By MATT CHANDLER
Buffalo Law Journal

Buffalo lawyer Joe Hanna had planned to spend the weekend in Arizona, attending a fundraiser for his nonprofit, Bunkers in Baghdad.

The event was the kickoff to Hanna's efforts to expand the program, which provides golf equipment to soldiers fighting overseas and veterans returning home. Guests including Jan Brewer, the governor of Arizona, were expected to donate thousands of balls and clubs for the cause.

But Hanna's travel plans were abruptly changed with a phone call he received Wednesday morning.

The Goldberg Segalla LLP partner was asked to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange two days later on behalf of Bunkers. It's a distinction only a handful Western New Yorkers can claim, and one that Hanna said was well worth changing his itinerary for.

"They (the NYSE) only tell you 36 to 48 hours before you are selected," Hanna said. "We have contacts in New York (City) that worked to make this happen, but that was months ago."

Along with a group of volunteers, Hanna traveled to New York Friday to participate in the ceremony, said to be viewed by 100 million people worldwide. Before he left for the Big Apple, Hanna said he wasn't nervous about being on such a grand stage, but was glad for the opportunity to shine a spotlight to his charity.

Upon returning home, he said the "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" was a surreal experience.

"I was not nervous ringing the bell, but my heart was definitely pumping fast, and I got the chills when we initially walked on the Stock Exchange floor and the honor guard was behind us with their flags," he said, referring to the members of the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard who also took part in the closing ceremony.

"The floor was so loud it was electrifying, and as soon as we hit the floor, it stopped and everyone started cheering and clapping for the honor guard. These men and women who are trading billions of dollars of stocks - the heart of the world economy - stopped and clapped for our soldiers, and that was the best part of the day."

Chris Belter, a fellow Goldberg Segalla partner who serves on Bunkers' board of directors, stood beside Hanna during the ceremony.

"It was one of those moments when you feel the hair on the back of your neck stand up and you're proud to be part of anything associated with that," Belter said.

Hanna anticipates a surge in donations from the publicity surrounding his NYSE appearance, in part from a collection drive to be held at the Stock Exchange in the near future. He said support for Bunkers has been growing steadily.

"The event in Arizona was huge," Hanna said. "They collected over 30,000 balls and over 200 sets of clubs."

Bunkers has now gathered more than 15,000 golf clubs and just surpassed a half-million golf balls collected for the troops and veterans. Belter, who has been part of Bunkers since its inception, said no one anticipated that kind of growth.

"When Joe first came to me with this idea he had, I don't think either of us expected that this would take off the way it has," he said. "But I think a lot of it has to do with the mood in the country right now. Anyone you talk to, when you explain you are doing something for the troops, it seems like there is only one or two degrees of separation between everyone having a connection to a story in the military, and they want to help."

Hanna said he hopes to continue expanding the program, reaching out to potential partners and veterans groups as Bunkers heads toward the milestone of having collected 1 million balls.

"The best part is that, if you saw our storage facility, we don't have much there," he said. "We are getting this equipment out to the soldiers and to the veterans who are protecting and serving our country."

For more information, visit bunkersinbaghdad.com or call Hanna at 566-5447.