14 The Queens Courier •JANUARY 3, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com persons of the year s GIVING ‘HELPING HANDS’ bY Maggie HaYes [email protected] When Sandy left thousands of people displaced, York College in Jamaica acted as one of the biggest shelters following the storm. Hundreds of York stu- dents lent a helping hand, and then some. “We started to realize that there is power in num- bers,” said Daniele Fallon, an occupational therapy (OT) student who worked with evacuees. Photo Courtesy York College And the numbers grew. Roughly 130 students York College students collected donations for the many evacuees that were displaced after Sandy. from the OT department, and many more from dif- The OT department collected funds reaching a “fun room” for the kids where they had movies ferent campus organizations, alumni and surround- over $1,000 and used the money to purchase new playing around the clock and, for a few hours each ing schools, worked around the clock with storm jackets, toiletries and anything else that their guests day, other activities such as face painting. victims for two straight weeks. They were provided needed. After York’s two-week stint as home for over food, clothes and most importantly, shelter. “We were trying to tap into the unmet needs of 1,000 evacuees, students continued to work to pro- Dr. Jean Phelps, director of student activities, individual people,” said Fallon. vide for those who lost everything. They continued oversaw a lot of the work that was being done, York’s “Helping Hands” club collected items to collect donations, both goods and money, and including an extensive collection of donations and for evacuees, and also for York students that were personally delivered them to the Rockaways. caring for displaced children. affected by the storm. The Seek Student Society “Boxes just kept coming in,” said Fallon. “It’s Phelps recalled how one evacuee told her, “You also assisted in collecting and distributing items, always nice to see that there are people just willing could feel the care at York, you could feel the along with donating a significant amount of their to jump in and help.” love. Everybody treated you with such dignity and time. “I have a feeling that people will remember this respect.” With Sandy hitting just before Halloween, the stu- experience,” she added. “The next disaster that “The students really went the extra mile,” said dents organized a party for the kids, complete with strikes within our community, you can see that it Phelps. costumes and trick-or-treating. They also created just takes a few people to get the ball rolling.” DYLAN SMITH CREST FALLEN: THE HERO SURFER WHO TRAGICALLY LOST HIS LIFE bY Maggie HaYes mitted some of his images to Dowd, and the [email protected] two were talking about putting them onto T-shirts to sell. Dylan Smith saved the lives of six people During the summers, Smith was a life- during Sandy using just his surfboard, but guard in Rockaway, and spent as much time tragically lost his own life just months later as he could on the beach. He was a very while on the water. “solid” part of the neighborhood, according On the night of Monday, October 29, to Dowd, and was always very outgoing and Smith, 23, heroically paddled through the willing to lend a helping hand. floodwaters into his neighbors’ homes in “He’d go out of his way for people,” Belle Harbor, and, using a homemade rope said Dowd. “He was a really big-hearted, bridge along with his surfboard, moved good kid.” people to safety. However, Smith was found When summers subsided and winters set- floating near his surfboard in the waters of tled in, Smith would fly south to spend time Puerto Rico on Sunday, December 23, in Rincon, Puerto Rico. FDNY Chief Michael police told NBC New York. A local surfer Light, a family friend who knew Smith his rushed him to shore, but he could not be whole life, told the Daily News that Smith went resuscitated. to the popular surfing spot on Maria’s Beach to “It’s such a sad loss,” said Jimmy Dowd. “unwind” and “blow off some steam.” Photo Courtesy “You’ve got this great kid that does the right On the night of the storm, the young surf- thing for everyone, going through his life, er acted with longtime neighbor, Michael and he just gets taken like that.” McDonnell. The pair rescued their Beach “He was just that all-around, neighbor- 130th Street neighbors not only from the hood American boy,” he added. “He was a rising flood, but also from widespread real zest-for-life kind of kid.” house fires, according to multiple media Dowd, who owns a clothing company in reports. the Rockaways, recalled that Smith really Following Sandy, both Smith and enjoyed drawing and sketching, saying he McDonnell were named two of People was “good with the pencil.” Smith had sub- magazine’s 2012 Heroes of the Year.
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