The proposed expansion will extend the boundaries to include
properties along Main Street between Northern Boulevard and
Franklin Avenue. It will also cover additional areas along College
Point Boulevard from 37th Avenue to 41st Road and along Union
Street from 37th Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue.
TIMESLEDGER | 2 QNS.COM | MAY 1-7, 2020
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Although Champions
Martial Arts in Flushing is
temporarily closed amid the
coronavirus pandemic, children
are keeping active and
staying fit at home — online
and free of charge.
Michael Ro, master and
head instructor of Champion
Martial Arts Taekwondo,
has been teaching online
classes for children ages 3 to
12 from Monday through Saturday
on Zoom.
“Staying active and
healthy is very important
during these times. I say,
‘health is wealth.’ Keeping
them active and healthy will
keep them mentally stable
and strong,” Ro said. “The
children need structure and
need the sense of normality
in their daily lives. I believe
that if your mind is healthy,
your body will be healthy as
well.”
Champions Martial Arts
is a large organization with
more than 60 locations, and
together they’re teaching
thousands of students during
the pandemic.
After closing his studio
on March 14, Ro began teaching
online classes on March
16.
At the beginning of the
coronavirus outbreak, Ro
thoroughly cleaned the facility
twice daily, spraying and
wiping down equipment after
each and every class. Every
student also used hand
sanitizer before and after
classes.
“No students who showed
any sign of illness were permitted
into our class. All
parents were encouraged
to wait outside during the
class,” Ro said.
Since Ro began teaching
from home, he has been able
to connect with more than
200 children from local areas
to other states that have been
taking online classes with
Champion Martial Arts.
“It’s an amazing experience!
The children are able to
take 20 minutes out of their
day to get their daily exercise,
learn some fun martial
arts, interact with other
students and instructors,
relieve some stress, while
practicing social distancing
from the convenience of
their homes,” Ro said. “Parents
have been so happy with
our program — they send us
messages and emails thanking
us for doing this for the
community.”
Besides the free martial
arts classes, Champion Martial
Arts also does fun events
for the children as well such
as scavenger hunts and trivia
games, Ro said.
“We hope that other parents,
who have children at
home, take this opportunity
to enroll their children into
this productive martial arts
program and seek all of the
benefits martial arts has to
offer,” Ro said.
Parents can contact any
Champions Martial Arts location
to learn more about
free online classes, or contact
Master Michael Ro by
calling 718-886-5425, or sending
an email to FlushingCTKD@
gmail.com.
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com
or by phone at (718) 260–4526.
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
During its first virtual
meeting, the City Council
on April 22 approved the
downtown Flushing Transit
Hub Business Improvement
District (Flushing BID) proposal
to expand its services
to further enhance quality
of life in the community.
City Councilman Peter
Koo announced the passage
of Intro 1854, which will provide
critical supplemental
services including sanitation,
advocacy, retail and
marketing assistance, traffic
management, pedestrian
safety, and public space
management.
The expansion comes
with an additional $1 million
annual expense budget
for these purposes, as small
business needs in the community
continue to grow due
to the impact of the coronavirus
pandemic.
Tina Lee, co-chair of the
Flushing BID, thanked Koo
for his leadership on the BID
expansion, as well as the
NYC Department of Small
Business Services, its BID
Steering Committee and
the Flushing community for
their support throughout the
expansion process.
“With this expansion, we
are committing to creating
jobs, hiring additional staff
and providing a wider range
of support and marketing services
for our local businesses
at a time when our community
is struggling due to the
coronavirus,” said Lee.
The existing BID covers
Main Street (from Northern
Boulevard to Sanford
Avenue); Roosevelt Avenue
(from Prince Street to Union
Street); 39th Avenue (from
College Point Boulevard
to Main Street); 40th Road
(from Prince Street to Main
Street; and Kissena Boulevard
(from 41st Avenue to
Sanford Avenue).
The proposed expansion
will cover the additional
areas of Main Street (from
Northern Boulevard to
Franklin Avenue); Union
Street (from 37th Avenue to
Roosevelt Avenue); 37th Avenue
(from Main Street to
Union Street); 38th Avenue
(from Main Street to 138th
Street); and 39th Avenue to
Union Street.
While the expansion has
been 10 years in the making,
Koo said it is needed now
more than ever.
“Even before the coronavirus
landed on our shores,
the Flushing business community
Courtesy of City Councilman Peter Koo
was feeling its ill effects
in declining business
and even outright xenophobia,”
Koo said. “After this
crisis is over, we will need
to act quickly to revitalize
those businesses through
marketing and other support
services. By significantly expanding
the footprint of the
downtown Flushing Transit
Hub service area, we will
allow for many more additional
benefits and services
to downtown Flushing.”
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com
or by phone at (718) 260–
4526.
Phoebe Huang, a student at Champions Martial Arts Takewondo
in Flushing, practicing via an online class with Master Michael
Ro. Photo courtesy of Michael Ro
Flushing martial arts center
offers free online classes
City Council approves
expansion of Flushing
BID to further enhance
quality of life in the area
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