Author: Dan Rose

For the second consecutive year, Congresswoman Grace Meng is sponsoring a holiday card drive for Queens veterans.

Meng’s office will collect cards from members of the public and local elementary schools, then personally deliver them to veterans at the VA St. Albans Community Living Center during the holiday season.

“The holiday season is a very important time of year,” she says. “Providing these special cards to the brave men and women who served our nation is an outstanding way to recognize their service, and make sure they know that we have not forgotten about them during the holidays.”

The holiday cards can be standard cards or simply made from scratch.

They can be dropped off or mailed to 40-13 159th Street, Suite C, in Flushing by December 2nd.

Last week, the Beacon program housed at the Parsons Community School received $25,000 in funding.

Assemblywoman Nily Rozic presented a check to the principal with students looking on in the auditorium.

The Beacon program provides after school services and activities. The funding will help sustain programming such as enrichment activities in leadership and civics, college and career readiness and STEM.

Students can partake in sports and recreation, visual and performing arts and health and wellness at the program as well.

Rozic has also allocated funding for the Beacon programs at MS 158 in Bayside and MS 216 in Fresh Meadows.

Holy Family Roman Catholic Church in Fresh Meadow has a new pastor at the helm.

Recently, the Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, officially installed Father Sean Suckiel as the seventh pastor of the Fresh Meadow church.

“I pray that my time as Pastor of Holy Family be a time of Invasion of Grace, Hope, and Love for all of our parishioners,” Father Suckiel said.

In the photo below are Father Suckiel, Bishop DiMarzio and the proud parents of the new pastor.

Saturday marked the first day of early voting in New York City, and one of Bayside’s cultural institutions serves as an early voting site.

From now until November 3, voters can cast their ballots ahead of Election Day at specific sites. In northeast Queens, the early voting location is Korean Community Services, located at 203-05 32nd Avenue.

Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, who co-sponsored legislation to allow for early voting for the first time, cast her vote on Saturday.

“This new nine day early voting period provides voters with a more democratic process and greater opportunity to cast their ballots,” she says.

To look up your early voting site, use the poll site locator here.

Over the weekend, Councilman Paul Vallone and the Femenia family unveiled the street sign for “Joe Femenia Way” at 130th Street and 23rd Avenue in College Point.

Femenia was a beloved civic president and neighborhood activist, as well as a fourth-generation College Point resident. He passed away suddenly in January 2019.

“Joe attended school and church in College Point, he played in the parks, married me and had a lifetime of love and dedication to his hometown,” said Laura Femenia. “He had many victories in protecting and preserving the integrity of College Point.

“As far as my husband was concerned, every resident in College Point was his neighbor,” she added.

Femenia was born in College Point and attended PS 129, JHS 194, Flushing High School and Queens College.

He married Laura Wiskemann in 1992 and began his career with the MTA the next year.

He served as chair of the Transportation Committee of Community Board 7, and served on CB7 overall for 10 years.

Femenia is credited for restarting the College Point Civic and Taxpayers Association in 2008. He served as president from 2008 to 2012, and again from 2014 until he passed away earlier this year.

The students at PS 221 in Little Neck have a brand new playground.

The $1.5 million play space includes new trees, a turf field, two running tracks, play equipment, game tables and green infrastructure elements.

It will be used by students during the day, but also open to the community after school and on the weekends.

It was funded by Councilman Barry Grodenchik, Borough President Melinda Katz, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Trust for Public Land.