18 The Queens Courier • may 16, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com THE COURIER/Photo by Melissa Chan Evgenia Soldatos is raising money to make handmade superhero capes for St. Mary’s Hospital for Children. CAPED CRUSADER Bellerose woman helps sick St. Mary’s kids BY MELISA CHAN [email protected] A Bellerose law student is crusading to turn sick kids into superheroes, one cape at a time. Evgenia Soldatos, 23, has started a campaign to give handmade superhero capes to the nearly 100 patients at St. Mary’s Hospital for Children. “I hope it’ll bring them a sense of empowerment,” Soldatos said. “They’ll have a superhero mentality that they’re indestructible.” St. Mary’s serves special needs, critically ill and injured children who battle complex and life-threatening medical conditions. “They can fight whatever comes their way,” said Soldatos. “They’re going to feel like they have a shield around them, like nothing can hurt them at all.” The campaign, called “Capes for Kidz,” has raised $500 so far. However, Soldatos said she needs $5,000 to complete her mission. It was inspired by Seattle mom Robyn Rosenberger, who sews superhero capes for children living with disabilities or serious illnesses, and a rambunctious boy called Jayden. Soldatos said Jayden lit up St. Mary’s by “zooming around the lobby” every day in his red Spider-Man costume up until he passed away about five years ago. “I felt like that was what was keeping him going,” said Soldatos, a former St. Mary’s volunteer and receptionist. “That’s what brought him happiness in the short life he had. I know he is now the best-dressed angel in heaven.” Jayden would get bothered, Soldatos said, when people asked him why he was wearing the costume. He would say he was there to save the world, she said. “These kids don’t know they’re sick,” Soldatos said. “I hope this is just going to make them feel that way even more. For the most part, I want happiness to help them fight the disease.” To donate, visit www.youcaring. com/capesforkidz. TAKING BACK THE TITLE Francis Lewis High School drill team wins nationals BY MELISA CHAN [email protected] A Queens drill team left high and dry in September has taken back the national title. Francis Lewis High School’s unarmed team earned an almost perfect score May 6 at the 31st annual National High School Drill Team Championships in Daytona Beach, Florida. “It brings tears to my eyes thinking back to how hard they worked,” said their coach, retired Sgt. 1st Class Helen Batts. “Their dedication, loyalty and hard work—they poured their hearts into it.” The annual competition drew more than 50 schools nationwide. Francis Lewis last sat at the top in 2009. But with six outgoing senior spots to fill, the team took a blow in the fall when four seasoned drillers left and new members began to drop like flies. “The team was actually suffering,” Batts said. “In September, I did not see a very productive future for them.” Leaders put their hopes into a batch of bright-eyed rookies. Four freshmen had less than six months to learn and perfect multiple routines and memorize page after page of military facts. “I looked at them and saw their strength,” Batts recalled. “I said, ‘You are the four.’ They said to me, ‘We’ll be ready next year.’ I said, ‘No, ma’am. You’re going to bring it this year.’ It just took off from there.” The freshmen found themselves part of a historical victory. A Francis Lewis team had never before landed a national title with that many new members, Batts said. Co-captain Jasmine Fung said she was fearful at first, but put her effort into training the freshmen. “We pushed them the hardest, up until the point where they started crying,” she said. “But they really pulled it off. I’m so proud of them.” Freshman competitor Christi Mahilum said the four fledglings were skyrocketed to a higher standard. “We were about to give up somewhere in the middle,” said Mahilum, 15. “But it was worth it.” News of the triumph came as a shock to the now reigning champs, who placed sixth—their lowest rank in years—at a competition in Kentucky last month. “It was a wake-up call for us to get into shape,” said Fung, 17. “It was like, ‘Hey. It’s time to get your act together.’” The team regularly clocked 26 hours of practice in a week, including six hours on Saturday. They forced themselves to come in one hour before school each day, Fung said. Their hunger for a top trophy was satisfied. The Patriot Pride took home the gold by six points. “I think that the freshmen didn’t pull it off alone,” said freshman Ashley Chan. “But it feels good to be recognized because we were the underdogs of the team.” Mahilum, now an experienced driller, said she’s excited to finally take a breath—until next season. “It feels really good to have helped the team get to where we are now,” she said. Photo Courtesy of Patriot Pride Francis Lewis High School’s unarmed drill team has taken back the national title.
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