FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 16, 2021 • HOLIDAY • THE QUEENS COURIER 43
holiday
Send your wish into the new year in Times Square
BY AIDAN SEIDEN
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
New Yorkers everywhere were
disheartened to ring in the year
2021 with minimal festivities
and an anticlimactic virtual
ball drop because of COVID-
19. Th is year, however, the celebration
will return at “full
strength,” according to a mid-
November statement by outgoing
Mayor Bill de Blasio, and
festivities will include the reintroduction
of Th e Times Square
New Year’s Eve Wishing Wall.
The Wall was officially
unveiled on Dec. 2, along
with new COVID-19 friendly
modifi cations, courtesy of
Th e Times Square Alliance and
Countdown Entertainment,
as well as presenting sponsor
Planet Fitness.
As people ponder their New
Year’s resolutions, Th e Wall
allows visitors from around the
world to be directly involved
in the momentous occasion.
Simply submit your resolution
or “wish,” and it will be copied
onto pieces of confetti and
dropped from the sky at midnight
in Times Square on New
Year’s Eve.
“Submitting a confetti wish
gives everyone the ability
to be part of the magic that
happens on New Year’s Eve
in Times Square,” said Jeff rey
Straus, president of Countdown
Entertainment.
From now until Dec. 28, you
can submit your resolutions at
one of Times Square’s Broadway
plazas between 42nd and 47th
streets, and join the other 3,000
pounds of confetti wishes. Th e
submission area will also be
equipped with hand sanitizer
and face masks in order to
maintain a safe environment,
according to Times Square New
Year’s Eve.
However, if leaving the comfort
of your home is deterring
you from partaking in this spectacular
holiday celebration, you
now have the option of submitting
Photo: Countdown Entertainment
your wishes online at
TSQ.org/Wish or PlanetFitness.
com/confettiwishes, or even on
Twitter and Instagram with the
hashtag #ConfettiWish.
“Th e new year is a time for
people to come together and
look ahead with hope for a better
future,” said Tom Harris,
president of the Times Square
Alliance. Th e spectacle of the
confetti, Harris believes, will
spark “positivity and joy” in
those watching at home or
in person in Times Square,
encouraging these sentiments
to carry over into the new year.
Another addition to the eagerly
awaited, famously frigid, celebration
this year, is that it will
also include a “virtual multimedia
experience” via the VYNE
app, the Times Square New
Year’s Eve team said. Th e event
will be hosted by Jameston, the
owner of One Times Square.
Individuals from everywhere
in the world can access the
VYNE app on their smart devices,
which will allow them to
digitally experience the Times
Square festivities, while also
playing games and watching the
New Year’s Eve events live.
To make up for the scaleddown
celebration from last
year, why not start 2022 off by
becoming part of New York City
history? When the clock strikes
midnight on New Year’s Eve,
your wishes for the upcoming
year will be unleashed into the
cheering streets of Manhattan.
“We will all watch with
amazement as a blizzard of confetti
blankets the sky fi lled with
the hopes and dreams of people
from around the world,” Strauss
said.
Queens organizations team up for children’s toy and coat drive in Glendale
BY BENEDETTA TOMMASELLI
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Th is holiday season, Senator Joseph
Addabbo Jr. is partnering with Angels 4
Autism and the Sacred Heart Food Pantry
for a coat and toy drive to benefi t children
in the Glendale community.
Th e coat and toy drive will run through
Monday, Dec. 20, which will give organizers
time to wrap and display the toys
and coats before Sacred Heart distributes
them to families in need.
Th e organizations will accept any donations
from individuals interested in the
cause. Donations can be dropped directly
to the Sacred Heart Food Pantry, located
at 77-05 84th St. in Glendale by using
the Covenant Yard on 77th Street; to
the Angels 4 Autism offi ce at 71-19 80th
St. located inside Atlas Park Mall or to
Addabbo’s Middle Village Offi ce located
at 66-85 73rd Pl.
“It is disheartening to see a child go
without a coat during the cold winter
months, especially as a parent myself, so I
am proud to be a partner and open up my
offi ce as a drop-off location for this event,”
Addabbo said. “And what could be better
than giving a child a coat for the winter?
Also donating a toy they can play with on
Christmas Day. I have done several food
drives with the Sacred Heart Food Pantry,
and it is an amazing organization with
even better people that help the needy of
the community all year round. I am grateful
that Angels 4 Autism reached out to
my offi ce and off ered me a partnership
in this event and the chance to help some
kids this holiday season.”
Angels 4 Autism is organized by the
United States Speciality Sports Association
(USSSA) with the purpose to raise autism
awareness. To raise awareness within the
communities, Angels 4 Autism hosts a
series of athletic events with the expected
participation exceeding 75,000 players, fans,
coaches, parents, umpires and representatives
from the local autism community in
these locations. Th ey are dedicated in supporting
inclusiveness and fi nancial assistance
to anyone who struggles with autism.
“We have all been through so much
over the last two years, but we still have a
lot to be grateful for,” said Denny Flores of
Angels 4 Autism. “Th is holiday season, we
hope to spread the love and help people
of our communities, especially the children
in need.”
Th e Sacred Heart Church in Glendale
established the Sacred Heart Food Pantry
in 1992 as a resource for parishioners
and residents of the community to supplement
much needed food items for
families who need assistance. Th e pantry
is primarily stocked by donations of
Photo via Getty Images
non-perishable food items donated by
families, individuals, schools and local
companies and corporations.
/Wish
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