40 THE QUEENS COURIER • KIDS & EDUCATION • SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
kids & education
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Bayside nonprofi t works to make dreams come true
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
A new Bayside-based nonprofi t organization
is committed to making possible
the impossible.
President Katie Capitulo founded the
Fairy Godmother Foundation of New
York, which works to grant quality-of-life
experiences to individuals living with
medical, physical, mental health or developmental
disabilities, earlier this year.
“I have experience working with children
that have complicated illnesses,
and what I found was that they they
didn’t have the opportunity to have quality
of-life experiences like other kids,”
Capitulo said. “We can make dreams
come true.”
A remarkable young woman named
Linda Shohatee left an indelible mark
on the nonprofi t founder. Born with a
life-threatening illness that required her
to wear an I.V. 18 hours a day and spend
half her life in hospitals, Shohatee had an
incredible zest for life.
“She was a very tenacious young woman
who wanted to enjoy life, despite her challenges.
And she advocated for other children,
as well,” she said.
In working with various community
leaders and institutions, Capitulo was able
to secure a series of unforgettable experiences
for the young woman, including a
Sweet 15 birthday at Flushing’s Terrace
on the Park and a dance performance
at Lincoln Center with Bayside group,
Dancing Dreams. Th e fashionista was also
a regular at Bayside’s Christie & Co. Salon
& Spa, where she would frequently get fun
makeovers.
Sadly, aft er a hard-fought battle,
Shohatee passed away in 2016 at the age
of 19.
“It made a huge diff erence in her life to
have those experiences,” Capitulo said.
“When she passed away, we decided to do
this for other children.”
Made up of a combination of physicians,
nurses, teachers, social workers
and media experts, the Fairy Godmother
Foundation’s board is working to do
just that. Th ough only established as a
nonprofi t in April, the organization has
already made one dream come true. Aft er
recently undergoing a bone transplant,
a young boy was granted his wish to see
a ballgame at Citi Field. Th e tickets were
donated by a member of the board.
In an eff ort to make more dreams
come true, the organization will hold its
fi rst major fundraising event in October.
Th e inaugural Linda Shohatee Memorial
Costume Ball and Fundraising Gala will
take place at Terrace on the Park on Oct.
13. Guests are encouraged to attend the
fun event in costume and can enjoy live
music, dancing, wand making and photo
booths and an open bar.
Christie & Co. Salon’s Lois Christie,
Allison Schlanger and Alison Berna, and
Dolly Coleman will also be recognized at
the event and receive awards for their outstanding
work and achievements in the
community.
“We want to get out the word that,
despite their challenges, people can still
have quality-of-life experiences and seek
an education and better themselves,”
Capitulo said.
Th ose interested in making candidate
referrals or who have resources or connections
that would help the organization
grant wishes can reach out via email
at infoatnyfairygodmother.org or phone
at 718-490-2322.
Tickets for the gala can be purchased by
visiting www.nyfairygodmother.org/gala.
Photos courtesy of Katie Capitulo
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