C RY D E R
P O I N T
JANUARY 16
16 CRYDER POINT COURIER | JANUARY 2018 | WWW.QUEENSCOURIER.COM
~~~QOL Corner~~~
~~ ~ ~
January, 2018
Quality of Life Committee meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month.
6:45pm in the 01 Community Room.
All are invited!
***Next QOL meeting: Tuesday, January 16***
************************************
v Cryder Point Coat Drive: January, 2018
v Yoga: Tuesdays, 7:30pm, 01 Community Room
v Meditation: Mondays, 7:00pm, 21 Small Community Room
Have an idea for an event? Email: Eileen Annechino at eannechino@cryderpoint.com
Queens seniors can now get free
transportation to medical appointments
A BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI northeast Queens lawmaker’s
initiative giving seniors free
access to transportation has expanded.
Councilman Paul Vallone and Selfhelp
Community Services announced that
their transportation program — which
was previously only offered to seniors in
northeast Queens — will open up to seniors
across the borough. The program
will officially launch on Jan. 2.
In the new year, seniors throughout
Queens can call the Clearview Senior
Center at 718-224-7888 from 9 a.m. to
noon to schedule their rides to and from
medical appointments. Rides are limited
to two long distance or four local trips a
month per person.
The expansion was made possible by a
$10,000 grant awarded to Selfhelp Community
Services by the City Council’s
Queens Delegation. The program will
conclude at the end of the grant funding.
The transportation program first
launched in northeast Queens with a pilot
in April, followed by a full launch in November.
Funded by Vallone, it allowed
seniors living in the 19th City Council
District, which covers sections of Flushing,
Whitestone, College Point, Douglaston
and Bayside, to schedule rides to and from
medical appointments through the Bayside
Selfhelp Clearview Senior Center.
Queens seniors face a lack of affordable
and reliable transportation options, the
councilman noted.
“When I launched this program I hoped
that it would grow and expand beyond
just northeast Queens, and now that is
starting to become a reality,” Vallone said.
“Seniors in our city, many of who live
on fixed incomes, are already faced with
enough hardships such as rising property
taxes, costs of living and stagnant funding
for critical services. The last thing they
should have to worry about is how they’re
going to get to the doctor.”
Selfhelp, in partnership with Vallone,
also recently secured a $15,000 grant to
expand the Virtual Senior Center (VSC)
to the entire borough. The program allows
home-bound older adults to connect with
the larger community using technology.
Seniors can take interactive, real-time
classes in topics ranging from art history
to weight training. Over 40 classes are typically
offered per week in English, Mandarin,
Korean, and Russian.
Find out if you or someone you know is
eligible for VCS by calling 718-559-4460.
“Continued support from government
is key to enabling older New Yorkers to
stay connected to the communities they
call home,” said Sandy Myers, vice president
of external relations and communications
for Selfhelp Community Services.
“Our transportation program, in partnership
with Four Two’s, will help address
one of the most significant challenges
faced by older residents of Queens: the
lack of accessible and reliable transportation
in parts of our city.”
Photo by Suzanne Monteverdi/QNS
