Bayside Little League president honored for service
BY MICHAEL RIZZO
For Robert Reid, president
of the Bayside Little League
baseball organization,
community service to young
people seems to be part of his
DNA. It was also why he was
one of four persons selected as
a Chairman’s Honoree at the
Josephine Foundation Follow
Your Dreams dinner on June
21 at the Crest Hollow Country
Club in Woodbury, New York.
“I was humbled and
completely surprised,” said
Reid, who goes by Bob, about
receiving the honor.
Reid was cited for his
many years of leading the
hundreds of youngsters in the
Little League.
However, Foundation
Chairman Andrew Koslosky
said in choosing to honor
Reid, he noted something
else when the former NYPD
Detective provided the
Westbury based charity with
VIRTUS training.
“I knew Bob through his
son Jonathan, who is on our
Board of Directors,” Koslosky
said. “But when I saw Bob’s
passion for VIRTUS, it takes
a special kind of person for
that. What he’s doing to help
and safeguard kids, you have
to have it your heart and
he does.”
VIRTUS is used by
organizations that interact
with the Catholic Church
to help prevent wrongdoing
against children and Reid is a
certified trainer.
Reid is also a member of
the Northeast Bayside Civic
Association Board and active
in Our Lady of the Blessed
Sacrament Church as the chair
of the Marketing Committee
for the parish’s academy.
He previously ran the youth
program at St. Bartholomew’s
parish in Elmhurst.
The Josephine Foundation
provides grants to groups
that work in arts and sports
activities producing plays
and other events involving
children and young adults. The
organization said it has given
away more than $4 million in
grants since its awards dinner
began 17 years ago.
“A community is only as
strong as the people involved
in it. I wouldn’t know what to
do if I wasn’t doing this,” Reid
Robert Reid, left, President of the Bayside Little League, receives
Chairman’s Award at the Josephine Foundation’s 2019 Follow Your
Dreams Dinner on June 21 for his community service.
Photo by Michael Rizzo
said about his volunteer work.
He and his family have lived
in Bayside since 1978. The 69-
year-old retired in 2008 after
34 years in the NYPD. He’s
been president of the Little
League since 1991.
His participation with
the baseball group is not just
helping children play and learn
the game. He mentioned how
he organized Little Leaguers
to clean up Crocheron Park
and the League holds events
that benefit other local
organizations like St. Mary’s
Hospital for Children in Bay
Terrace. He also submitted
grant applications to the
Josephine Foundation this
year and obtained $500
for programs at Blessed
Sacrament and $1,000 for the
Little League.
“Baseball is America’s
pastime,” Reid said. “We try
to keep it alive by having kids
play it and I hope it keeps kids
alive and healthy by being
active in it.”
Reid’s longtime friend
and fellow Bayside resident
Jim Stanton was among the
more than 300 attendees at
the dinner. The former school
principal in Rosedale said
Reid’s recognition was no
surprise to him.
“He’s always been involved
in so many things for the
community,” he said. “From
doing things at schools or when
he was with the police and he
was Santa at Christmas.”
Besides the award from the
Foundation, Reid also received
certificates of recognition from
the New York City Council
and Congresswoman Grace
Ming. In introducing all the
honorees, Koslosky said they
exemplify not only the spirit
of the Foundation but they
serve “God and his people” by
their service.
For Reid, that was
an invitation.
“I feel like I should go out
and do more,” he said.
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20 TIMESLEDGER, JUNE 28, 2019 QNS.COM
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