54 THE QUEENS COURIER • HOLIDAY GUIDE • DECEMBER 19, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
holiday guide
Bayside dentist and two dozen others provide free
services for local veterans this holiday season
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com
@jenna_bagcal
A Bayside dental practice along with
two dozen others across the city and Long
Island recently provided free dental services
to local veterans.
Monday, Dec. 9, marked the fi rst ever
NYC Dentists Give Back Day, led by Dr.
Bernard Fialkoff , in collaboration with the
Mayor’s Offi ce Department of Veterans’
Services. Twenty-fi ve dentists from 24
practices, part of the newly formed NYC
Dentists Give Back Group, performed
free dental cleanings and exams for the
holidays.
In 1962, Fialkoff emigrated from Cuba
to the United States and recognized the
sacrifi ces veterans made to safeguard the
country. He added that many veterans go
without dental care and live with pain and
suff ering associated with a lack of care.
“Only 8 percent of all U.S. veterans get
care from the VA and worse yet, U.S. veterans
account for 12 percent of the homeless
population in the U.S. Many veterans
are unable to receive dental treatment
from the Veterans Administration
because of strict inclusion criteria. I consider
it my duty to give back to this great
country,” said Fialkoff .
Th e following is a list of dentists who
participated in NYC Dentists Give Back
Day:
• Dr. Fernando Cordero – 341 Saint
Nicholas Ave., Ridgewood
• Dr. Keith Chang – 38-09 Union St.,
Flushing
• Dr. Edward Portnoy – 39-12 215th St.,
Bayside
• Dr. Bernard Fialkoff – 56-03 214th St.,
Bayside
• Dr. Brigette Morales – 1432 Central
Ave., Far Rockaway
• Dr. Maria Acebo – 99-04 57th Ave.,
Corona
• Dr. Joseph Alerte and Dr. Blanca Borboa
– 218-54 99th Ave., Queens Village
• Dr. Hector Bernabe – 1916 Grand
Concourse #1A, Bronx
• Dr. Robert Bruno – 68-03 41st Ave.,
Metro Area Veteran Director Johnnie Williams, Terri Ham, veterans advocate, retired Harlem Globetrotter Bobby Hunter; BOTTOM ROW (L-R): Metro Area
Veteran Director Manuel Rodriguez, Dr. Fernando Cordero’s assistant, Dr. Fernando Cordero, a participating dentist in the Give Back Day, Dr. Fernando
Cordero’s assist, Director of NYC Dentists Give Back Day Dr. Bernard Fialkoff and a veteran.
Woodside
• Dr. Ben Cohen – 85-15 Main St.,
Briarwood
• Dr. Delfi na Colon – 664 Academy Ave.,
Manhattan
• Dr. Robert Cukier – 76-01 Myrtle Ave.,
Glendale
• Dr. Melanie Englese – 30 Central Park S
Suite 10D, Manhattan
• Dr. Hanette Gomez – 9605 40th Road,
Corona
• Dr. David Issacs – 143 Mineola Ave.,
Roslyn Heights
• Dr. Jorge Gomez – 9605 40th Road,
Corona
• Dr. Gopal Kalyanaraman – 361 Eastern
Pkwy., Brooklyn
• Dr. Natalya Karpman – 121 E 60th St.
Suite 5A, Manhattan
• Dr. David Lewis – 6711 75th St., Middle
Village
• Dr. Suzanne Rubenstein – 85-09 151st
Ave. Suite #LL, Howard Beach
• Dr. Alan Schwartz – 7805 141st St. Kew
Gardens Hills
• Dr. Genaro Taveras – 2002 Grand Ave.,
Bronx
• Dr. Maria Torres – 78-11 35th Ave. 1e,
Jackson Heights
• Dr. Robert Trager _ 14 S Service Road,
Jamaica
“For your commitment to serving
New York City’s vulnerable communities
and for donating your professional services
to veterans in need. Your contributions
will prove fundamental by removing
obstacles that prevent veterans from
enjoying purposeful lives and securing
meaningful careers,” said Commissioner
James Hendon, in recognition of the
NYC Dentists Give Back Group. “Th e
New York City Department of Veterans’
Services commends you for your compassion
and for your humanitarian eff orts to
support the veteran community.”
Other event collaborators included
Harlem Globetrotter Robert Hunter,
Metro Area Veteran Directors Johnnie
Williams and Manuel Rodriguez, Veterans
Advocate Terri Ham, Queens Chamber
Photos by Teemonee
of Commerce Business Development
Manager Brendan Leavy, Hispanic Dental
Association President Dr. Hanette Gomez
and Past Presidents of Queens County
Dental Society. Th e group deemed Dec.
9 NYC Dentists Holiday Gift Give Back
Day.
“Each New Yorker is very important
to the well being of our city. Life is a
group eff ort and the success of any program
begins with the individuals in those
groups. Any worthwhile activity begins
with individuals and then spreads to
families, communities, the city and then
nationally. As community members, we
can feel proud of helping and improving
our city. What better way is there to
do this, than help to help the very people
who fought for our country’s freedom –
our own veterans,” said Fialkoff .
For more information visit New York
City Dentists Give Back Group on
Facebook. Dentists interested in participating
or sponsoring community events
can email offi ce@bernardfi alkoff dds.com.
Long Island City School of Ballet announces inaugural holiday breakfast food drive
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e Long Island City School of Ballet
(LICSB) has launched its fi rst-ever holiday
breakfast food drive to benefi t the
local nonprofi t Hour Children, which
operates a food pantry for people in need.
Items requested by the pantry are
non-perishable, healthy breakfast foods
including cereal, cocoa mix, jams and jellies,
granola, oatmeal, canned fruit and
boxed fruit juices.
“Th ey told us that breakfast items like
those are fl ying off the food pantries
shelves,” a LICSB spokeswoman said.
“We’ve been wanting to do more in the
community for several years, and we want
to help make sure no one in LIC is hungry
for the holidays. All children should
be able to wake up and have breakfast in
their homes, especially during the holidays.”
The LICSB effort augments City
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer’s 10th
annual food drive which is also benefi ts
Hour Children.
Participants may drop off food at any
of the seven locations that have been designated
around western Queens including
Van Bramer’s district offi ce located
as 47-01 Queens Blvd. Suite 205 in
Sunnyside, or at any of the Queens Public
Library branches in his district including
the new Hunters Point Library on Center
Boulevard in Long Island City.
In 1986, Sister Tesa Fitzgerald helped
develop a home in Long Island City for
children whose mothers were incarcerated.
She got to know the mothers when she
brought their children to visit, and quickly
realized that the women would need
additional support if they were to successfully
reunite with their children aft er
their release.
Hour Children, incorporated in 1992,
has since become a leading provider of
family services to support women and
children as they reunite, stabilize and
transform their lives.
Th e Hour Children food pantry is located
inside a gated parking lot on 11th
Street between 36th and 37th Avenues.
Th e LICBS will be collecting the breakfast
food items at 44-02 23rd St. on the 2nd
fl oor Monday through Th ursday from 3
to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 to 11:00
a.m.
Th e food drive ends on Dec. 21 at noon.
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