in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in sociology, was diagnosed with cancer last spring. He underwent surgery and currently is undergoing intensive Interferon-A chemotherapy—a very expensive treatment involving three injections a week—all while attending classes and working. He has medical insurance through the Graduate Student Association, which only covers a small portion of his prescription drug expenses. This year, he will incur uninsured medical costs in excess of $45,000, fundraiser organizers say. The funds raised will go directly to help defray those costs.
Pitra was considered an aggressive and focused leader of the soccer team, not just as captain, but also as a mentor to younger players. He was named the MAC Tournament's Most Valuable Player as a senior and was an academic all-star as well, named in 2001 to the Mid-American Conference Academic Honor Roll.
John Astudillo, men's soccer coach, said he came to know Pitra's family, as well as Pitra, because family members were supportive of his soccer career, attending nearly all of the games—even those out of town.
"I saw his transformation from such a shy, introverted guy his freshman year to his senior year where he was a leader—he would blast the team for poor performance," Astudillo said. "He came to love the university very, very much. He bled blue and white. He would just do anything for any player, and was particularly helpful to freshmen as a junior because they (junior and senior team members) were helpful to him as a freshman. He's just a great person," he said.
Gabe Cagwin, a GSE student and former UB basketball player, said he met Pitra during orientation for UB athletes during his junior year and Pitra became one of his best friends.
"He's just one of those type of guys who would give up anything at the drop of a hat to help you out. He's very sincere about everything, very caring," Cagwin said.
Pitra works in the GSE admissions office, where Mary Carroll, keyboard specialist, said he has endeared himself to everyone in the office with his presence, attitude and "just by being a very, very good person."
"It's an older crowd there—all of us are older than his mother," Carroll said, noting that when members of the office staff learned that Pitra had been diagnosed with cancer, they were so devastated that they closed the office for the day and most went home.
Student Athletic Advisory Committee member Sarah Sheffer, a senior majoring in English and exercise science, said the Division of Athletics is known for its family atmosphere, and that Pitra remains part of that family. "He would do this for us," Sheffer said of the decision to hold the fundraiser.
The fundraiser will feature a Chinese auction, split-club drawings and a variety of other fund-raising activities. Donations can be made to the Kevin Pitra Fund, which is being managed through the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy in the Graduate School of Education.
For further information, contact Mary Carroll at 645-2471, ext. 1255 or ext. 1102, or at mec6@buffalo.edu.