KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Missing money from a fundraiser intended for a dead man’s daughter has angered former employees of the
Kansas City Power & Light District restaurant that sponsored the event.
“Now, six months has gone past,” says former Vivino server Bryan Adams who helped raise the money. “No check. No funds. No tombstone. Nothing.”
Adams said the event was intended to help defray funeral expenses for former co-worker Troy Richey’s funeral and to establish a college fund for his 7-year-old daughter, Allyson.
“He was a fun guy and a caring person,” Adams said. “Somebody that we'll all miss.”
“He died so young,” said former co-worker Tysier Ielouch. “He didn't have a chance really to leave her anything. And then she almost had a chance and now I feel like it’s been ripped out from under her.”
Employees raised about $7,000 according to the former co-workers and to an official with the Cordish Company.
“Obviously the goal was to help the family,” said Cordish spokesman Nick Benjamin. “This wasn't the case of Vinino not giving the money.”
Benjamin said Vinino issued a check shortly after the fundraiser and that it was returned because of a bad mailing address.
He said the company then sent the check to a second mailing address and assumed the family received it..
The Cordish spokesman says management wasn’t aware the family had not received the money until contacted by NBC Action News.
Employees said Vinino promised to match the approximately $7,000 raised with an equal amount to help the family.
Benjamin said it was unclear whether Vinino made that commitment.
“The ownership of Vinino sent the check to the family for the amount that was raised and are working through the details to confirm whether it was received,” Benjamin said.
Former employees and family members said they have made several attempts over the past eight months to contact the Vinino managers who organized the fundraiser, but that no one answered questions.
The communication problem was aggravated when the restaurant announced in August it was closing.
It was converted into Pizza Bar which is owned by the same company, but is staffed by different managers.
“We all put a lot of work into that evening,” said former co-worker Rio Watson. “We donated our time and our own money and I just feel like we have no idea where it went.”
The Cordish Company spokesman said it was unclear whether the check Vinino sent the family was ever cashed.
“These are things that ECI (Vinino’s management company) will have to go back in its records which will take a day,” Benjamin said. “It wasn't sent registered so i guess it is hard to trace whether it actually got to the grandfather's address or not, but we need a little more time to really understand what happened.”
