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FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com APRIL 3, 2014 • buzz • THE QUEENS COURIER 67 Send us your announcements & pictures to: The Queens Courier c/o making a buzz: 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 • editorial@queenscourier.com subject: making a buzz s people making a buzz GENEROUS DONATION Life’s WORC, a non-profit organization that serves individuals with developmental disabilities or autism, got a much-needed $2,000 boost to its scholarship fund last week, thanks to Christie and Co. Salon & Spa. The money was raised during Christie and Co.’s first annual “Beauty Changes Lives” event, hosted by Lois Christie, the salon’s president and owner, and The Queens Courier CEO and publisher Victoria Schneps. “Everybody loves makeovers,” Christie said. “Beauty changes lives. We thought the connection between the two was a natural synergy.” The generous donation will support Life’s WORC’s scholarship fund to help underwrite service costs for economically challenged families in Queens and Long Island. This fall, Life’s WORC will open its new facility, The Family Center for Autism. The private, non-profit affiliate of Life’s WORC will offer 60 programs and familycentric services for hundreds of families under one roof. “There’s such a need for it, it’s scary,” said Matthew Zebatto, assistant executive director of development and public affairs for Life’s WORC. To raise the funds, Christie and her team of make-up artists, hairdressers and nail technicians donated their time and talents on March 18 to treat more than 85 women to makeovers. The benefactors plan to generate even more money next year. “Next year, we will raise $10,000,” Christie said. HONORS & AWARDS Gregory Floyd, president of Teamsters Local 237, a union of 24,000 New York City and Long Island public employees, was honored by The American Friends of the Yitzhak Rabin Center with the 2014 Yitzhak Rabin Leadership and Public Service Award. James P. Hoffa, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and honorary dinner chairman, presented the award to Floyd at a reception held in The Museum of the Moving Image. Among the more than 200 guests were Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Public Advocate Letitia James, former U.S. Sen. Alphonse D’Amato and U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel. “In Israel I saw first-hand the struggles of average Israelis trying to keep the Middle East’s sole bastion of democracy safe,” Floyd said in his remarks. “… AFYRC and peace in Israel are intertwined. Your support goes a long way toward keeping the Yitzhak Rabin Center a place for conversation, education and understanding. These are the ingredients that keep the hope for peace and the promise for democracy alive.” CONGRATS, QUEENS WHIZ Queens College neuroscience major Lauren Blachorsky of Flushing has been awarded the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the nation’s premier award for undergraduates majoring in math, science and engineering. Blachorsky, a Macaulay Honors College student who researches the cognitive and neural effects of mold exposure on mice, will use the funds to cover the cost of tuition, room and board, fees and books up to a maximum of $7,500 per year. The New Jersey native will graduate next year. “This award is invaluable in motivating me to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience,” she said. AUTISM CENTER NAMES LEADER Brian Walsh is giving up a lucrative banking career to take over as president of The Family Center For Autism, Life’s WORC’s new 10,000-square-foot facility at 1517 Franklin Ave. in Garden City. “I am inspired by this extraordinary opportunity to lead a brand new organization,” he said. “Hopefully I can make a difference in the lives of many people with autism and their families.” Walsh has been a tireless supporter of many charitable organizations, including Life’s WORC, the Flushing/Bayside YMCA, the Long Island City Business Development Organization and the Family & Children’s Association (formerly Children’s House). The Family Center For Autism is an affiliate of Life’s WORC, which was founded by Victoria Schneps, founder, publisher and CEO of The Queens Courier. Life’s WORC currently serves approximately 400 families who have a child or children with autism. With the opening of The Family Center, Life’s WORC can expand its programs to serve an additional 1,200 families. NEW JOB Michelle A. McSweeney, an elder law and estate planning attorney, has joined Genser Dubow Genser & Cona in Melville as an associate attorney.  The 38-year-old from Flushing focuses on estate administration, probate, estate planning, fiduciary accountings and wrongful death compromises. “I always wanted to be an attorney and, after working in elder law for a few years, I realized how much I enjoyed helping seniors who have fountains of information and interesting stories,” McSweeney said.


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