4 THE QUEENS COURIER • OCTOBER 7, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Mets alumni reunite to celebrate nonprofi t dedicated to 9/11 families
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Tuesday’s Children, the organization
dedicated to 9/11 family members and
communities impacted by terrorism, military
Photo
by Sean
Zanni/
Patrick
McMullan via Getty
Images
Mr. Met attends
Tuesday’s
Children
Celebrating 20
Years of Service
at Citi Field on
Sept. 23, 2021,
in New York
City.
Photo by Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Bobby Valentine, Edgardo Alfonzo, John Franco
and Todd Zeile attend Tuesday’s Children
Celebrating 20 Years of Service on Sept. 23,
2021, at Citi Field in New York City.
Fire engulfs vacant home in South Richmond Hill
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
aacevedo@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
A vacant two-story building went up in
fl ames in South Richmond Hill on the night
of Wednesday, Sept. 29.
Th e fi re began at the back of house, which
is located at 105-04 133 St., at about 10:48
p.m. and quickly became a two-alarm fi re,
according to FDNY offi cials.
Th e fi rst arriving units encountered heavy
fi re, and were hampered by a heavy clutter,
smoke and fi re conditions throughout
the house.
Battalion chiefs at the scene evaluated all
fi re department personnel operating at the
building aft er the stairs on the second fl oor
began to collapse.
Th e fi refi ghters then began extinguishing
the fi re from the outside. Firefi ghters used
three hose lines and a tower ladder to bring
the fi re under control in an about an hour
and 20 minutes, according to FDNY.
Th e fi re was offi cially placed under control
at about 12 a.m. on Th ursday, Sept. 30. No
injuries were reported, according to FDNY
offi cials.
Th e cause of the fi re has not yet been
determined.
A nearby resident said it wasn’t the fi rst
time there was a fi re at the location, saying
there was another fi re there “a few years” ago.
Najari Sigh, another nearby resident, said
the conditions of the vacant house “are
basically unlivable.”
Another resident at the scene was screaming
at an alleged squatter to “get out of the
neighborhood.”
Additional reporting by Lloyd Mitchell.
confl ict, and mass violence, honored
the New York Mets, a long-standing partner
of the nonprofi t, at their 20th Annual
Gala at Citi Field last week.
To mark their two decades of service,
Tuesday’s Children reunited Mets alumni
including manager Bobby Valentine,
Edgardo Alfonzo, John Franco, Al Leiter
and Todd Ziele with 9/11 family members,
General Stanley McChrystal — who
joined virtually and is the founder of
the McChrystal Group — and Grammynominated
singer Deitrick Hadden, who
sang the national anthem.
Th e gala celebration featured live entertainment
and a live auction with signed
sports memorabilia, private tours by the
Mets alum, dinner with Bobby Valentine,
and tickets to the 2022 MLB All-Star Game.
“We are honored to mark our 20th year
of service to family members and communities
since Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001,”
Tuesday’s Children Executive Director
Terry Sears said. “Of over the 350 nonprofi
ts that were established aft er 9/11,
Tuesday’s Children had the specifi c mission
to focus on the 3,000+ children left
without a parent. Ever since our inception
over two decades ago, we have expanded
our mission to provide the same platform
of proven programs and services that we
delivered to the 9/11 community to thousands
of post-9/11 Military Families of the
Fallen, who have suff ered losses as a ripple
eff ect of the 9/11 tragedy.”
Valentine will always be remembered
for the tireless work he and his players did
turning the parking lot at Shea Stadium
into an emergency distribution hub for
9/11 relief.
Valentine recounted the historic Sept.
21, 2001, Mets game against the Atlanta
Braves, the fi rst home game aft er 9/11 that
was “bigger than baseball” and made even
more memorable by Mets Hall of Famer
Mike Piazza’s game-winning home run.
“It was about bringing everyone together
to help us heal. It was like putting
a small bandage on a large
wound,” Valentine
said. “We promised
that night to
be there for the children
of those who lost
loved ones on 9/11.
Twenty years later, we
will never forget and will
always be there for you. I
am so proud that the 2001
Mets players have continued
to stand with Tuesday’s Children
and help others who have been
impacted by terrorism.”
Marking its 20th year of dedicated
service, Tuesday’s Children has provided
long-term healing and resiliencebuilding
support to over 42,000 people
impacted by terrorism, military confl ict
and mass violence, including supportive
services to build resilience in 3,051 children
who lost a parent on 9/11; thousands
of 9/11 responder families; more
than 37,000 families grieving the death of
post-9/11 military service members; more
than 6,000 youth served through their
Career Resource Center; and more than
900 young adults from 34 countries with
Project Common Bond.
“Our role is to provide services to those
impacted and to build a sense of community
whether it’s through mentorship
or leadership programs, career services
or even fun events to sports games,
Broadway and beyond,” Sears said. “We
are a soft -landing place for these families
and the kids continue to be a beacon of
hope for all of us.”
For more information or to make a
donation, visit the organization’s website,
tuesdayschildren.org
Firefi ghters were removed from the building over concern it may collapse.
Photos by Lloyd Mitchell
A vacant house at 105-06 133rd St. caught fi re for a second time.
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