72 The Queens Courier • buzz • FEBRUARY 19, 2015 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com victoria’s secrets VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS [email protected] tweet me @vschneps Geraldo still smiling with his wife Erica as he walked the red carpet during the “Celebrity Apprentice” after-party Dynamic $1000 off Lumineers $500 off Invisalign DENTAL WORK Free Whitening included the inViSiBle WAy to Some excluSionS Apply StrAighten teeth third generation dentist 175-15 Jamaica avenue, Jamaica 718-297-4100 • 718-297-4106 And the winner is ... It’s been a great ride on “Celebrity Apprentice” for the organization I founded over 40 years ago thanks to Geraldo Rivera appearing on the show. All his winnings — and that’s almost $1 million — will enable Life’s WORC to bring services to children in the autism spectrum. The organization gambled and bought and renovated a building to be able to run respite, evening and weekend classes for children and their families, but there is no state funding. Now many more scholarships can be made available and many more people can be served. Who would figure a TV show could do that! The final episode made it all the more exciting with celebrations on top of celebrations. And justly so! It was an exciting evening as I took my reserved seat in the spacious studio, waiting over an hour for the live show that would determine if Geraldo or Leeza Gibbons was the winner. It was to add to the money they both had raised and we could have gotten another $250,000 for Life’s WORC. With each passing minute I saw the tide turning to Leeza. I met her at the fundraising event held months ago. And yes, she is as lovely and beautiful as she appeared on TV! When they showed the video of the visit I had with Geraldo to our family center for autism it again brought tears to my eyes. What my darling Lara had wrought from her time on Earth. Geraldo was moved to tears as he described his feelings about his journey with Life’s WORC and all that has been accomplished with his help for people with disabilities. I held my breath as Donald Trump revealed his final choice, naming Leeza the winner. He never said to Geraldo, “You’re fired!” which was good. Sadly my heart deflated, but his 9-year-old daughter Sol, sitting behind me, cried hysterically! I turned around and said, “Your dad is a winner! He won enough money to help hundreds of children.” She slowly calmed down, but I knew how she felt! For me Geraldo will always be a winner and my hero! Donald Trump joining Geraldo Rivera, his wife Erica and their family Life’s WORC board member Mark Salah Morgan, Victoria Schneps, Donald Trump, Life’s WORC CEO Janet Koch and board member Rick Del Mastro at Monday night’s finale of “Celebrity Apprentice” York College Development Director Mondell Sealy, Dennis Roman and Valerie Goldstein Erica Rivera and daughter, Sol Janet Koch, CEO of Life’s WORC “Celebrity Apprentice” contestants on stage for the finale
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