The Queens Borough President delivers her fi nal State of the Borough address, looking forward to a year fi lled with projects. By Joe Marvilli … Page 8.

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Volume 14 Issue No. 4 Jan. 25-31, 2013

Online at www.QueensPress.com

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Page 2 PRESS of Southeast Queens Jan. 25-31, 2013

News BriefsCBP Nabs Drug

Smugglers At JFK

Officers at the U.S. Customs and

Border Protection at John F.

Kennedy International Airport ar-

rested two passengers on Jan. 12 for

two separate attempts to smuggle in

cocaine and heroin, respectively.

The CBP officers intercepted pas-

senger Luz Massiel Pérez Arlequín ar-

riving from the Dominican Republic.

During inspection of her luggage a pair

of sneakers was determined to have

unusually thick soles. The soles of the

sneakers were probed producing a

white powder that tested positive for

cocaine. Continuing with their inspec-

tion, CBP officers also found a bra to

be unusually thick, which when probed

also produced a white powder that

tested positive for cocaine. The ap-

proximate amount of cocaine seized

was a little more than two pounds.

The following morning, officers

intercepted Samuel Osafo, who was

arriving on a flight from Ghana. Dur-

ing that inspection, CBP officers

found the side of the passenger’s suit-

case to be unusually thick. The offic-

ers probed the suitcase producing a

brown powder that tested positive for

heroin. The approximate weight of the

heroin seized was just over 11 pounds.

“CBP officers at JFK demonstrate

daily their determination and vigilance

in keeping these illegal and potentially

dangerous narcotics out of the United

States,” said Robert E. Perez, Director

of Field Operations in a statement.

The two suspects were turned

over to agents from Immigration and

Customs Enforcement’s Homeland

Security Investigations. They now

face federal narcotics smuggling

charges and will be prosecuted by the

U.S. Attorney’s Office in the U.S.

Eastern District Court of New York.

Queens Mom Charged

With Stashing Gun In

Son’s Backpack

A Far Rockaway mother, whose

seven-year-old son allegedly brought a

.22 caliber handgun to school on Jan.

17, has been charged with criminal

possession of a weapon, reckless en-

dangerment, endangering the welfare

of a child and, following the execution

of a search warrant at her home, un-

lawful possession of marijuana, accord-

ing to a statement released by Queens

District Attorney Richard Brown.

The defendant is identified as

Deborah Farley, 53, of 21-18

Cornaga Ave., in Far Rockaway. Ac-

cording to the criminal complaint,

Farley went to the principal’s office

at Wave Preparatory Elementary

school, located at 535 Briar Place,

between 10 and 11 a.m. and tired to

pick up her seven-year-old for a den-

tal appointment.

Shortly after leaving the school,

she returned to the office and said

that she believed her son had given a

gun to a friend in school, stating that

one of her sons had put the gun,

which was inside a purple bag, inside

the seven-year-old’s backpack. The

principal searched the bag and found

an orange and black f lare gun.

In searching Farley’s son’s back-

pack, which was in her possession at

the time, police recovered a .22 cali-

ber firearm, a full magazine with ten

.22 caliber rounds of ammunition and

a clear bag containing 14 .22 caliber

rounds of ammunition.

The complaint further alleges

that Farley made statements to po-

lice in which she said that she had

purchased the .22 caliber pistol back

in June or July for protection and that

before she had left her apartment the

night before, she put the .22 caliber

gun in her son’s school bag, along

with the f lare gun – which was in the

house for a while and which she knew

to be unloaded because her kids had

played with it in the past.

Farley also allegedly stated that

after she dropped her son off at the

school about 7:50 a.m., she realized

sometime before 10:00 a.m. that

she had left the guns in her son’s

school bag and returned to the

school, telling the principal that

she needed to take her son to the

dentist.

Once outside the school, Farley

allegedly checked her son’s school

bag and asked him where was the

gun, to which he replied that he had

given the gun to a friend. Farley then

went back to the school and told the

principal that there was a gun in the

school. It is alleged that Farley also

admitted that the original story that

she had told the principal and police

was a lie because she was afraid of

going to jail for possessing the gun

and that the ammunition recovered

washers and that she had it for a

while.

Finally, the criminal complaint

alleges that in executing a court-au-

thorized search warrant at Farley’s

residence, police recovered four

rounds of .22 caliber ammunition in

a cardboard box in a bedroom in one

apartment and seven small bags of

marijuana from bedrooms in a sec-

ond apartment.

“The defendant faces serious

criminal charges,” said District At-

torney Brown in the statement. “It is

disturbing to think of what could have

potentially occurred in this case if

authorities had not found out about

the handgun when they did. Illegal

firearms pose a serious and deadly

threat to public safety.”

Jan. 25-31, 2013 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 3

Presstime

BY NATALIA KOZIKOWSKA

Attorney and community activist

Joan Flowers told The Press of South-

east Queens that she is “seriously con-

sidering” running for the 27th council

district, seeking to replace Borough

President candidate Leroy Comrie,

(D- St. Albans) who will be term-

limited this year.

“Residents have approached me to

consider it seriously,” Flowers said.

“They think that I have been doing a lot

in the community and I’m well known

so they are trying to talk me into it.”

Flowers, who has her own law

practice in Springfield Gardens, has

been heavily involved with the com-

munity and instrumental in some of

its biggest victories.

“I was involved with the Spring-

field Gardens Civic Association in

their efforts to stop the hot sheet

motel,” she said.

The attorney has also used her law

degree to assist the State Assembly

and Senate in halting the construc-

tion of a slaughterhouse that was

slated for Farmers Boulevard.

“I brought a law suit in Queens

County Supreme Court and got an

injunction so that construction could

be halted,” she said.

Flowers ‘Seriously Considering’ D27 Run

Exclusive:

Flowers began her legal career as a

criminal defense attorney working

with the Queens County Legal Aid

Society. She feels that her experience

working with the QCLAS would be

particularly relevant in serving the

crime-ridden 27th district.

“My experience there with our kids

being arrested and just being picked

up in sweeps makes me uniquely quali-

fied to deal with the situation we have

here in Queens,” she said.

“I know what the laws are. I know

how to guide our youngsters in the

community to stay away from trouble.”

Although she has not officially

announced her candidacy, she al-

ready has a number of ideas and strat-

egies to improve the communities

District 27 encompasses, which in-

clude Jamaica, Cambria Heights,

Baisley Park, Hollis, Rosedale,

Addisleigh Park, Queens Village and

her hometown, St. Albans.

“I am very familiar with the Stop and

Frisk program and I like the idea [Dis-

trict Attorney Robert] Johnson from

the Bronx has brought up. He has stated

that he is not going to be prosecuting

those cases that are brought in and

instead a hearing is held to show that

there was legal reason for the kids to be

stopped,” she said. “If I do go ahead

with this I am going to be talking to DA

Johnson because that’s something I’d

like to bring to the entire police force.”

Flowers also expressed her desire

to add medical facilities in the neigh-

borhood.

“The lack of medical services in our

community is almost criminal at this

point. We’ve lost three of our hospi-

tals,” she said. “However, medical ser-

vices to not always have to be provided

by a hospital. As a matter of fact, it’s less

expensive if it’s done on a smaller basis

and people tend to get better quality of

care if they have smaller facilities.”

While Flowers admits she is “still

in the process of being convinced” to

run for council, she did note that

being the first woman to represent

the district sounded appealing.

“I would be the first woman repre-

senting the 27th and I think that as a

mother of three boys, growing up in

New York City – that also sets me apart

to a certain extent,” she said. “Raising

them in New York City was difficult, it

took time and that’s part of what I also

think I bring to the position.”

The ‘on the fence’ candidate said

she understands that there is a lot of

responsibility associated with lead-

ing the community as a member of

council but is willing to put her law

practice aside and devote her time in

bettering her community.

“Once I do it, my time is devoted to

that. I do have a practice, but as you

know the City council position is tech-

nically a part time job, however, it

never is,” she said. “My practice would

be secondary at that point. At this

point in my life and in my career, I’ve

had a successful law practice and this

community is very dear to me. I just

think that the value here in this com-

munity, both the emotional and fi-

nancial value, is to be treasured and

we must keep it moving forward.”

Reach Reporter Natalia Kozikowska

at (718)357-7400 Ext . 123 or

nkozikowska@queenspress.com.

BY NATALIA KOZIKOWSKA

Community Board chairs are furi-

ous with the City’s recent decision to

eliminate their parking placards – a

pass that allows them to park any-

where for free for three hours.

The new rule, which will take effect

on Feb. 1, will revoke passes for all 59

New York chairs. It will not affect

Community Board district managers,

who are employed by the City.

“In terms of whoever made the de-

cision, it fails to recognize that commu-

nity board chairs are serving the City

without pay,” said CB 10 Chair Betty

Braton. “Often, we have to leave our

own jobs to attend meetings and there-

fore time and convenience is an issue.”

Braton, like many others, expressed

concern that the new rule will make it

difficult for chairs to attend important

meetings, especially in the Borough of

Queens, where using public transpor-

tation may be difficult or inconvenient.

“In terms of Queens, many times

the locations we have to get to are not

Parking Perks For CB Chairs Eliminated

available to us or easily accessible to

us by public transportation,” she said.

“It will have some impact. There are

meeting that I may want to be at, that

I may not be able to attend. Commu-

nity Board chair people have to be

available through their districts. Many

of those are meetings that we have to

be at to keep ourselves informed.”

The district manager of CB 11,

Susan Seinfeld, who spoke on behalf

of Chairman Jerry Iannece, shared

similar sentiments as Braton and re-

vealed that Iannece has written a

letter to the City of New York to

express his feelings.

“He is most certainly unhappy with

this,” Seinfeld said. “Jerry has written a

letter to the Community Affairs Unit

Commissioner, saying basically that

they are volunteers for the City and

they go to various meetings on their

own time. Out here, in Queens particu-

larly, it could take two or three buses to

get somewhere using public transporta-

tion. His point was that they are volun-

teering their time for the betterment of

the community and without a pass, it

hinders their ability to go to a meeting.”

Other Community Board chairs, like

Joseph Hennessy of CB 6, said they

are outraged that the City only elimi-

nated the parking perk for chairs that

are volunteers and not district manag-

ers who are employed by the City.

“The most ridiculous thing is they

gave it to the district managers, who are

City employees. If they were going to

take it away from the chairs, they should

have taken in away from the DMs [dis-

trict managers] because their time is on

City time,” Hennessy said. “My time is

on my personal time. Realistically, a lot

of district managers have meetings in

their office and if they have to travel,

they can travel on City time.”

Hennessy also expressed concern

that the new rule will take time away

from his paying job, which graciously

allows him to leave to important

meetings during normal work hours.

“I think it’s a cheap thing to do to

volunteers who have been volunteer-

ing for a number of years,” he said. “It’s

Joan Flowers

also a situation where I personally

have to leave my job to go to a meeting

during the day and the time consumed

using public transportation.”

The City has not returned calls as

of press time.

State Sen. James

Sanders Jr. (D-Ja-

maica) will host the

“Rochdale Village

Listening Tour”

from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan.

25 at the Rochdale

Village Recreation Building, 169-

65 137th Ave., Rochdale.

Sanders has invited community

members to attend the event to share

concerns, questions and ideas to

improve the community. Sanders

and his staff will answer questions

and chat with attendees.

For information, call Tamika

Hogan, director of scheduling and

special projects, at (718) 523-3069.

Walking Tour Friday

Page 4 PRESS of Southeast Queens Jan. 25-31, 2013

BY NATALIA KOZIKOWSKA

Less than one week after the Dept.

of Education proposed to phase out

three schools in Southeast Queens,

Martin Van Buren High School Prin-

cipal Sam Sochet addressed Commu-

nity Board 12 and expressed the

school’s need for academic improve-

ment.

Sochet, who is in his first year as

principal, showed concern for his

school, which has recently struggled.

According to the DOE’s website, in

the 2009-10 school year, Martin Van

Buren received a C letter grade, in

2010-11 the school received a D grade

and last year it just barely earned a C.

Principal Wants Change At MVB“It’s a 340,000-square-foot facil-

ity, it’s got a beautiful athletic field,

and I looked at it and said, ‘Why is this

place considered an undesirable des-

tination for families to send their

children to?’” Sochet asked. “And

everyday I keep asking myself that.”

Although the school did improve

from a D to a C between 2011 and

2012, Sochet noted that it was a

small improvement and that he is

hoping for more.

In an effort to improve Martin Van

Buren, Sochet shared strategies with

CB12. His first idea was to change

the attitude of the adults at the school

by removing the blame of poor perfor-

mance away from the students.

“The adults create the culture of

the school, not the kids,” he said.

“The culture of the school has to shift

from blaming the kids to taking own-

ership of what we need to do as adults

that kids can model. That’s how you

change a school.”

The principal also expressed a need

for better communication between the

school and the community.

Sochet admitted that in order for

the school to see better results in

testing, MVB needs to bring in more

qualified and flexible teachers. He did

not specify whether this plan meant

that the school was looking to let go

of its employees.

“My observation of teaching at the

school, it’s not the teachers, it’s their

skill level,” he said. “Their skill level is

not there. It’s not serving the kids the

way it needs to. Everything I’m talk-

ing about takes not just money, but

expertise.”

Sochet’s last plan to make MVB

more appealing is to add four new

programs for the 2013-14 school year:

a pre-medical program, a robotics en-

gineering program, a forensics law

program and a computer technology

program. Each of these programs will

be affiliated with either a college or a

hospital.

Reach Reporter Natalia Kozikowska

at (718)357-7400 Ext . 123 or

nkozikowska@queenspress.com.

BY MEGAN MONTALVO

After being personally affected by

Superstorm Sandy, Cecilia Gullas de-

cided to find a way to help monitor

environmental damage caused to Ja-

maica Bay and other highly-damaged

areas of the City.

Gullas, who both lives and works

in what was dubbed “Zone A” in west-

ern Queens, used her leadership in

LIC Woman Helps DEP Monitor Pollution

Asian Women In Media, a nonprofit

organization based in Long Island

City, to collaborate with the State

Dept. of Environmental Conserva-

tion in order to monitor Sandy-re-

lated air pollution in the regions of

Holland Avenue, Beach 84th Street

and Jacob Riis Park in the Rockaways.

“Considering I live in a basement

in Long Island City, where I experi-

enced flooding and damage to many

of my belongings, I was seeking a way

to help people who might have been

facing a similar situation,” she said.

“So far tests results from DEP’s moni-

tor buses have not shown any signifi-

cant air pollution.”

While she was elated to discover

there was no significant air pollu-

tion, Gullas said that as a registered

nurse, she is also concerned about

the recent surge in flu victims.

“I am really hoping to continue to

work with various City agencies to

conduct a report of the local hospi-

tals to see how many people have

been experiencing this, she said.”

Although she has yet to create a

website for her organization, Gullas

said that within the coming weeks she

looks forward to posting a blog about

the experiences she has garnered while

volunteering in the Rockaways.

Jan. 25-31, 2013 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 5

BY NATALIA KOZIKOWSKA

After more than 40 years, the Re-

serve Officers Training Corps pro-

gram is officially back in the City

University of New York, with its first

pilot program launched at York Col-

lege in Jamaica.

As of September 2012, York Col-

lege took the lead in introducing the

ROTC program, making it the first

time since 1960 that it has been of-

fered to any student at a CUNY school.

The program was reintroduced to

CUNY in a response to an inquiry from

General Colin Powell, a graduate of a

City College. Powell initially wanted

to study geology, but found his calling

when he joined the City College’s

ROTC program. He became com-

mander of his unit and graduated in

1958 at the top of his ROTC class with

the rank of Cadet Colonel.

The three-credit course, Military

Science (MSci 101) launched in the

2012 fall semester with 17 students.

That course will be followed by MSci

102 and 202, offered in the spring

2013 semester. To date, 10 students

have registered for the spring class,

but registration is not over. Other

courses include Military Custom and

Courtesies, Warrior Ethos, Army Val-

Pilot ROTC Program at York College

ues, Rank Structure and In-

troduction to Army Writing.

Lt. Colonel Juan Howie,

the CUNY Army ROTC di-

rector at York College, de-

scribes the school’s ROTC

program as a strong enrich-

ment opportunity for the stu-

dents.

“This is the only approved

24-credit course sequence

within the CUNY system,”

Howie said in a statement.

“The program teaches stu-

dents leadership skills, helps

them establish critical and cre-

ative thinking and prepares

them to reach obtainable ca-

reer goals.”

Acting Director of Com-

munications at York College,

Linda Zango-Haley, echoed similar

sentiments, noting that programs like

the ROTC are important for young

individuals, especially in helping them

build their character and helping them

in their careers.

“I think it is very important be-

cause the program tries to steer them

towards leadership,” she said. “They

are really learning discipline and lead-

ership qualities, they are learning

things that are really going to take

them into future career paths and

one of the things they are also get-

ting out of the program is physical

fitness. I think generally, it’s a pro-

gram that will give them self confi-

dence.”

Zando-Haley was also pleased to

report that York College’s ROTC pro-

gram has attracted multiple female

students at the school.

“One of the things that it’s particu-

larly interesting is that our ROTC has

York College president Marcia Keizs (center) celebrates

the launch of ROTC on campus with Col. Twala Mathis

(left), U.S. Army Cadet Command and Second Brigade

Commander in charge of ROTC for the Northeast, York

students who completed the first semester of ROTC,

Geneva Walker-Johnson, Vice President of Student De-

velopment (center left) and LTC Juan Howie, CUNY

Army ROTC Director (right).

a nice gender balance,” she

said. “There were at least four

or five females so I think the

gender balance is also posi-

tive because women are also

looking at careers in the army

as a place they can go into

leadership positions in the

army.”

The president of York Col-

lege, Dr. Marcia Keizs, is simi-

larly delighted that York Col-

lege is taking the lead in rein-

stating the ROTC program at

CUNY schools.

“I am glad that York is

leading the way with the re-

introduction of ROTC in

CUNY,” said Keizs in a state-

ment. “ROTC is not neces-

sarily about joining the army;

rather it is about developing strong

leadership skills for life. With this

preparation, our participating stu-

dents are enhancing their abilities as

leaders while in college and upon

graduation, will be ready to establish

careers in numerous fields of inter-

est, including the military if they so

choose.”

Reach Reporter Natalia Kozikowska

at (718)357-7400 Ext . 123 or

nkozikowska@queenspress.com.

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Page 6 PRESS of Southeast Queens Jan. 25-31, 2013

LettersEditorial

OF SOUTHEAST QUEENS

150-50 14th Road

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email news@queenspress.com

The PRESS of Southeast Queens

Managing Editor:

Steven J. Ferrari

Contributing Editor:

Marcia Moxam

Comrie

Production Manager:

Shiek Mohamed

Queens Today Editor

Regina Vogel

Photo Editor: Ira Cohen

Reporters:

Harley Benson

Natalia Kozikowska

Megan Montalvo

Joe Marvilli

Luis Gronda

Art Dept:

Rhonda Leefoon

Candice Lolier

Barbara Townsend

Advertising Director

Gerry Laytin

Sr. Account Executive

Shelly Cookson

Advertising Executives

Merlene Carnegie

Shari Strongin

A Queens Tribune Publication

© Copyright 2013

PFH Media Group NY, LLC

Michael Schenkler,

President & Publisher

Michael Nussbaum,

Vice President,

Associate Publisher

Letters

Still Dreaming

On Aug. 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his

famous “I Have A Dream” speech to more than 200,000 civil

rights supporters on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Wash-

ington D.C. In that speech, King expressed a desire for freedom

and equality between races and called on this country to move

past a culture of hatred.

As we approach the 50th anniversary King’s speech, the

United States celebrated another milestone this weekend, ap-

propriately held on a day of observance of King’s legacy. Barack

Obama, the country’s first Black President, was inaugurated

into his second term of office on Monday.

King’s dream of acceptance and equality may not have com-

pletely come to pass 50 years later, but the United States has

come a long way from what it was 50 years ago. Queens has

historically led the way when it comes to acceptance of race,

religion or sexual orientation. Living in the most diverse county

in the world affords us all the opportunity to advance King’s

mission of hope and compassion on a daily basis.

As we continue to celebrate the anniversary of his speech, let

us all honor his vision and continue to dream of a better tomor-

row.

Keep Reading

To The Editor:

Regardless of “Tribune Un-

der New Ownership,” news-

papers including the Queens

Tribune have to deal with in-

creasing costs for newsprint,

delivery and distribution

along with reduced advertis-

ing revenues and declining

readership due to competi-

tion from the Internet and

other new information

sources.

While daily papers con-

centrate on international,

national, statewide, business

and sports news, weekly

newspapers such as Queens

Tribune along with your sister

publication, PRESS of South-

east Queens filll the void for

coverage of local community

news.

This past year, I’m grateful

that the Queens Tribune has

afforded me the opportunity

to express my views via your

letters to the editor section,

along with others who may

have different opinions on

the issues of the day. Thanks

to you, an ordinary citizen

like myself has the freedom

to comment on the actions

and legislation of various

elected officials at the city,

state and federal level. Public

officials are powerful with

easy access to taxpayers dol-

lars used on a regular basis to

promote their views. This is

done via mass mailings of

newsletters, news releases,

letters to the editor and guest

opinion page columns. In

many cases, they are pro-

duced or ghost written by

campaign or office staffers

paid for by taxpayers on pub-

lic time. Ordinary citizens like

myself only have the limited

ability when we can to find

the time and just submit a

simple submission.

Local neighbors need to

continue supporting Queens

Tribune. Patronize their ad-

vertisers; they provide the

necessary revenues to help

keep them in business. Let

them know you saw their ad.

This helps keep our neigh-

bors employed and the local

economy growing.

In the marketplace of

ideas, let us hope there con-

tinues to be room for every-

one including Queens

Tribune and others.

Larry Penner,

Great Neck

A Personal Perspective

BY MARCIA MOXAM

COMRIE

Stand Up To Bullies Like Rosa Parks Did

It was 57 years ago last

Dec. 1 that Rosa Parks re-

fused to give up her seat on an

Alabama bus. She had paid

her fare like everyone. She

was physically tired and she

was tired of the Jim Crow

Laws that forced Blacks in

the American South to cede

to whites in everything.

Park’s action could have

cost her life or her freedom, but

she had had enough; and that

simple act of defiance by one

person became the catalyst for

the desegregation of public

transportation and other dis-

advantages and the modern

Civil Rights movement.

Indeed one person can

make a difference and last

week a Houston wait staffer

stood against a bunch of adult

bullies sitting in the restaurant

where he works. They were

bullies because they, as adults,

were complaining about a little

boy with down syndrome sit-

ting at a nearby table.

They changed tables but

complained loudly enough to

be heard when one reportedly

said, “’Special children should

be special somewhere else.’”

The server risked his job

by refusing to serve the bullies

and the restaurant actually

backed him. Now he is being

celebrated on television and

elsewhere for standing up for

his principle. Good for him!

Dr. Martin Luther King was

fond of the Edmund Burke

(1729 – 1797) quote, “The

only thing necessary for evil

to triumph is for good men to

do nothing.” The 18th

cen-

tury philosopher’s words are

still relevant now in the 21st

century.

All of us have a responsibility

to do something when we see

evil rearing its ugly head. It is not

necessarily that we need to throw

caution to the wind and endan-

ger our lives. But we do need to

help in any possible way.

Over the years, I have used

this space to speak out against

racism, police brutality, gay

bashing and a whole host of

other ills inflicted upon us as

New Yorkers. The Houston

waiter in his own way also

made his displeasure for un-

fair treatment known. We can

all speak out against ill-treat-

ment in our own way.

The people who com-

plained about that little boy

with down syndrome in that

restaurant are not just cruel

but ignorant. That child had

as much right to eat out as

anyone else in that eatery.

His parents should not be

made to feel badly because they

chose to dine out with their

child who is “different.” It was

mean-spirited. We should not

tolerate that in our local restau-

rants here in Queens either. As

a parent I feel for the family

that had to endure the insults.

As a human being I am out-

raged that we can be so cruel to

one another.

If we were to understand

that every human being is

valuable in the eyes of our

Creator, we would conduct

ourselves with more civility.

But it is also just plain good

manners to treat people well.

Not so long ago I saw a

group of middle school stu-

dents pulling at one of their

classmates as he tried to get

away from their grasp on his

coat. I opened my car win-

dow to hear what was going

on and realized they were

teasing him for being “short.”

I yelled at them to leave him

alone and then said to myself,

“Don’t they realize that to his

mother the sun rises and sets

on him?” If we were to view

everyone that way we could

not possibly be cruel to anyone

even when they are adults.

This new year of 2013 pre-

sents a new opportunity for

all of us to come together and

stand up to the bullies in ways

that get the message across

without causing physical

harm to them or ourselves.

Life is short, too short in

fact. Let’s look out for one

another so that whatever time

we have will count.

Have a safe, healthy and

prosperous 2013, everyone!

WRITE ON:

The PRESS of Southeast

Queens,

150-50 14th Rd.

Whitestone, NY 11357

email news@queenspress.com

fax: (718) 357-9417

Jan. 25-31, 2013 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 7

For what seems to have been alifetime – almost 35 years — it hasbeen my privilege to guide the QueensTribune. Serving as publisher and CEOof any newspaper isan awesome re-sponsibility requiringskill and integrity: toguide the chroniclingof a community, toserve as a mirror re-flecting a people’sway of life, and to ad-vocate for the bestinterests of the com-munity.

Inherit ing the task from GaryAckerman in 1979 – a much youngerGary Ackerman – meant that alongwith the high journalistic bar, came acommitment to community and jus-tice.

As a fellow child of Queens, aproduct of Queens College and as one,like Gary, who wears the “liberal” tagproudly, the challenge of running theTribune, was a challenge I relished.

And boy, did I enjoy it for whatseems to have been most of my life.

As a former NYC teacher andprincipal, the Tribune world openeddoors and offered oppor tunit ies Ihad never imagined and I am grate-

ful for each moment.As you have probably read or

heard, our company has sold the Tri-bune and its other papers including

the Press of SoutheastQueens, and now, anew custodian assumesthat awesome respon-sibility of keeping theofficial voice of Queenshonest and true.

Me, I’m not walk-ing away. The word re-t irement uncomfor t-ably rolls off my lipsand nags at the spirit

of this person, who has loved beingin the center of the action. So I’m go-ing to hang around a bit. I’ll be re-maining on with the new company asa consultant. I will be writing – hope-fully frequently – about Queens, itsspirit, its people, its politics and itschallenges, all of which I’ve come toknow well over the past almost 35years publishing this newspaper. Ihope to continue to work with somepeople and causes I enjoy and believein. Yes, I may travel more, I may relaxand play more, but how can I not comeback to sample the ethnic food, thediversity, the most vibrant communi-ties that can be found anywhere or

Not Goodbye; Just A Slight Change Of Focusbreak bread with some of the wonder-ful people who make Queens, Queens.

Of course there will always be thepolitics – it’s in my blood. Supportingthe right people, supporting the rightcauses, and sharing the analysis, allhave given me hundreds of columns,several awards and years of pleasure.

The conflicts, the triumphs andthe diversity of the most multiculturalcount y on ear th are an on-goingstory I plan to be par t of. Its list ofissue s and chal lenges present toomuch oppor tunity for me to leave

Queens, the Tribune and my friends.So, this is not goodbye – just a slightchange of focus.

There are many phone calls thatI owe and many lunches I hope to eat. . . but of equal importance, there aremany columns I intend to write.

Keep in touch; let me know what’son your mind – you’ll be readingwhat’s on mine.

Michael Schenkler served as Pub-lisher and/or CEO of the Queens Tri-bune from 1979 to 2013 and can bereached at MSchenkler@GMail.com.

Page 8 PRESS of Southeast Queens Jan. 25-31, 2013

BY JOE MARVILLI

Borough President Helen

Marshall gave her State of the Bor-

ough address on Tuesday, the final

one of her tenure.

Speaking at Queens College’s

Colden Auditorium to a packed

house of politicians, community lead-

ers and Queens residents, Marshall

touched on everything that hap-

pened over the course of the last 12

months in the Borough, including

construction projects, education and

Superstorm Sandy.

She was introduced to the stage

by QC President Dr. James Muyskens

and Council Speaker Christine

Quinn. Though most of the event was

made up by her speech, there were a

few musical interludes from the Louis

Armstrong Middle School Senior

Chorus and Band.

Given that it was Marshall’s final

address, much of her speech dis-

cussed what her office had done

since 2002 to improve Queens. She

also spent just as much time looking

forward at upcoming projects and

upgrades expected to be carried out

in 2013.

Post-Sandy

Marshall began her State of the

Borough address by speaking at

length about Superstorm Sandy,

both the devastation it wrought and

the recovery effort currently under-

way.

Particularly, she dedicated the

address to the memory and spirit of

Dylan Smith, a Belle Harbor resident

and surfer, who helped to rescue six

people using a homemade rope

bridge and his surfboard during the

massive fire that destroyed dozens

of homes the night Superstorm

Sandy hit. Smith drowned in late

December off the coast of Puerto

Rico.

“He was the good neighbor we all

want in times of trouble, a lifeguard

and angel of mercy,” she said.

The Borough President used the

tribute to announce a $10,000 grant

in Dylan Smith’s name to the Swim

Strong Foundation, which promotes

healthy lifestyles for children on the

Rockaway Peninsula.

Her speech was followed by a

photo presentation of both the ca-

tastrophe and the ongoing recovery.

It was followed by the Louis

Armstrong Chorus performing “Lean

on Me” by Bill Withers.

Marshall also praised Michael

McDonnell, a Belle Harbor resident,

for his heroic efforts during the

storm. McDonnell used a makeshift

rope to help seven people outrun the

f looding and fire. He was invited to

the stage to say a few words.

“People have called me a hero

that night for what I had done. But

I’m no hero. Rather, I was just deter-

mined and focused,” he said. “The

truth is, lifelines have been made in

Belle Harbor every day since that

storm. Not from wires, extension

cords, twine, but from the generos-

ity, kindness and concerns of others.

Belle Harbor can and will be re-

stored.”

Then and Now

Much of Marshall’s address dealt

with the continued growth and im-

provement Queens has seen over the

last decade, along with plans to keep

the borough growing strong in the

future.

Rezoning has been one of the big-

gest undertakings Marshall took on

during her reign. The zoning layout

of 2002 jeopardized Queens’ char-

acter and construction efforts. To-

gether with the Department of City

Planning Queens Director John

Young and the City Council, more

than 6,300 blocks in the Borough

have been rezoned since then.

Plans are underway for another

1,000 blocks to be rezoned this year,

including those in Bellerose, Floral

Park and East Elmhurst. Once this

effort is complete, almost half of the

entire borough will have been re-

zoned during Marshall’s run.

This rezoning has helped certain

neighborhoods of Queens achieve

immense growth over the last several

years, such as Long Island City.

JetBlue and the City Dept. of Health

both now have headquarters in the

area. The CUNY Law School has

also moved to LIC.

“This is happening when compa-

nies like Google and Facebook are

expanding their footprints in our

City,” the Borough President said.

To continue this tech boom into

the future, Marshall’s office will de-

velop a plan to create a “Tech Zone”

on the Queens side of the East River.

The B.P. office was just awarded a

$150,000 state grant to put together

strategies for waterfront revitalization

that will support tech innovation in

the Borough.

Jamaica is another neighborhood

where significant growth is underway.

Marshall’s office provided $3 million

to construct the Atlantic Avenue Ex-

tension Gateway Park. A 200-capac-

ity sit-down restaurant will open in

the former Queens Family Court-

house found on Parsons Boulevard

and 89th Avenue. In addition, the

completed Sutphin Underpass,

which won a Queens Chamber of

Commerce Building Award this

month, will gain its first tenant, a Visi-

tors’ Center for Resorts World Ca-

sino at Aqueduct.

Moving on to education, Marshall

looked back at her time as an advo-

cate for public schools. During her

tenure, the Borough President

opened 60 new school buildings in

Queens with more than 28,000 new

seats. This September, another six

schools with 3,000 seats will open

as well.

“I know that every child deserves

a seat in a class where class size mat-

ters,” she said.

Marshall also mentioned that the

City’s schools need to provide a link

to the growing economic sectors of

math, science, technology and engi-

neering. She announced that over the

next year, her office will earmark $2

million to purchase mobile science labs

for every one of the 30 Queens schools

that do not currently have them.

In terms of CUNY, more than $63

million throughout the CUNY insti-

tutes during Marshall’s tenure. This

money helped projects like the reno-

vation of Colden Auditorium, new

science labs at Queens and York Col-

lege, a new library at LaGuardia Com-

munity College and support for the

Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Cen-

ter and Archives at Queensborough

Community College.

The Queens Library branches saw

major changes during the last decade

as half of them have been completely

remodeled or renovated. In terms of

future projects, 2013 will see the

groundbreaking for a replacement li-

brary on Central Avenue in Far

Rockaway, an expansion of the East

Elmhurst Library and a new state-of-

the-art branch in Elmhurst. Construc-

tion will also begin this year on a new

Hunters Point library and an ex-

panded Kew Gardens Hills Library.

A new library in Glen Oaks is sched-

uled to open this year.

The new year will also see more

plans in the Borough’s parks move

forward. A new Environmental Cen-

ter in Idlewild Park in Southeast

Queens and a new facility for the Al-

ley Pond Environmental Center in

Douglaston are both set to be worked

on.

While Marshall was looking for-

ward to this year’s Major League

Baseball All-Star game at Citifield,

she was more cautious about the ex-

pansion of the United States Tennis

Association and the possibility of a

Major League Soccer Stadium at

Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

“I will keep the message front and

center that this park is one of the

most heavily used open space in the

City,” she said. “This green space is a

precious resource.”

In terms of housing, 2013 will see

the completion of affordable hous-

ing facilities for families and seniors,

which includes Macedonia Plaza and

Calvary Grandparent Residence, the

lat ter of which is an

intergenerational residence for

grandparents who have custody of

their grandchildren.

To end her last State of the Bor-

ough address, Marshall thanked her

family and the people Queens for

their support during her administra-

tion and expressed her confidence

in the Borough’s future.

“Let us all use this year of hope to

resolve that through sheer determi-

nation and good old Queens grit that

we will build a better and safer future

for our families and our communi-

ties,” she concluded.

Reach Reporter Joe Marvilli at (718)

357-7400, Ext . 125, or at

jmarvilli@queenstribune.com.

Marshall Gives Final State Of The Borough

PR

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Borough President Helen Marshall delivered her final State of the Borough

address on Jan. 22.

Jan. 25-31, 2013 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 9

Compiled by STEVEN J. FERRARI

Police Blotter

104th Precinct

Pedestrian Struck

At approximately 6:50 p.m. on

Jan. 17, police responded to a 911

call of a child struck at Myrtle Av-

enue and Madison Street in

Ridgewood. Upon arrival, police de-

termined that a 2002 Toyota SUV

traveling east on Myrtle Avenue

struck a 7-year-old male who was

crossing Madison Street. The child

was taken to Wycoff Hospital, where

he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The driver of the car remained at the

scene and no criminality was sus-

pected.

109th Precinct

Burglary Pattern

The NYPD is seeking the public’s

assistance in ascertaining the iden-

tity of the following individual

wanted in connection to one bur-

glary and two larcenies.

The first incident occurred at

12:30 p.m. on Nov. 4 inside of 40-06

Main St., Flushing, where a male sus-

pect entered the location and re-

moved three laptops.

The second incident occurred at

12:30 p.m. on Nov. 20 inside of 40-

06 Main St., Flushing, where a male

suspect entered the location by crawl-

ing underneath a security gate and

removed two computers.

The third incident occurred at 11

a.m. on Jan. 10 inside of 42-47 Main

St., Flushing, where a male suspect

entered the location and removed the

victim’s purse.

The suspect is described as a

Black male, between 35-45 years old,

with a thin build. The male is observed

in surveillance photos to be well-

dressed, wearing a black jacket and a

dark-colored “Kango” hat.

Anyone with information in re-

gards to these incidents is asked to

call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-

TIPS (8477). The public can also sub-

mit their t ips by visit ing

www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by

texting their t ips to CRIMES

(274637) then enter TIP577.

113th Precinct

Criminal Possession

On Jan. 15, members of the

Queens Narcotics and the 73rd Pre-

cinct conducted a search warrant in-

side 145-09 133rd Ave., Jamaica. Five

suspects were arrested and the fol-

lowing evidence was recovered: an

AK-47 assault rif le, a 9mm semi-auto

pistol, a .357 revolver, 399 rounds of

ammunition for the above-mentioned

weapons, a bulletproof vest and a

quantity of marijuana. The following

individuals were arrested in regards

to this incident:

Leroy Lyking, 62; Deborah Lyking,

57; Deja Taitt, 17; Dawn Taitt, 38;

Troy Taitt, 38.

All five arrested individuals lived

at the above address. They were all

charged with criminal possession of

a machine gun, criminal possession

of a loaded firearm, criminal posses-

sion of three or more firearms, crimi-

nal possession of an assault rif le,

criminal possession of an ammo clip,

criminal use of drug paraphernalia

and criminal possession of mari-

juana.

114th Precinct

Robbery

The NYPD is seek ing the

public’s assistance in ascertaining

the whereabouts and identity of the

following individual wanted in con-

nection to a gun-point commercial

robbery.

At 6 a.m. on Jan. 9 inside of

Astoria Cleaners, 23-17 31st St.,

Astoria, the suspect entered the lo-

cation, pointed a shotgun at a fe-

male employee, struck her on her

head and body and removed cash.

The suspect then f led on foot and

got into a black Volkswagon going

north on 31st Street. The victim was

not hospitalized as a result of the

incident.

The suspect is described as a

Black male, between 6-foot-1 and 6-

foot-2, last seen wearing a hooded

sweatshirt.

Anyone with information in re-

gards to these incidents is asked to

call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-

TIPS (8477).

The public can also submit their

t ips by visit ing

www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by

texting their t ips to CRIMES

(274637) then enter TIP577.

The above items were confiscated

during an arrest in Jamaica.

Page 10 PRESS of Southeast Queens Jan. 25-31, 2013

Southeast Queens Events Edited By Harley Benson

pix

State Sen. Malcolm Smith and U.S. Reps. Gregory Meeks and Pe-ter King discuss the Sandy Aid Bill in Washington D.C.

Marie Rose International Museum founder Naida Njoku (center)invited Assemblyman William Scarborough (second from left),Parodneck Foundation Mortgage Remediation Specialist GeraldCarter (right) and Parodneck Executive Director Ken Wray (sec-ond from right) to thank them for saving her museum. Njoku andmuseum manager Shirley Phipps (left) show off the most recentacquisitions, dolls of President Barack Obama and First LadyMichelle Obama in formal wear.

Saving a Treasure

Ribbon Cutting

EmblemHealth, the largest New York-based insurer, announcedthis week EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care, a new initiative tointegrate the company's resources with the needs of the commu-nity. On Jan. 23, the company opened a Neighborhood Care loca-tion at 206-20 Linden Blvd., Cambria Heights. Photo by Ira Cohen.

Ph

oto

by Ira C

oh

en

Bill Talk

Jan. 25-31, 2013 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 11

Borough Beat

Rockaway Bagel Store Set To ReopenBY LUIS GRONDA

A Rockaway bagel store put on

its back by Superstorm Sandy is set

to get back on its feet later this

month.

Seaside Bagels, located at 95-11

Rockaway Beach Blvd., will open at

the end of January after a long re-

building process that required it to

strip down and start over.

According to Scott Edwards, co-

owner of the bagel and coffee shop,

the store took on more than four feet

of water inside the establishment and

much of the cooking and prep equip-

ment they use for its food had to be

thrown out and replaced. As was the

case with many homes and busi-

nesses, the walls of the store became

engulfed in mold, so they had to tear

them down and replace them as well.

Edwards said that they did not

have f lood insurance, only typical

business insurance that covered

some of the damage from Sandy.

They applied for federal aid from

FEMA, but he said that they have

not yet received any assistance.

But to the rescue came Front

Street, a Long Island-based facilities

management company that special-

izes in rebuilding businesses like Sea-

side that have been affected by a natu-

ral disaster or are in need of a boost.

They ponied up the bill to renovate

and replace whatever equipment the

store front needed.

“They came in right away and they

had the dry wall people, electricians,

plumbers, demolition people and it

was just like one, two, three, done,”

Edwards said. “We blinked and the

place looks similar to what it was be-

fore the storm.”

They found out that Front Street

was interested in helping a business

in need after the storm through an

email the store’s owners received.

Edwards said that they replied back

asking for assistance. This started a

dialogue between the two companies,

which eventually led to the manage-

ment company helping out Seaside

with their rebuilding.

Marc Lash, director of New Busi-

ness Development at Front Street,

said that they chose to help the ba-

gel store because they saw the exten-

sive damage it received and the popu-

larity of the place.

On his visits to the

store, residents

who thought that

he was one of the

owners would con-

stantly ask him

when it was going

to be open once

again.

“It’s a wonder-

ful feeling,” Lash

said, describing the

work that his com-

pany has done at

the store. “Since we

came in, they’ve

been so apprecia-

tive.”

He would not divulge how much

exactly it cost to rebuild the store,

only saying i t was well over

$500,000.

Edwards said that many of the

needed repairs and renovations to

the storefront are complete and they

expect to reopen at the end of Janu-

ary. He added that they will have

mostly the same menu when they are

back in business, but there will be a

small change to the way the store

does things. He declined to say what

that was, saying that regulars of the

shop would know what he means.

“That’s what’s great about a di-

saster like this, people do step up and

really help each other out,” he said.

“We were just lucky enough to re-

ceive that help.”

Reach Reporter Luis Gronda at

(718) 357-7400, Ext . 127 or at

lgronda@queenstribune.com.

Seaside Bagels co-owner Scott Edwards reviews the re-

pairs to the store, which were financed by Front Street, a

Long Island company.

Ph

oto

b

y L

uis G

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nda

Page 12 PRESS of Southeast Queens Jan. 25-31, 2013

Profile

People

Air Force Airman Cedric Williams

graduated from basic military train-

ing at Lackland Air Force Base, San

Antonio, Texas. The airman com-

pleted an intensive, eight-week pro-

gram that included training in mili-

tary discipline and studies, Air Force

core values, physical fitness, and ba-

sic warfare principles and skills.

Williams is the son of Gloria Wil-

liams of Jamaica and is a 2011 gradu-

ate of Aviation High School, Long

Island City.

Ricole Beaubian of Queens Village

was named to the Dean’s List for the

fall 2012 semester at SUNY Potsdam.

Sebastian Howard of Queens Vil-

lage and Jonathan Moore of Jamaica

were named to the Dean’s List for

the fall 2012 semester at SUNY

Potsdam.

Naomi Anthonio of Springfield

Gardens was named to the Dean’s

List for the fall 2012 semester at

Florida Institute of Technology in

Melbourne, Fla.

The New York Army National

Guard recently announced the re-

enlistment of members in recognition

of their continuing commitment to

serve community, state and nation as

part of the Army National Guard.

Specialist Rushain Parker of

Cambria Heights has re-enlisted to

continue service with the 14th Fi-

nance Detachment.

Sergeant Windollyn Patino of Ja-

maica has re-enlisted to continue ser-

vice with the 719th Transportation

Company.

Staff Sergeant Ryan Bhoorasingh

of Jamaica has re-enlisted to continue

service with Company A, Recruiting

and Retention.

Sergeant Rian Barnes of Hollis has

re-enlisted to continue service with

Company B, 642nd Support Battalion.

Specialist Jolie Powell of Jamaica

has re-enlisted to continue service

with Company E (Forward Support

Company Infantry), 427th Brigade

Support Battalion.

Sergeant Edgar Ochoa of Jamaica

has re-enlisted to continue service

with the Headquarters and Headquar-

ters Company, 1-69th Infantry.

Specialist Audrey Alexispeacock of

Jamaica has re-enlisted to continue

service with the Headquarters and

Headquarters Company, 27th Bri-

gade Special Troops Battalion.

Nadia Misir of South Ozone Park

was named to the President’s List for

the fall 2012 semester at SUNY Os-

wego.

BY NATALIA KOZIKOWSKA

South Jamaica native Leighann

Lord is making a splash with her

original stand-up comedy.

Inspired by George Carlin, Lord has

crafted a unique style which has earned

her the New York City Black Comic

Award for “The Most Provoking Black

Female Comic.” She has also been

named Harlem Week’s official come-

dian for two consecutive years – a feat

only one other comedian, Richard

Pryor, has accomplished.

At a young age, Lord knew she

was always drawn to the world of

comedy. Her first exposure to stand-

up was through television.

“Flipping channels and I was just

addicted and completely attracted to

that brick wall. I saw a brick wall, a

microphone and some guy standing

and said that’s what I’m watching all

night. Even as a kid, I may not have

gotten some of the jokes, but who

doesn’t like to laugh?” she said.

Growing up in South Jamaica gave

her plenty of inspiration for the funny

material which would eventually

jumpstart her career.

South Jamaica Comedian Makes Waves

“Part of it [my inspiration] is grow-

ing up in a funny family. My parents

are hilarious, but they don’t always

mean to be,” she said. “Growing up

in South Jamaica, there is a lot of

material to pull from, and I think this

is a feeding ground of some very in-

teresting people.”

Lord has taken her talents across

the world. She has performed in Lon-

don, the Netherlands, Trinidad and

Tobago, Canada and countries like

Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi

Arabia, where she generously enter-

tained troops. Despite having per-

formed almost everywhere, Lord ad-

mits there is nothing like performing

in her hometown.

“I perform all over the City, but

there is nothing like being able to

perform in my home Borough and not

have to pay a toll,” she said jokingly.

“I’ve traveled all over the world, I’ve

traveled all over the country, but this

is my home. This is where I grew up,

I love it here.”

Lord explores a multitude of top-

ics in her stand-up routines but par-

ticularly enjoys to tell jokes that her

audience can relate to.

“I get a lot from what’s going on

in the news, in my every day life

which is what is going on for every-

one else,” she said. “You’ve got a job

you may not like, you’ve got a spouse

you may not like, kids you wish you

can trade in on eBay or you’ve got a

crazy dog. I don’t think my life is any

different from any other people — I’m

just crazy enough to go on stage and

talk about it.”

While Lord admits that it may be

difficult to be in the comedic indus-

try, especially as a woman, she abso-

lutely loves her job and enjoys the

connection between herself and the

audience, especially when she makes

them laugh.

“When you are doing standup,

you’re kind of out there on this high

wire all by yourself and you fail or

succeed by yourself in a way. It’s just

you and the audience,” she said.

“When it works, it’s fantastic. The

laughter of strangers is completely

addictive. I love what I do. I think

it’s not necessarily being a doctor or

astronaut but it’s necessary. Laugh-

ter reduces stress.”

Lord will be performing at the

Laughing Devil in Long Island

City on Saturday, Jan. 19. She will

have two shows – one at 8 p.m.

and one at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are

$20 with a minimum two drink

purchase.

To purchase tickets to the show,

visit laughingdevil.com. The Laugh-

ing Devil is located at 47-38 Vernon

Blvd., Long Island City.

Reach Reporter Natalia Kozikowska

at (718)357-7400 Ext . 123 or

nkozikowska@queenspress.com.

Leighann Lord

Air Force Airman Cedric Williams

Local students were named to the

Dean’s List for the fall 2012 semes-

ter at SUNY Oswego. They include:

Cambria Heights: Christopher

Davius.

Queens Village: Maya Siegel.

Richmond Hill : Esthefania

Rodriguez.

South Richmond Hill: Leonard

Coccaro.

Sudan Garner of Jamaica was

named to the Dean’s List for the fall

2012 semester at Beloit College in

Wisconsin.

Tell The

PRESS

Send notices of graduation,

awards, anniversaries, engagements

and honors to:

PRESS of Southeast Queens

150-50 14th Rd.,

Whitestone, NY 11357

All announcements will be

considered for publication without fee.

Jan. 25-31, 2013 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 13

A A A A A &&&&& E E E E E

Comedy Benefit Features Queens CelebsBY JOE MARVILLI

This weekend, Madison Square

Garden will be full of laughter for a

good cause.

The Theater at MSG will host the

Garden of Laughs at 8 p.m. on Jan.

26. Net proceeds from the star-stud-

ded event are being donated to the

Garden of Dreams Foundation.

Presented by Chase, the show

will include stand-up performances

by Adam Ferrara, Darrell Hammond,

Robert Klein, Brian Regan and

Wanda Sykes. It will also feature For-

est Hills -raised comedian Ray

Romano and will be hosted by

Queens’ own Bob Costas. Garden of

Laughs will be executive produced by

Rory Rosegarten, who is known for

his two Emmy wins for Romano’s TV

show “Everybody Loves Raymond.”

“In being around the Garden, I

was well aware of the amazing work

they were doing through the Garden

of Dreams Foundation for children

in the area,” said Rosegarten. “I am

thrilled to be a part of an event that I

know will be a great night, and will

help the Garden of Dreams Founda-

tion continue to change the lives of

these kids.”

The Garden of Dreams Founda-

tion is a nonprofit charity that works

closely with the Madison Square Gar-

den Company “to make dreams come

true for kids facing obstacles.” The or-

ganization has been in existence for

six years, working with the New York

Knicks, Rangers, Liberty, MSG Me-

dia, MSG Entertainment and Fuse.

To achieve its goal, Garden of

Dreams partners with a wide array of

children’s organizations to bring joy to

those kids facing illness, homelessness,

poverty, foster care issues or tragedy.

Some past examples of what the

charity put together included surprise

player visits to local children’s hospi-

tals to deliver toys, trips to commu-

nity-based organizations to distribute

coats donated during a drive by the

BY MEGAN MONTALVO

While it has often been said that

art imitates life, for Michael Capo of

Capo Auction Fine Art and Antiques,

the use of art is helping to recover lives.

Last month, the third-generation

antiques dealer held an auction at his

gallery, located at 36-01 Queens Blvd.

in Long Island City, which raised

nearly $2,000 for the family mem-

bers who were affected by the Sandy

Hook Elementary School shooting.

“I’ve had a personal connection

to the town for a lifetime because the

Antiques and The Arts Weekly, which is

printed in Newtown, is the Bible for

antique dealers,” Capo said. “Having

been a subscriber for a lifetime and

then an advertiser over the years, I

thought it was appropriate to reach

out to my contacts there that might

have been affected by the event.”

After making a call to the Newtown

Bee, the publishing company that

prints Antiques and The Arts Weekly,

Capo said that he discovered some

his colleagues were personally tied

to two individuals who were at the

scene of the shooting – one of whom

died and the other survived.

“I was happy for the money we

raised for the families of the victims,

but I wish I could do more,” he said.

In an effort to “do more,” Capo

Auction Fine Art and Antiques will

Art Dealer Donates

To Sandy Hook

Queens’ Ray Romano and Bob Costas are featured performers at the Garden of

Laughs event on Jan. 26.

once again donate a portion of their

earnings to the Newtown, Connecti-

cut Rotary Club’s Sandy Hook

School Fund at their upcoming auc-

tion on Jan. 26.

“While I’m very happy that we

can make a donation, we also wish

that these types of things do not hap-

pen,” Capo said. “It’s tragic.”

For those who are interested in

participating in Saturday’s auction,

previews will be held on-site each day

leading up to the event. Bidding will

begin at 11:00 a.m. and is available

either in-person or online at

www.capoauction.com.

Reach Reporter Megan Montalvo at

(718) 357-7400 Ext . 128 or

mmontalvo@queenstribune.com.

Michael Capo

Rangers, opportunities to meet play-

ers and celebrities on Dream Suite

Nights or at Rangers Skating Parties

and the opportunity to perform at Ra-

dio City Music Hall at the MSG En-

tertainment Talent Show.

To date, it has created lifetime

memories for more than 225,000 chil-

dren.

“It’s going to be an incredibly

funny night, and I look forward to

sharing the stage and a lot of laughs

with my fellow comedians to help

raise money for children who need a

helping hand,” said Romano.

Tickets for Garden of Laughs are

priced between $50 and $125.

Reach Reporter Joe Marvilli at (718)

357-7400, Ext . 125, or at

jmarvilli@queenstribune.com.

Pleasurable

Pizza And More

Whitepoint Pizzeria & Restaurant

132-13 14th Ave., College Point

(718) 746-5555

Whitepointpizzeria.com

Mon.-Sat.: 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.;

Sun.: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

CUISINE: Italian, Pizza

CREDIT CARD: Yes, all major

While I was doing some shop-

ping at the Whitepoint Shopping

Center, I started to hear that growl-

ing noise your stomach makes

when it’s telling you that it needs

food. I knew that I had to find some-

where to eat and fast.

There were a few different

places to eat around 14th Avenue,

but my girlfriend and I were in the

mood for some Italian food, so we

decided to have lunch at

Whitepoint Pizzeria & Restaurant.

In addition to the extensive pal-

ate of pizza slices offered, it also

has pasta dishes for those craving a

bigger meal.

We started off with orders of

fried calamari and garlic bread. The

calamari was breaded nicely with the

familiar squid-like taste with every

bite. They also provided plenty of

lemons for me to shower my

calamari in, which I love to do. The

garlic bread also served as a nice

touch for the appetizers. The loaf

was peppered with garlic, olive oil

and parmesan cheese. It was

crunchy, but just soft enough that it

was easy to bite into without getting

bread crumbs all over your clothes.

We then moved on to the main

course. We both got similar meals,

she got chicken cutlet parmigiana,

while I opted for the shrimp

parmigiana. The shrimp parm was

breaded and plastered in marinara

sauce and mozzarella cheese. I got

a full dose of shrimp and cheese

with every bite and used the left-

over bread to dip into the sauce.

My girlfriend enjoyed her meal as

well, repeatedly telling me how

good it was. I sampled a piece of

her chicken and it was well-cooked

and tasted great.

Overall, we had a pleasant ex-

perience dining at Whitepoint Piz-

zeria & Restaurant and if you’re

ever in College Point, a stop at this

place is something that I highly rec-

ommend.

-Luis Gronda

Restaurant Review

Page 14 PRESS of Southeast Queens Jan. 25-31, 2013

Faith

Jamaica Church Aids Unemployed

BY NATALIA KOZIKOWSKA

Springfield Gardens resident

Nohah Vickers is not just the cap-

tain of the Campus Magnet basket-

ball team, he is also an honor stu-

dent who puts as much focus into his

academics as his athletics.

Vickers, the team's point guard,

averages 22 points and six assists per

game. Being that this year the Bull-

dogs are a young team, Vickers is

particularly useful in helping new play-

ers adjust. The high school senior has

been on the basketball team since he

was a freshman three years ago.

In addition to his success on the

basketball team, Vickers has a 90 av-

erage and is on the MAST H.S. honor

roll and is in the school chapter of

the Honor Society, Arista.

Before each game, the Bulldogs

coach Charles Gramby has a

mentoring session with his team. At

Scholar Athlete Captain of Bulldogs

the last game he spoke to his players

about the need to study and get good

grades all while enhancing their bas-

ketball skills. During that mentoring

session, the coach used Vickers as

an example for his teammates. He

also told the players to feed Vickers

the ball and not to be jealous of some-

one who works hard and does well.

"I believe the team will get better,

especially if they help each other

out," Vickers said in a statement.

"The most important thing is to win

so we will be noticed."

Vickers' parents, Debbie and Ken,

are extremely supportive of their son

and Campus Magnet High School.

They attend every game and his

mother is on the School Leadership

team, which is the governing body

for the school. His parents also keep

on his back to ensure he does all his

schoolwork and studies hard.

He is currently doing science re-

search in Christine Kola's Global En-

vironment class through the Urban Bar

Code Project. He has submitted pro-

posals to do a project on apples to as-

certain why the different varieties have

different colors, tastes and grow in dif-

ferent seasons. If his proposal is ac-

cepted, he will work with a partner and

have the project completed by April.

During the summer, Vickers also vol-

unteers as a basketball coach for local

kids in the Rosedale Springfield Park.

Vickers' brother, Israel, also

played under coach Gramby many

years ago. Israel Vickers played on

the Bulldogs for three years and went

on to play basketball at City College

for four years. He was a math major

there and earned a 3.3 grade point

average and might come to teach at

his alma mater, MAST.

Reach Reporter Natalia Kozikowska

at (718)357-7400 Ext . 123 or

nkozikowska@queenspress.com

Captain of the MAST l team Nohah

Vickers manages to balance his school

work and basketball.

NotebookCampus Magnet High School

BY NATALIA KOZIKOWSKA

In response to the difficult eco-

nomic times, First Presbyterian

Church in Jamaica formed a Job

Club Support group to help local

residents learn about the resources

that are available to aid the unem-

ployed.

The group was first brought to the

church by a visiting pastor, David

Coello, in March, 2012. Its initial goal

was to help unemployed individuals

understand where to look for jobs all

while providing them a safe haven to

discuss the troubles and stigmas that

come with being jobless.

Stephanie St. Clair, a member and

co-leader of the group, is currently

unemployed and found that having

a support group like the one at First

Presbyterian Church was crucial in

helping her get through difficult

times.

“Being unemployed, there are

times when you just really feel that

you are alone and there is nobody

you can talk to. It is a safe haven,”

she said. “It really was a place where

people can come to feel like there is

a place they can go to talk about their

problems. This church doesn’t want

to just be a building. We want to as-

sist people in their lives and in en-

riching their lives.”

In her spare time, St. Clair volun-

teers at the church office and at the

church’s soup kitchen. She finds that

even though she is unemployed, she

enjoys keeping herself preoccupied

by helping others. She also tries to

encourage new members of the group

to do the same.

“I started volunteering here in the

office to keep my skills up and when

Mr. Coello had asked me about being

First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica

offers local residents a unique Job Club

Support Group to help the unemployed.

a part of the group, I said yes because

its one of those things where I know

how it feels to walk in those shoes. I

try to tell others to do the same,” she

said.

“Since I’ve joined the group, I’ve

been able to help,” she added.

“Whether it’s showing my support by

listening to them or by bringing in

information and directing them to

different websites where they can

find jobs. If there is a job I see that’s

not for me, I like to pass the informa-

tion along to someone in the group

who can take advantage of it.”

The First Presbyterian Church

holds its Job Club Support Group

every Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to

6:30 p.m. at the church. The club is

open to the general public and people

of any faith.

For more information on how to

become a member, call (718) 526-

4775 ext. 29 or visit

www.firstchurchjamaica.org.

First Presbyterian Church is lo-

cated at 89-60 164th Street, Jamaica.

Reach Reporter Natalia Kozikowska

at (718)357-7400 Ext . 123 or

nkozikowska@queenspress.com.

Ph

oto

co

urtesy o

f w

ww

.firstch

urch

ja

ma

ica

.o

rg

.

For therein is the

righteousness of

God revealed from

faith to faith: as it

is written, The just

shall live by faith.

-Romans 1:17

Word

Queens TodaySECTION EDITOR: REGINA VOGEL

Send announcementsfor your club or

organization’s events atleast TWO weeks inadvance to “Queens

Today” Editor, QueensTribune, 150-50 14

Road, Whitestone NY11357. Send faxes to

357-9417,c/o Regina or email to

queenstoday@queenstribune.comYearly schedules and

advanced noticeswelcome!

YOUTHTEENS

QUEENS LIBRARIESMany branches o f theQueensborough Libraryof fe r todd ler and pre -schoo l p rog rams andmore . Contac t loca lbranches.DR. KINGSaturday , January 19t r ibu te to Dr . Mar t inLuther King Jr. at 1 at theCentral library.FAMILY STORYSaturday , January 19Flushing library 11:30.CHESS CLUBSaturdays at the Flush-ing library at 2.MATH HELPSaturdays for grades 4-8 Flushing library at 10.SCIENCE LABSaturdays Cen t ra l l i -brary at 11.CHESS CLUBSaturdays F lushing l i -brary at 2.FAMILY STORYTIMEMonday , January 21preK -2 Auburnda le l i -brary at 4.CRAFT KIDSMondays F lushing l i -brary at 3.BEGIN CHESSMondays a t 3 :30Windsor Park library.KNIT & CROCHETMondays Douglaston li-brary at 4.CRAFTY TUESDAYSTuesday, Januar y 22Forest Hills library 3:30.YOGA FOR KIDSTuesdays, January 22, 29Corona library at 4.WRITING WORKSHOPTuesdays, January 22, 29Langston Hughes libraryat 4:30.CURRENT EVENTSTuesdays, January 22, 29McGoldrick library at 5.TEAM SCIENCETuesdays, January 22, 29Corona library at 6.BOOK BUDDIESTuesdays, January 22, 29those 3-5 are read to by12-15 year olds Hillcrestlibrary and Windsor Parklibrary at 4.KNIT & CROCHETTuesdays at 5 RochdaleVillage library.TIMELESS TALESWednesdays , January23, 30 Central library at10.PICTURE BOOKWednesdays , January23, 30 McGoldr ick l i -brary at 11:15.CIRCLE OF FRIENDSWednesdays , January23, 30 Glen Oaks libraryat 11:30.CRAFTIVITIESWednesdays , January23, 30 East Flushing li-brary. Register.ARTS & CRAFTSWednesday, January 23Auburndale library ages

5-12 at 4.DREAM BIGWednesday, January 23stor ies of courage andbravery ages 6 and upBriarwood library at 4.HEALTH & SCIENCEWednesday, January 23McGoldrick library at 5.READY READERSWednesday, January 23K -2 Corona l ib ra ry a t5:30.CHESSWednesdays a t 3 :30Queens Vi l lage l ibraryand 4:30 Poppenhusenlibrary.GAME DAYWednesdays HowardBeach library at 5.CRAFTERNOONSWednesdays a t theRidgewood library. Reg-ister.YOUNG LEADERSWednesdays and FridaysYoung Leaders Instituteo f Lau re l ton a t theLaurelton library at 3:30.STORY TIMEThursday, January 24 atthe East Elmhurst libraryat 11:30.PICTURE BOOKThursdays, January 24,31 at the Flushing libraryat 1:30 and the QueensVillage library.DRAMA POSSEThursdays, January 24,31 Hi l lcrest l ibrary at4:30.ZUMBA FITNESSThursday, January 24 atthe Hollis library. Regis-ter .MANGA CLUBThursdays, January 24,31 at the Corona libraryat 5.TEAM SCIENCEThursday, January 24 atthe Corona library at 6.OPTICAL ILLUSIONSThursday, January 24 atthe North Hil ls l ibrary.For those 5-12. Register.FAMILY STORYTIMEThursdays, January 24,31 preschoolers and tod-dlers Bay Terrace libraryat 11:30.PRE-SCHOOL STORYThursdays, January 24,31 , February 7 , 14Bellerose l ibrary. Regis-ter .DOT ARTThursday , January 24Richmond Hill library at4 .GAME ONThursdays at the Centrallibrary at 3:30.TIGER TOTSFriday, January 25 KungFu for children under 5at the Briarwood library.Register .VIDEO/BD GAMESFr iday , January 25Rochdale Village libraryat 4:30.

PRE-SCHOOL CRAFTFriday, January 25 at theSunnyside library. Regis-ter .BOOK BUDDIESFriday, January 25 at theFresh Meadows library at4 .ICY PALSFr iday , January 25Middle Vi l lage l ibrar y.Register .TALENT SHOWFriday, January 25 at theCorona library at 4:30.CHESS FOR KIDSFriday, January 25 at theWindsor Park library at 5.KIDS ACTIVITIESFr idays a t 3 :30Briarwood library.CRAFT TIMEFridays at 3 at the OzonePark library.GAME DAYFridays at 3:30 QueensVillage library.ARTS & CRAFTSFr idays B r ia rwood l i -brary at 4.East FlushingRegister. Ozone Park at3 .GAME DAYFridays Windsor Park at4 .CHESS CLUBFridays Auburndale l i -b ra ry a t 3 :30 andWindsor Pa rk l i b ra r y.Register .SCIENCE FAIRSaturday , January 26Don’t fear the ScienceFair at the Central libraryat 10.CRAFTS WORKSHOPSaturday , January 26Carved, Constructed andCas t Scu lp tu re a t theHoward Beach library at2 .

BUKHARIAN LOUNGECentral Queens Y in For-est Hills. 268-5011, ext.202.CHESS CLUBSaturdays F lush ing l i -brary at 2.FLOWER CREATIONMonday, January 28 att he Woods ide l i b rar y.Register .DRUM WORKSHOPMonday , January 28Douglaston library at 4.PILLOWCASEMonday , January 28make your own pi l low-case at the Queens Vil-lage library. Register.TEEN ZONEMonday , January 28Queens Village library at4 .EVENING CRAFTSMonday , January 28Fresh Meadows library at6 .LAPTOPSM o n d a y s - T h u r s d a y sHollis library at 3.BOOK BUDDIESTuesday, Januar y 29readers 12 -15 read tothose 3-5 at the Hillcrestlibrary at 4.KNIT & CROCHETTuesday, January 29 atthe Rochdale Vil lage li -brary at 5.AUTHOR VISITTuesday, Januar y 29Mar iah Freder icks d i s -cusses “The Girl in thePark” a t 4 :30 a t thePomonok library.LANDMARKSWednesday, January 30Explore Your Communityat the Central library at4 .TEEN ZONEWednesday, January 30Queens Village library at4 .RECYCLED CANSWednesday, January 30turn an ordinary emptysoda can into a winterwork of art at 4 at theFlushing library.CHESSWednesday, January 30Corona library at 6.CHESS CLUBWednesday, January 30at the Poppenhusen l i -brary at 4:30.MAGIC TRICKSWednesday, January 30Rosedale l ibrary. Regis-ter .GAME DAYWednesdays HowardBeach library at 4.CHESSWednesdays a t 3 :30Queens Village library.STORY TIMEThursday , January 31Elmhurst library at 11:30.ANIMEThursday, January 31 atthe Flushing library at 4.DRAMA POSSE

Thursday , January 31for those 11-14 at theHillcrest library at 4:30.MANGA CLUBThursday , January 31Corona library at 5.COOL GIRLSThursday , January 31girls 11-21 wil l explorecollege, and more at theRosedale library at 3:45.PRE-SCHOOL CRAFTSFr iday , February 1Sunnyside library. Regis-ter .YOUNG LEADERSFr iday , February 1Young Leaders Instituteat the Laurelton library at3:30.TEEN ZONEFr iday , February 1Queens Village library at4 .VALENTINE CRAFTSFr iday , February 1Whitestone library at 4.

PARENTS

SENIORS

TALKS

THEATER

OUR TOWNMarch 1-9 “Our Town”at Queensborough Com-mun i t y Co l l ege . 631 -6311.

PSYCHOLOGICAL CTRFamily and child therapy,pa ren t managementtraining and more. 570-0500 sliding scale.KIDS KORNERWeekdays Cen t ra lQueens YM-YWHA inForest Hills. For K-6. 268-5011, ext. 203.PARENT WORKSHOPMondays , January 28,February 4, 11, 25 at theLe f rak C i t y l i b rar y a t11:15.TALK TO KIDSMonday , January 28How to Talk to Kids WillListen and Listen So KidsWi l l Ta l k a t 6 a t theRidgewood library.ANIBICAssociat ion for Neuro-logically Impaired BrainIn ju red Ch i ld ren , Inc .sponsors programs forthose through adulthood.423-9550.

SOUTH ASIANAl te rna te Sa turdaysSe l fhe lp BR -PS Sen io rCenter in F lushing. In -d i an - s t y l e ac t i v i t i e s ,lunch. 886-5777.ALZHEIMERSAdult Day Care Monday-Thursday 9-4 in Flushing.358-3541.DEFENSIVE DRIVINGMonday , January 28Laure l ton l ib ra ry 528 -2822.MEN’S CLUBMondays 10-noon Men’sclub for those over 65 atthe Central Queens Y inForest Hills. 423-0732.BASIC COMPUTERSTuesday, Januar y 29class for seniors at 10South Ozone Pa rk l i -brary.CAREGIVERSTuesdays Ca reg i ve r sSupport group at 3:30-4:30 Selfhelp ClearviewSenior Center , 208 -1126 th Avenue , Bays ide .631-1886.ALZHEIMERSCareg ive r s Suppor tGroup for Alzheimer ’sca reg ive r s a t QueensCommunity House. 268-5960, ext. 226.DANCE PARTYWednesday, January 30Sweet Lor ra ine DanceParty at 2:15. Dinner fol-lows. Atria Forest Hills.RSVP 516-721-3909.STARSWednesdays Senior The-atre Acting Repertory atthe Ho l l i s l i b ra ry a t11 :15 . F r idays a t 11Queens Village library.TAX HELPFridays, February 1, 8,15, 22 Pomonok libraryat 11:30.

CHINESE ARTSaturday , January 26lectures on Chinese Artat 3 at the Flushing l i -brary.STEINWAYMonday , January 28“Unfamiliar Fishes” dis-cus sed a t 6 :30 a t theSteinway library.COMM. RESOURCESWednesday, January 30Queens Community Re-sources workshop a t11:30 at the Pomonok li-brary.

RELIGIOUS

TEMPLE BETHSaturday Friday, Janu-ary 25 Shabbat Servicesat 8. Saturday, January26 Shabbat Services andTorah Study at 10. Sun-day, Januar y 27 TuB’Shevat celebration at9 :30 . Temple Be t hSholom, 172nd Street andNorthern Blvd., Flushing.463-4143.REGO PARKSaturday, January 26 TuB ’Sheva t l uncheon a t12:30 following Shabbatservices. $18. Reserva-tions. Rego Park JewishCenter , 97 -30 QueensBlvd. 459-1000.

FLEA MARKETS

THRIFT SHOPSaturdays 12-4 at theQueens Baptist Church,93 -23 217 th S t ree t ,Queens V i l l age . 465 -2504.

Jan. 25-31, 2013 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 15

Queens TodayMEETINGS

GARDENING CLUBSaturdays i n theSteinway l ibrary court -yard at 4.JEWISH VETSSunday, January 27 Jew-ish War Veterans of theUSA L ipsky/B lum Postmeet at the Kissena Jew-ish Center in F lushing.463-4742. Korean WarVet Socce r Team a l someets.NEW YORK CARESMonday, January 28 NYCare meet s to rec ru i tnew vo lunteers a t theForest Hills library at 3.ORATORIO SOCIETYMondays a t 7 :45 a tTemple Beth Sholom inFlushing. 279-3006. Audi-tions required.COMMUNITY SINGERSM o n d ay s C o m m u n i t ySingers start rehearsalsf o r t h e i r s p r i n g c o n -c e r t a t 8 a t M e s s i a hL u t h e r a n i n F l u s h i n g .658-1021.GLEE CLUBTuesdays Bayside Men’sGlee Club rehearses at7:30 at All Saints Episco-pal Church. 961-6852.MEN’S CLUB SOCCERTuesday evenings ForestHi l l s Jewish Center 8 -9:30. 263-7000.

EDUCATION/GAMES/CRAFTSENTERTAINMENT

WORLD CASINO110-00 Rockaway Blvd.,South Ozone Park. Freeadmission.WINTER PRIDESaturday , January 26Largest annual fundraiserfo r the Queens P r ideCommi t tee a t As to r i aWor ld Manor .www.queenspride.org fortickets.LANGSTON HUGHESSa tu rday , J anuary 26L a n g s t o n H u g h e s i nH a r l e m a t 3 a t t h eR o c h d a l e V i l l a g e l i -brar y.PIANO CONCERTSaturday , January 26p ian i s t Jean Pa rk pe r -forms at 3:30 at the For-est Hills library.NU URBAN CAFÉSaturdays live jazz, r&b,open mic 8 -m idn igh t .F ree . 188 -36 L indenBlvd. , S t . A lbans . 917-817-8653.TOTAL RECALLSunday , January 27movie shown at 2 at theCentral library.MUSICA REGINAESunday , January 27Tomorrow’s Artists Todayfeaturing “Face the Mu-sic” at 5:30 at Church inthe Gardens. 894-2178.

TALKING DRUMMonday, January 28 Ni-gerian Music and Danceat 6 at the Flushing l i -brary.SALSAMondays Resorts WorldCasino holds MondayNight Salsa events. Lessons7:30. 110-00 RockawayBlvd., South Ozone ark.215-2828. Free.BOOK LAUNCHTuesday, Januar y 29book l aunch fo r “TheMan in 3B” at the Cen-tral library at 6.BINGOTuesdaysNe: 7:15 Ameri-can Mar t yrs Church inBayside. 464-4582. Tues-days 7:15 (doors open 6)Rego Park Jewish Cen-ter. 459-1000. $3 admis-sion includes 12 games.SCRABBLETuesdays Fresh Mead-ows library at 2.CHESSTuesdays 4 Rosedale li-brary.SINATRA TRIBUTEWednesday, January 30at the Hollis library at 2.LONG SHADOWWednesday, January 30“The Long Shadow o fIncarceration’s St igma”at 5 at the Central library.

NOOK WORKSHOPSaturday , January 26Forest Hills library. Reg-ister.CRAFTS WORKSHOPSaturday , January 26Carved, Constructed andCast Sculpture HowardBeach library at 2.ENGLISH CONV.Monday, January 28 En-glish Conversation classDouglaston library. Reg-ister.METRIX LEARNINGMonday , January 28Cent ra l l ib rar y. 990 -8625.MAC MONDAYSMonday , January 28Cent ra l l ib rar y. 990 -8625.EVENING CRAFTMonday , January 28Fresh Meadows library at6 .FLOWER CREATIONSMonday , January 28Woodside library. Regis-ter .SMALL BUSINESSMonday , January 28Jackson Heights library at6 .CRAFT CLUBMonday , January 28Broadway l i b ra ry a t12:30.KNIT & CROCHET

Monday , January 28Douglaston library at 4.BALLROOM DANCINGMonday , January 28Fores t H i l l s l i b ra ry a t6:30.BRIDGEMondays except hol i -days 12 -4 a t P r ide o fJudea in Douglaston. Les-son & play $10. Partnersarranged. 423-6200.ADULT CHESSMondays and ThursdaysQueens Village library at5:30.MICROSOFT ACCESSTuesday, January 29 LIClibrary. 752-3700.BEGINNERS EXCELTuesday, Januar y 29Flushing library at 10.DOWNLOAD E-BOOKSTuesday, Januar y 29Flushing library at 10.INTRO INTERNETTuesday, Januar y 29Cent ra l l ib rar y. 990 -0769.KNIT & CROCHETTuesdays Windsor Parklibrary at 2.SMALL BUSINESSTuesday, Januar y 29Cent ra l l ib rar y. 990 -8625.GET YOUR YARNS OUT!Tuesdays after eveningMinyan a t 8 , kn i t te r s ,

c r o c h e t e r s ,needlepointers, and oth-ers meet at the ForestHills Jewish Center. 263-7000, ext. 200.

HEALTH

PSYCHOLOGICAL CTRI nd i v idua l and g roupcounsel ing, fami ly andcoup le the rapy andmore. 570-0500 sl idingscale.DIABETESSaturday , January 26Living With Diabetes: It’sMore Than Just Sugar at1 at the Langston Hugheslibrary.WAITANKUNGSundays 2-5. Total-bodyworkout. Flushing Hospi-t a l /Med i ca l Cen te r .F r ee . J immy 7 -10pm347-2156.SCHIZOPHRENICSSundays in Rego Park.896-3400.FERTILITYMonday, January 28 atthe Flushing library at 5.MEDITATIONMondays , January 28,February 4, 11 Trans -fo rming the Hear tThrough Meditat ion atthe Flushing library at 6.

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Page 16 PRESS of Southeast Queens Jan. 25-31, 2013

Confidentially, New York . . .

Modeling was a passion Lisa didn’t realize she had until she joined a fashion show on a whim.

“A friend of mine was in talks with a designer,” she said. “He needed a few extra models in his fashion show. I was painted like a tiger, but I really enjoyed it!”

Since that first show last August, the budding Ja-maica model, through her continued networking, has walked in fashions shows for charities and set up photo shoots for herself.

“After my first show, this was all I wanted to do. It’s something I’ve grown really passionate about,” Lisa said.

Her enthusiasm is more than apparent when talking about modeling full time.

“I love that I get to model during the work week,” she said. “I work on the weekends, but once Monday comes around, I continue to set up more shoots.”

Lisa works at Papa John’s during the day and is an aide to the mentally ill at night. In her free time, she loves to go to the movies, exercise and occasionally visit a night club.

“I live around Green Acres Mall [in Rosedale], so I can always do some-

thing different. That sums up Queens too; I’ve lived here for 15 years and I’m always surrounded by new opportunities.”

Lisa’s advice to modeling hopefuls lies in networking.

“It’s so important for others to know your name. Without a network of people to work with, you’ll get no-where,” she said. “But models should take their time and

Model Of

Queens

Lisa BrowneAge: 28Location: JamaicaHeight: 5’6”Weight: 135lbs.Stats: 34-28-38Photos by John Scandalios

Passion For People

QConf is edited by: Steven J. Ferrari. Contributors: Luis Gronda, Natalia Kozikowska, Joe Marvilli, Marcia Moxom Comrie, Megan Montalvo, Mike Nussbaum, Mike Schenkler.

Email: Conf@QueensTribune.com

Who We Are @ QConf

Two Superstorm Sandy documentaries are in the works chronicling the damage the Rockaways suffered from the storm and their long road to recovery.

The films are called “John Cori Warned You” and “Beach 119.”

The first movie explores if things could have been done to prevent the amount of dam-age the peninsula took on as a result of the storm and if

Sandy Storiessomething like that could ever happen again.

“Beach 119” concentrates on the residents that live in Beach 119th Street and how the storm has affected their lives.

A third documentary, “Beach 87th St/Surfing After Sandy,” was released on Jan. 1 and it focuses on the area’s surfing community and how they have been affected by the storm.

A Baby For Rosie Queens native Rosie

O’Donnell welcomed a new bundle-of-joy to the family last week.

According to published re-ports, O’Donnell announced that she and her wife, Mi-chelle Rounds, adopted the couple’s first daughter, Dakota.

O’Donnell announced the news by posting a photo of herself with her, Rounds and Dakota on Instagram.

“we r thrilled to announce the arrival of r daughter Da-kota - #withloveandthanks – AMEN,” She wrote along with the photo.

According to USA Today, the baby was born on Jan. 5, weighing in at 5 pounds and 5 ounces.

O’Donnell has four other children from a previous

Rosie O'Donnell, wife Michelle Rounds and daughter Dakota

Want to be our cartoonist? Email editor@queenstribune.com

figure out what they really want to get into. Everything pays off in the end.”

Not even Superstorm Sandy could take down the bust of Jacob Riis, which sits in the

Rockaways.

During his lifetime, Jacob Riis was a muckraking jour-nalist who fought for reform for the City’s poorest citizens at the tail end of the 19th cen-tury and beginning of the 20th century. More than 100 years later, a bust of Jacob Riis in the Rockaways fought to survive the strong winds of Superstorm Sandy. Like the man himself, the statue came out on top. The bronze bust of Jacob Riis, located in Riis Park on the edge of the beach, was replaced two years ago by a group of students from Queens after they received $10,000 from the Aquinas Honor Soci-ety at Immaculate Conception School in Jamaica Estates. The original bust was stolen

Jacob Riis 1, Superstorm Sandy 0

back in 1964. While many of the Rock-aways landmarks suffered damage, it is good to see that a symbol for social reform made it through unscathed. It wasn’t even knocked off its pedestal.

marriage with her ex, Kelli Carpenter.

She married Rounds in June

of last year after proposing to her on the now-cancelled talk show “The Rosie Show.”

Page 18 PRESS of Southeast Queens Jan. 25-31, 2013

What’s UpJAN. 25

Oldies But Goodies Night

The Queens Chapter National Ac-

tion Network will host its Second

Annual ‘Oldies But Goodies Night.’

Enjoy an evening of live entertain-

ment, dinner, dancing.

For additional information, visit

www.nationalactionnetwork.net,

contact the Queens Chapter NAN

at (718) 959-9500 or 1-855-232-

6724, or send an e -mai l to

Queenschapternan2011@hotmail.com.

The event will be held at the

Thomasina’s Catering Hall located at

205-35 Linden Blvd. from 8 p.m. to 1

a.m. Tickets are $30.

Jack and the Beanstalk

The Black Spectrum Theatre Com-

pany will present their Daycare The-

atre Series. Next up in the series is

“Jack and the Beanstalk”. For groups

over 50, the price is $6 per person.

One teacher is also free with every 20

students. For additional information,

call (718) 723-1800. The show will

be held from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at

the Black Spectrum Theatre located

at 177th Street and Baisley Boule-

vard. Tickets are $7 for children and

$10 for adults.

JAN 26

Business Plan Competition

2012

The Queens Economic Develop-

ment Corporation will begin the 7th

Annual Queens StartUP! Business

Plan Competition in September

2012. The competition gives entre-

preneurs the opportuni ty to

strengthen their business knowledge,

learn about business trends, and gain

insights about starting and growing a

business, as well as offering an intro-

duction to the vast resources at

Queens Central Library. The free

event will be held at 11 a.m. at the

Queens Central Library.

Audition for JCAL’s New Dance

Company

Calling all young dancers! Here is

your chance to audition for Jamaica’s

next great dance company – the Ja-

maica Center for Arts and Learning’s

new dance company. Auditions will

be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the

Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning

Gallery located at 161-04 Jamaica

Ave.

Google Tools in Bengali

The Queens Central Library will

offer a computer class in Bengali and

English. It will explore the range of

uses of Google accessories: how to

search the Internet with Google,

manage email with G-mail, find loca-

tions with Google Maps and travel

with Google Earth. The class is free

and will begin at 3 p.m.

Urvashi, A Love Story

Throughout the years, the Natraj

Center for the Performing Arts has

assisted many cultural and religious

organizations in their efforts to pro-

mote cultural awareness and respect

through professional performances

at various social functions, fundraisers

and cultural events. Garnering inter-

national recognition, Natraj will con-

duct a dance show at the York Col-

lege Performing Arts Center, located

at 94-45 Guy R. Brewer Blvd. For

additional information, call (718)

468-1604. Tickets are $25 for adults

and $15 for children. The show will

be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

JAN. 27

Total Recall

The Queens Central Library will

offer a free screening of ‘Total Recall’

at 2 p.m. As nation-states Euromerica

and New Shanghai vie for supremacy,

a factory worker begins to suspect

that he’s a spy, but doesn’t know

which side he’s on. Starring Colin

Farrell, Bokeem Woodbine, and

Bryan Cranston; directed by Len

Wiseman; rated PG-13; 121 minutes;

Columbia Pictures, 2012.

JAN. 29

Book Launch Event for “The

Man in 3B”

Meet Carl Weber, New York Times

bestselling author at the Queens Cen-

tral Library. Learn how he develops

stories about seemingly ordinary

people who have crazy things hap-

pen in their lives. His latest novel is a

tale of drama, mystery, scandal, and

intrigue set in Jamaica, Queens. Books

will be available for sale and signing.

Light refreshments will be served.

The event is free and will begin at 6

p.m.

Small Business Workshop

Learn how to develop a business

idea into a business plan in our Tues-

day evening small business workshops

at the Queens Central Library. Partici-

pants will learn about creating a de-

mand for a product or service; setting

goals, objectives, budgets, and

timelines; identifying resources and

networks; and getting ready to open

your “doors.”

For further information, please

visit the Job Information Center or

call (718) 990-8625. The workshop

is free and will begin at 7 p.m.

JAN. 30

Aerobics for Adults

Keep that New Year’s resolution

with free weekly fitness classes

through ShapeUp NYC. Aerobics for

Adults provides a moderate workout

that burns calories and improves car-

diac function. Space is limited. Par-

ticipation is on a first-come, first-

served basis. The session will be held

at 4 p.m. at the Queens Central Li-

brary and is free.

Town Hall Meeting w/ State

Senator Malcolm Smith

Come out and hear the issues that

are affecting the Southeast Queens

community from the Senator himself.

For more information, call Senator

Smith’s office at (718) 454-0162.

The Town Hall meeting will be held

from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Alpha Phi

Alpha Senior Citizens Center located

at 220-01 Linden Blvd., in Cambria

Heights.

JAN. 31

Mock Interviews

The Queens Central Library is of-

fering free mock interviews. Mock

interviews let you make mistakes be-

fore they count. In this one-on-one

practice interview, you will learn how

to prepare beforehand, successfully

deal with difficult questions and fol-

low up properly afterwards. Space is

limited. To schedule an appointment,

call (718) 990-8625 or visit the Job

Information Center. Participants must

arrive 10 minutes before class starts,

latecomers will not be seated. The

event will begin at 9 a.m. at the library.

ONGOING

Lincoln Park Basketball

Association

The Lincoln Park Basketball Asso-

ciation is starting its winter/spring

basketball program. Boys and girls

between the ages of 8 and 15 are

welcome. The registration fee is $50.

It includes insurance, weekly training

sessions and a t-shirt. Full payment

must be made by Feb. 9, with no

exceptions. Parents or guardians must

bring proof of their child’s age. Birth

certificates, passports or school

records are all valid forms of ID. All

participants must remember to bring

sneakers and shorts to the gym.

Coaches are needed as well. The bas-

ketball clinic will take place at the

Queens Transition Center on 142-10

Linden Blvd. in South Ozone Park.

The entrance for the program is in the

school yard in the rear of the school.

The clinic lasts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

It is ongoing until March 23.

Mobile CPR Program

FDNY EMS instructors will come

out to your site to conduct the CPR

training using your facilities. The Be

911 Compressions Only CPR Pro-

gram is brought to you free of charge

by FDNY and NYC Service. The goal

of the program is to train as many

people as possible in basic CPR skills.

In addition, participants will be briefly

educated on the automated external

defibrillator (AED) used to try and

revive a person suffering from cardiac

arrest. Though this program does not

certify any participants, the FDNY

and NYC Service believe increasing

the knowledge of how to save a life is

far more beneficial.

The program welcomes all ages, as

long as the individual can demon-

strate competency in retaining the

required skills.

Appointments can be made Mon-

day through Friday during the hours

of 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Classes may be

approximately 20 minutes depend-

ing on the size of the group.

For group registration of 10 or

more participants or further informa-

tion, contact the FDNY’s CPR Train-

ing Unit at Telephone Number (718)

281-3888.

Group Sessions

Clergy United for Community

Empowerment, Inc. will hold group

sessions for the community on vari-

ous topics such as domestic violence,

mental health, substance abuse inter-

vention, decision making, condom

use, high risk behaviors leading to

HIV, and self – esteem awareness. All

group sessions offer light snacks and

beverages. Group sessions are open

to the public.

Round-Trip Metro Card reimburse-

ment is available at the end of each

completed session. For further informa-

tion call (718) 297-0720. All services

are free. Call for next group date.

Infant Mortality

Clergy United for Community

Empowerment’s Infant Mortality

Reduction Initiative program pro-

vides the following services free of

charge: case management services,

parent skills building, crib care, breast

feeding education, health education,

nutritional information/education,

referral for HIV testing, confidential

one-on-one counseling, workshops,

and women support groups. IMRI

provides referrals for Food stamps,

GED, GYN, Emergency Baby For-

mula (qualifications required) and

more. Call (718) 297-0720. Located

at 89-31 161 St., 10th floor, Jamaica.

Services are available Tue.-Thurs. 9:30

a.m. to 4 p.m.

Jan. 25-31, 2013 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 19

Volunteer to help older adults and their families. Make a difference by helping to

ease the burdens of family caregivers of older adult loved ones…

And receive $110 per month for 10 hours per week. You can also earn $1,468

for an educational voucher.

Limited opportunity. Call now.

(718) 289-2100 Ext. 4296www.willingheartshelpfulhands.org

AmeriCorps needs you for a care-giving

respite program calledWilling Hearts-Helpful Hands.