N E W S
J U N E 13
N E W S
J U N E 13
L E H A V R E
L E H A V R E
Whitestone Whitestone man man leads leads effort eff to ort rehab
to
rehab local baseball fi elds
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
SMONTEVERDI@QNS.COM / @SMONT76
In his fi rst visit to the Fort Totten Park ballfi elds
in about three decades, Whitestone native Bobby
Gellert was sur-prised to fi nd the lush green spaces
he remembered from his childhood in a state of
decay.
But, among the disrepair, he saw a sign of hope: a
baseball.
“Everything happens for a reason, I believe,” he
told Th e Courier.
Gellert, founder and owner of Whitestone-based
brokerage fi rm Shares of New York, decided this
year to take on a number of “passion projects,”
seeking to eff ect change in his local communities.
Th ough he now lives in Chappaqua with his family,
he decided to start with his for-mer hometown in
Queens.
Remembering growing up playing on the neighborhood’s
Whitestone man leads eff ort to
rehab local local baseball baseball fields
fi elds
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
SMONTEVERDI@QNS.COM / @SMONT76
In his fi rst visit to the Fort Totten Park ballfi elds
in about three decades, Whitestone native Bobby
Gellert was sur-prised to fi nd the lush green spaces
he remembered from his childhood in a state of
decay.
But, among the disrepair, he saw a sign of hope: a
baseball.
“Everything happens for a reason, I believe,” he
told Th e Courier.
Gellert, founder and owner of Whitestone-based
brokerage fi rm Shares of New York, decided this
year to take on a number of “passion projects,”
seeking to eff ect change in his local communities.
Th ough he now lives in Chappaqua with his family,
he decided to start with his for-mer hometown in
Queens.
Remembering growing up playing on the neighborhood’s
WWW.QNS.COM | JUNE 2018 | LEHAVRE COURIER 13
ballfi elds for the DAC Athletic Club, Gellert
sought out the organization in February. He met
current executive director John Zullo, who explained
that baseball participation in northeast Queens has
been in steady decline.
“I explained to him that baseball as he knew it
back in the ’80s no longer exist-ed,” Zullo said. “So
we kind of pivoted from just working to help DAC
baseball to basically revitalizing baseball in this
community.”
“Baseball has been a passion of mine for my entire
life,” Gellert said. “I didn’t know that the local baseball
leagues had deteriorated to the point that they have.”
During their conversation, Gellert and Zullo identifi
ed a place to start: the ball-fi elds. Two fi elds at
Fort Totten were in poor condition — one currently
unusable — and one at Little Bay Park needed attention,
the director said.
“Our hope is by having nice, safe, play-able fi elds
for our kids to play on, that it would rejuvenate the
interest in the sport itself,” Zullo said. “Th ey can get
that feel-ing that they’re playing the sport at a higher
level.”
One of the Fort Totten fi elds were reha-bilitated
at the end of April. Zullo coor-dinated with a fi eld
maintenance compa-ny, Th ree Guys Maintenance,
and Gellert, through Shares of New York, donated
the necessary funds.
Renovations at Little Bay Park will take place
mid-May. Th e second Fort Totten fi eld, which is in
the worst condition of the three, will take the largest
funding commitment.
“Zullo and I are talking about other fi elds and
other facilities we can get involved with to really do
the things that are necessary to bring baseball — the
way that we know it, the way that it should be —
back to Queens,” he said.
Gellert intends to form “Fields of New York,” a
nonprofi t organization through which he and his
company will raise funds to further his mission to
revive baseball in the local community. He hopes to
take his mission up to Westchester — and beyond.
As for the baseball found at Fort Totten Park, he
looks to use it for a ceremoni-al fi rst pitch at each of
the baseball fi elds he sees rehabilitated. He keeps it
close to remind him of his mission: to see a renewed
love for America’s pastime here in Queens.
“It doesn’t have to happen tomorrow or next year,”
Gellert said. “If it happens in my lifetime, that is
fantastic.”
www.qns.com | JUNE 2018 | LEHAVRE COURIER 13
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
SMONTEVERDI@QNS.COM / @SMONT76
In his first visit to the Fort Totten Park ballfields in
about three decades, Whitestone native Bobby Gellert
was surprised to find the lush green spaces he
remembered from his childhood in a state of decay.
But, among the disrepair, he saw a sign of hope: a
baseball.
“Everything happens for a reason, I believe,” he
told The Courier.
Gellert, founder and owner of Whitestone-based
brokerage firm Shares of New York, decided this year
to take on a number of “passion projects,”seeking to
effect change in his local communities.
Though he now lives in Chappaqua with his
family,he decided to start with his former hometown
in Queens.
Remembering growing up playing on the neighborhood’s
ballfields for the DAC Athletic Club, Gellert
sought out the organization in February. He met
current executive director John Zullo, who explained
that baseball participation in northeast Queens has
been in steady decline.
“I explained to him that baseball as he knew it back
in the ’80s no longer existed,” Zullo said. “So we kind
of pivoted from just working to help DAC baseball to
basically revitalizing baseball in this community.”
“Baseball has been a passion of mine for my entire
life,” Gellert said. “I didn’t know that the local baseball
leagues had deteriorated to the point that they
have.”
During their conversation, Gellert and Zullo identified
a place to start: the ball-fields. Two fields at Fort
Totten were in poor condition — one currently unusable
— and one at Little Bay Park needed attention,
the director said.
“Our hope is by having nice, safe, play-able fields
for our kids to play on, that it would rejuvenate the
interest in sport itself,” Zullo said. “They can get
that feeling that they’re playing the sport at a higher
level.”
One of the Fort Totten fields were rehabilitated
at the end of April. Zullo coor-dinated with a field
maintenance compa-ny, Three Guys Maintenance,
and Gellert, through Shares of New York, donated
the necessary funds.
Renovations at Little Bay Park will take place
mid-May. Th e second Fort Totten field, which is in
the worst condition of the three, will take the largest
funding commitment.
“Zullo and I are talking about other fields and
other facilities we can get involved with to really do
the things that are necessary to bring baseball — the
way that we know it, the way that it should be — back
to Queens,” he said.
Gellert intends to form “Fields of New York,” a
nonprofit organization through which he and his company
will raise funds to further his mission to revive
baseball in the local community. He hopes to take his
mission up to Westchester — and beyond.
As for the baseball found at Fort Totten Park, he
looks to use it for a ceremoni-al fi rst pitch at each of
the baseball fi elds he sees rehabilitated. He keeps it
close to remind him of his mission: to see a renewed
love for America’s pastime here in Queens. “It doesn’t
have to happen tomorrow or next year,” Gellert said.
“If it happens in my lifetime, that is fantastic.”
WWW.QNS.COM | JUNE 2018 | LEHAVRE COURIER 13
ballfi elds for the DAC Athletic Club, Gellert
sought out the organization in February. He met
current executive director John Zullo, who explained
that baseball participation in northeast Queens has
been in steady decline.
“I explained to him that baseball as he knew it
back in the ’80s no longer exist-ed,” Zullo said. “So
we kind of pivoted from just working to help DAC
baseball to basically revitalizing baseball in this
community.”
“Baseball has been a passion of mine for my entire
life,” Gellert said. “I didn’t know that the local baseball
leagues had deteriorated to the point that they have.”
During their conversation, Gellert and Zullo identifi
ed a place to start: the ball-fi elds. Two fi elds at
Fort Totten were in poor condition — one currently
unusable — and one at Little Bay Park needed attention,
the director said.
“Our hope is by having nice, safe, play-able fi elds
for our kids to play on, that it would rejuvenate the
interest in the sport itself,” Zullo said. “Th ey can get
that feel-ing that they’re playing the sport at a higher
level.”
One of the Fort Totten fi elds were reha-bilitated
at the end of April. Zullo coor-dinated with a fi eld
maintenance compa-ny, Th ree Guys Maintenance,
and Gellert, through Shares of New York, donated
the necessary funds.
Renovations at Little Bay Park will take place
mid-May. Th e second Fort Totten fi eld, which is in
the worst condition of the three, will take the largest
funding commitment.
“Zullo and I are talking about other fi elds and
other facilities we can get involved with to really do
the things that are necessary to bring baseball — the
way that we know it, the way that it should be —
back to Queens,” he said.
Gellert intends to form “Fields of New York,” a
nonprofi t organization through which he and his
company will raise funds to further his mission to
revive baseball in the local community. He hopes to
take his mission up to Westchester — and beyond.
As for the baseball found at Fort Totten Park, he
looks to use it for a ceremoni-al fi rst pitch at each of
the baseball fi elds he sees rehabilitated. He keeps it
close to remind him of his mission: to see a renewed
love for America’s pastime here in Queens.
“It doesn’t have to happen tomorrow or next year,”
Gellert said. “If it happens in my lifetime, that is
fantastic.”
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