MISSION:

Our mission is to spread awareness of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy by sharing Matt’s inspiring story, continuing his bucket list journey, and helping other individuals living with Muscular Dystrophy cross items off their bucket list too.

No matter what barrier one may be presented with, we believe that limitless minds, passion & persistence will allow us to help transform countless dreams into realities.

HISTORY:

Miles for Matty, Inc., established August 2015, is a nonprofit organization that aims to positively impact the lives of individuals living with Muscular Dystrophy, especially those with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).

Board Members:

Eric Chiazza- Board Member & Co-Founder

Eric was born in Buffalo and grew up in a suburb of Buffalo, Williamsville. Seeking more from life as he knew it, Eric joined the US Marine Corps after high school. After several combat tours to Iraq and Afghanistan, and a humanitarian operation to Haiti, he decided to pursue education and translate skills gained in the military and put them to further use in the civilian sector. Eric earned a BS in Sustainable Management from DeVry University and an MBA in Finance from Canisius College.

Alongside starting several for profit business ventures, Eric helped organize a large fundraiser to assist Matthew “Matty” Murray, who has been diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and his family in going to London to see the Bills play. From there, Miles for Matty, Inc was born and so was the Bucket List program, which aims to help others like Matty have incredible experiences that are on their Bucket Lists.

Tyler Tucker – Treasurer & Co-Founder

Tyler was born and raised in the Buffalo area. After attending college at Cortland, Tyler graduated from the University at Buffalo School of Management with a bachelor’s degree. Having worked in the banking industry since the age of 16, Tyler’s career grew from working in the mailroom to holding a banking officer position for one of the top 5 banks in the nation. Along with partnering in a local start up Tyler is looking forward to continuing being apart of Buffalo’s renewed growth.

After volunteering for various organizations such as Meals on Wheels and volunteering as a big brother in The Big Brothers & Big Sister’s program, Miles for Matty was a natural fit.

Matt Murray – President, Co-Founder, & Lead Visionary

Matt Murray was Born in Buffalo and has lived in the North Buffalo neighborhood his whole life. Matt was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the age of 3 after his parents noticed he was falling out. He didn’t let his diagnosis stop him as he played baseball, hockey, and any sport he could as a child. Matt needed a scooter to help him to get around at the age of 11 and got his first power wheelchair at 12. Around the same time, Matt found the sport of sled hockey with help from his Mom, who was looking for a sport/activity Matt could do after he couldn’t play baseball or any sport with his friends anymore. Sled hockey became a huge part of Matt’s life and impacted it immensely. Being around other people his age with a disability was great, because Matt could just be himself, and that helped being more confident and social at school and everyday life.

As Matt grew older he started to understand his diagnosis more and the physical effects were becoming more evident. Becoming more aware also made him realize that his life is shorter compared to others and only had a short time to do things he wanted to do, cross off his bucket list you could say. Few things on Matt’s list he did were; He saw the Red Sox play at Fenway, graduated from the University at Buffalo in 2015, went on an airplane, traveled to Europe(England), and saw Arsenal play in London. After doing things on his list, he realized that he is very fortunate to be in the situation he is with the help and support of his family and friends. Matt wanted to help others with Muscular Dystrophy, especially those with Duchenne cross items off their bucket list. This is how the idea for Miles For Matty, Inc. started.

Colleen Murray- Event Chairman & Co-Founder

Colleen was born in Buffalo and grew up in the North Buffalo neighborhood. Ever since high school, Colleen knew she wanted to be in the health professions, particularly in the Physical Therapy field. She graduated in 2012 with her BS in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Pittsburgh, where her love for the profession and her passion to help others only grew. Some influential experiences while at Pitt included working as a Personal Care Assistant, volunteering with United Cerebral Palsy/CLASS, and working as a Special team Representative with International Service Learning, in which she set up a Physical Therapy trip to Cartago, Costa Rica. In a twist of events, Colleen later went on to receive her Associate of Applied Science in the Physical Therapist Assistance program from Villa Maria College in Buffalo. In 2017, she relocated to the Metro Detroit area where she is currently working as a PTA at a neuro-based clinic that specializes in pediatric intensive physical therapy.

Over the years, Colleen has volunteered with a number of organizations such as the Buffalo Sabres Sled Hockey Organization, USA Hockey, and the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County. She continues to work with Buffalo Sabres Sled Hockey, in which she started out volunteering as a pusher nearly 13 years ago. Her volunteer experiences and growing up in the Murray household has molded Colleen into the young woman she is today. To see her younger brother Matt accomplish such unbelievable things and destroy any barrier in his way pushes Colleen to shatter her own limits. She is on a mission to share with the world Matt’s inspiring story in hopes that Matt’s positive outlook towards life will show other individuals living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy that they are not defined by this disease.

Vincent Giovino – Board Member & Co-Founder

After volunteering for various organizations such as Meals on Wheels and volunteering as a big brother in The Big Brothers & Big Sister’s program, Miles for Matty was a natural fit.