BY JASON COHEN
While New York recently
announced that fall sports
will begin next March,
some parents are concerned
about the implications of a
lost season.
Roman Suarez, whose
son ZJ is the quarterback
for Mount Saint Michael
Academy at 4300 Murdock
Ave., fears that athletes like
his son who are looking to
play collegiately will be hurt
by COVID-19.
He stressed that many in
the Bronx struggled before
the pandemic and now things
are worse. These are families
who often rely on scholarships
for their kids and without
sports, some of them face
further fi nancial challenges
from frustrating loans.
“With no season in sight,
athletes are left with arduous
options: abandon their home
state, relocate to another
school and hopefully be able
to play in a state where the
season started on time,” Suarez
said. “This is something
most families can’t or won’t
consider due to economic
hardships faced during the
current COVID climate, when
we now have a list of quarantined
states, what is the
athlete left to do?”
According to Suarez, kids
can to travel to other states
and compete in camps and
other recruitment events.
However, parents aren’t risking
infection of COVID-19
on top of worrying about
the cost of travel, camps,
lodging and food.
But Suarez has been driving
ZJ from state to state
to help him remain on the
college recruitment radar.
Friendly VOICES, a New Volunteer Program, Helps Limit
Social Isolation Among Older New Yorkers during COVID-19
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,18 OCT. 30-NOV. 5, 2020 BTR
According to the National
Federation of State High
School Associations, 16 states,
plus the District of Columbia
have rescheduled football for
the spring or winter.
“I’m not complaining, but
I’m making every attempt to
keep my son on the path towards
self excellence and it
happens to be, football is his
greatest passion, so much so
which resulted in him boosting
his grades to now be on
the Honor Roll Society of his
school,” Suarez said. “He is
not alone in his successful
strides to remain on a team
roster and he is not alone in
being dedicated to wanting
the attention of college programs
and scholarships to renowned
universities.”
Mount Saint Michael quarterback ZJ Suarez discusses how COVID-19 has
affected him. Courtesy of ZJ Suarez
ZJ, 15, is doing his best
to keep his head on a swivel
while being stuck at home. He
is not a fan of having a canceled
season, but is taking advantage
of the down time.
The teen, who is ambidextrous,
has been playing
seven on seven every Saturday,
training with his
quarterback coach Madison
Perez in Harlem, watching
fi lms and even doing
speed and strength drills in
his backyard.
Surprisingly, Suarez only
began playing football a
year ago.
“I’m staying strong and
focused on my goal,” he explained.
“It’s stressful because
I don’t get to have that
game experience.”
While his teammates and
opponents have been playing
for much longer than him,
he realizes he can’t change
the past. With his eyes on the
prize of making it at the collegiate
level, Suarez will not
let anything stand in his way;
not even COVID-19.
“I think football is an important
part of my life because
I really feel a rush from
it,” he said.
Parents worried for
student athletes
Some think that COVID-19 will negatively
affect the future for some teens
It has been more than seven
months since the Covid-19
pandemic began and our
everyday lives were turned
upside down. While some have
grown accustomed to working
remotely and staying home,
the pandemic has led to many
older New Yorkers losing contact
with loved ones and becoming
socially isolated.
Social isolation has always
been an issue for older adults,
but COVID-19 has exacerbated
it. For older adults, social
isolation can be especially
harmful, taking a toll on their
wellbeing and leading to health
problems like depression and
heart disease.
Throughout this pandemic,
the City Department for
the Aging (DFTA) has been
working to limit social isolation
through virtual programming,
wellness checks and the Friendly
Visiting program, a successful
initiative that has matched
more than 2,000 volunteers
with homebound older adults
for weekly visits that are now
being done virtually via phone
and video calls.
In June, we ran a Social
Isolation PSA campaign and
more than 400 New Yorkers
signed up to volunteer for
Friendly Visiting. This told us
that New Yorkers want to stepup,
volunteer, and help our
older adults. Well, we heard the
City loud and clear, and we are
happy to announce the launch
of Friendly VOICES (Virtual
Opportunities Improving
Connections with Elders).
Like Friendly Visiting, this new
initiative will train and match
volunteers with older adults and
is designed to limit social isolation
and build ongoing engagement.
Friendly VOICES is different
as the program is available to
all older adults who are socially
isolated. In addition, Friendly
VOICES offers older New Yorkers
the option to have a peer-to-peer
match and be connected with
another older adult or join a
small virtual group. Becoming a
Friendly VOICES volunteer is an
easy way to brighten your day. We
recommend that anyone wlling
to volunteer or join the program
reach out to us.
I also want to remind older
adults to get the Flu Vaccine.
Doctors say getting a flu vaccine
this year has never been more
important. The flu vaccine does
not prevent COVID-19. But by
preventing the flu and having
a healthy immune system,
a person will have an easier
time fighting off a COVID-19
infection. The City Department
of Health and Mental Hygiene
has a locator map to help
you find the nearest vaccine
location. There are also outdoor
flu vaccination pop-up events
throughout the city this season.
There are also two other
vaccinations that can keep older
adults healthy: the pneumonia
vaccine and the shingles vaccine.
The CDC recommends all
adults 65 years or older get
a pneumonia vaccine yearly;
some older adults with specific
conditions may require a second
shot at another time. Shingles,
which is caused by the same
virus that causes chicken pox,
produces a painful rash and
blisters that can lead to serious
complications. Adults age 50 and
older need to get 2 doses of the
vaccine, the second dose two to
six months after the first.
This pandemic has lasted
longer than any of us expected.
But we will get through this, by
staying emotionally, mentally
and physically healthy, and by
staying connected.
If you would like to volunteer
for Friendly VOICES, call Aging
Connect at 212-Aging-NYC
(212-244-6469), or fill out an
online volunteer interest form.
Older Adults who wish to join
the program can also call Aging
Connect or fill out an online
participant form.
NYC Department for the
Aging Commissioner
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
New Friendly VOICES program matches volunteers with older
adults to connect on a weekly basis over the phone or video calls
and help relieve social isolation.