Those who never met Corey Comperatore learn his personality through Saturday’s events
SAXONBURG — Organizers of the Saturday, July 12, events spanning from Saxonburg to Russellton will likely say they were right where they were supposed to be, but Corey Comperatore wasn’t supposed to be in the stands for the July 13 rally.
Scott Docherty, a diamond sponsor who helped organize Corey’s Cruise and the day of unity, said in a July 12 interview Corey Comperatore and his family were standing to the side at the Butler Farm Show rally when a member of the Trump campaign pointed out four seats in the stands and said they should take them.
“So, a man that wasn’t even supposed to be in those seats lost his life,” Docherty said.
The strike of fate left him with one question — why?
“A horrific act was done here,” Docherty said, “and I’d be doing the same thing if someone lost their life at a (former) Vice President Harris function, because it’s the right thing to do.”
Docherty and his co-worker Steve Warheit, who’s the half brother of Corey Comperatore, came up with the idea to host a memorial motorcycle convoy and got Helen’s approval before it ballooned into an all-day event with stops in Butler and Allegheny counties.
Docherty said he called Warheit at 5 o’clock one morning with the idea.
“We need to have good come out of Butler County because of what happened in Butler County,” he said, “and it starts by us being nice to each other.”
Docherty said he’s sat on The Corey Comperatore Foundation’s committee with Helen Comperatore and her daughters, Kaylee and Allyson, and has seen their difficulty overcoming their grief.
To drive home the day’s unifying message, Docherty enlisted motivational speakers Karen Salvaggio and Amy Giles to speak on how unity helped them achieve their goals.
Salvaggio previously served in the military as a crew chief on B-52 bombers, was a school superintendent and race car driver. She fielded an endurance racing team for more than 40 years and won seven championships.
Salvaggio, from California, grew up near Butler County and graduated from Hampton High School in Allison Park. She and Docherty, who graduated high school together, discussed planning Saturday’s events at their 50th high school reunion, which took place about a month after July 13.
After the reunion, Docherty called her for help organizing The Corey Comperatore Foundation committee and events. She said she’s been on every committee call, held once a week on Wednesdays, since October.
“Helen was on every meeting. We’d listen to her and what she wanted, how important this was to her, that it unified people,” Salvaggio said.
Salvaggio spoke inside the South Butler Community Library about unifying connections and how her connections helped her achieve her goals. She also spoke about how the committee navigated how to separate the day’s events from politics, since Corey’s death occurred at a political rally, and make it more about the community.
“This group has kept the compass very strong about it being a unifying day,” she said.
Giles owns and operates a martial arts studio in Springfield, Ill., called MindBody Martial Arts and has a black belt in four martial arts. Giles spoke about how following her gut and making connections helped her be successful, even when her gut didn’t always make sense.
After, she offered the crowd martial arts demonstrations.
Giles met Docherty on a tram to a beach in Florida, she said, after he overheard a conversation between Giles and another woman talking about her journey.
She said after the tram ride, Docherty approached her about the day of unity for Corey Comperatore.
“Today was the first day I met Helen and her daughters, but within the phone calls and the ‘Corey’s Cruise’ Facebook group, I really feel like I’ve gotten to know and feel his spirit, Giles said.
“He clearly left a lasting mark on his community for the kindness in his heart and the way he served others,” she said.
Salvaggio echoed even though she didn’t meet Corey Comperatore, she feels she got to know him through Saturday’s events and the spirit of the foundation.
“I’ve gotten to know his heart,” she said. “All you have to do is listen to Helen for a hot minute, and you’ll see the love that he poured into his family.”
Funds raised during Saturday’s events will go toward supporting local churches, fire and rescue organizations and Doberman rescues, according to The Corey Comperatore Foundation website.
