40 The QUEE NS Courier • business • october 17, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com ▶business Vallo Transportation Heightens Anti-Bullying Awareness Vallo Transportation, an independent school bus company located in Whitestone, has taken extra measures to create awareness of its new No Bullying Zone initiative to emphasize that the company takes bullying seriously and wants to be part of the solution to stop this negative behavior. This campaign helps to reinforce the importance of how all members of the community can work together and help create a positive experience for students during this school year. “I applaud Vallo Transportation for focusing its efforts on combating bullying in our schools,” said Councilmember Mark Weprin. A major component of this important and timely initiative is employee training. All Vallo Transportation employees will participate in an extensive training session that outlines how to recognize bullying behavior, how to properly intervene, and how to create a supportive school bus climate. “As a bus company that interacts daily with the community and students, we have taken steps to elevate anti-bullying awareness and promote a bullyfree zone on our buses. It’s important that students feel safe when traveling with us, and this campaign ensures our drivers are equipped with extensive knowledge on recognizing bullying and how to properly report it and intervene when necessary,” said Linda DeSabato, President, Vallo Transportation Ltd. As part of this initiative, parents were provided with anti-bullying information, including how to recognize the warning signs, the effects of bullying and where to go for help. Students were also asked to make a pledge to respect each other, to refrain from bullying behavior and speak up to help a classmate if he or she is being bullied. “Safety is the cornerstone of our operation, so we felt it was important to share essential bullying information with the families we serve on this trending topic. Bookmarks featuring anti-bullying information will be distributed to students, and parents received helpful tips and resources. By elevating awareness of this topic and educating parents, students and our employees, our hope is that together we can all become part of the solution and help stop this negative behavior,” added DeSabato. More information about Vallo Transportation’s anti-bullying initiative and resources can be found on their website at www.ValloTransportation.com. THE COURIER/ Photos by Angy Altamirano Queens Center Mall hosted its first “CultureArte,” a two-day Hispanic Heritage Month celebration filled with music, dance, and fashion. Queens Center celebrates Latin culture BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] Visitors to Queens Center Mall this past weekend took a cultural trip to South America. Queens Center, located on Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst, hosted the inaugural weekend of “CultureArte,” a two-day Hispanic Heritage Month celebration that brought together the unique culture, music, fashion and dances of various Hispanic communities. “This is a great way to give back to this portion of the community,” said Kurt Ivey, vice president of marketing for Macerich, the company that owns the mall. “This event specifically is a celebration of all Latin culture.” The event, which took place on Saturday, October 12 and Sunday, October 13 and was free to the public, had a main stage on the second level of the mall and the food court. During the two-day celebration, visitors got to see performances by groups like the Argentine Tango Academy, the Ecuadorian group called Ayazamana Cultural Center and Inti Andino, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, America Bolero Dance Company and other groups that danced bachata, merengue and reggeaton. “To me New York is a perfect representation of all that exists in the world coming together,” said Michael Nadtochi, instructor and founder of the Argentine Tango Academy. “Hopefully people get inspired and want to learn the beauty of the Argentine tango.” The weekend also featured live dance performances by “Dancing with the Stars” renowned dancers Yesenia Adame and Rodrigo Guzman who choreographed a combination of different Latin dances into one set. The duo also selected some audience members to come up and try some of the dance moves. “I’m Latina and very proud of it,” said Adame, who is Mexican-American. “I’m very proud of my Latin culture because it’s such a beautiful culture.” Along with the performances, visitors were also able to see a fashion show with trends they can find right in the mall, get their own front cover shot with Vanidades, the Spanish-language fashion magazine for women, and enter to win a trip for two to Las Vegas. “It’s just wonderful coming to see my culture being honored and celebrated at an event like this,” said Catalina Dolores from Jackson Heights. “I just can’t stop wanting to get up and dance.”
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