FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 24, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 41
Victoria’s
DIARY
Victoria
SCHNEPSYUNIS
vschneps@gmail.com
tweet me @vschneps
The value of wearing masks
To wear or not to wear?
Th at is the question that
some people still have
when choosing to wear a mask
and gather in large groups.
I, for one, see mask-wearing
as a silver lining in the COVID-
19 pandemic. With no place
to go and no dinner parties or
business meetings to attend, the
need or even ability to shop has
decreased. But mask buying ...
let’s talk!
In early March we did a story
about the legendary Martin
Greenfi eld Clothiers, whose
factory is in Brooklyn. Master
tailor Martin Greenfi eld has
dressed presidents, mayors and
movie stars. But being in survival
mode because of the pandemic,
his son/partner decided
they could start designing
masks, which marked the start of
“trendy” masks. What fun it is!
TRU47 off ers a literal silver
lining in their masks. Th e silver
helps create a barrier to stifl e
and defeat the activity of viruses,
bacteria and fungi, preventing
them from getting the oxygen
necessary to survive. Th e
masks can be purchased at www.
tru47.com.
Not to be excluded from the
new fashion trend are mask
holders.
I was walking down the street
in Westhampton when I saw
an attractive woman wearing
a mask attached to a stunning
chain. I stopped her
and asked where she found
it. Sure enough she responded
with a big smile and said,
“I made it!” Within minutes,
we arranged a sale right
there on the street!
Down the block is a store
called Shock, which is
owned by Elyse Richman,
one of our Dan’s Papers
Power Women. Her store is
stuff ed with boxes fi lled with
masks. It’s like shopping in
a candy store! And if the
hundreds of masks are not
enough, she has dozens of chains
of every color and texture hanging
from display racks. What fun!
My female friends are allin
when it comes to wearing
fashionable masks so they
could look good while having
fun and being safe! Men
might not be as into the new
fashion trend yet, but they
won’t be too far behind!
But avoid the masks that
have one-way exhalation valves,
because every time you breathe
out, you are spreading germs,
according to Dr. Peter Micholas.
Etsy, the popular e-commerce
website that off ers handmade or
vintage items and craft supplies,
has sold $350 million worth of
masks since the pandemic started.
It may be uncomfortable to
wear masks, but it’s a small price
to pay to stay healthy and stop
the spread of COVID-19.
Th is year has forced us
into unique celebrations for
Hanukkah, Christmas and
New Year’s. But as my wise
mother used to say, “Th is
too shall pass.”
We must stay committed
to protecting ourselves and
our family and our friends
and one way to do that is
through Zoom. I laugh
when I say, “I’ve turned from
a boomer to a Zoomer,” but
being able to connect with
family and friends via Zoom
— I recently had a virtual
bingo match with my grandchildren
— will be another
silver lining to come from this
terrible pandemic.
While my company’s offi ces in
the Bronx, downtown Brooklyn,
Bayside and Southampton are
offi cially closed, our employees
are all connecting thanks to our
IT wiz Eric Hercules!
In addition to running
our day-to-day operations
remotely, we have even reinvented
how we run our events.
My great staff led by Toni,
Dimitra and Amanda — who
is living in Australia — have
been able to bring our “leaders”
and hundreds of attendees
together through the
power of Zoom. Last week,
we broadcast our virtual Power
Women of Long Island and
Dan’s Papers event.
Th e thrill of walking down
the red carpet was accomplished
safely, beautifully and powerfully
and over 500 people viewed
the event through Zoom.
Remarkable!
One thing that I think everyone
can agree on is that virtually
connecting with our friends
and family is helping to keep us
safe and healthy.
ACTS OF KINDNESS from
people we have featured come
from your heart. It’s a message
our media has been embracing
by reporting on people and
businesses who have shown
that kindness. Kindness is a
power we all have — we just
have to use it!
I must pay tribute to Sara
Pecker, whose kindness was
on display during our dear
friend Claire Shulman’s fi nal
months of her life. At 94 years
old, Claire lived alone in her
Whitestone home and her
children all lived in diff erent
states.
Although I would call her
every day, it was Sara — who
lived a few blocks away
— who helped Claire with
chores like picking up food
and medicine and being a
safe companion to Claire. She
shared dinner with Claire and I
heard about their many Scrabble
matches.
Sara is a true hero who personifi
es what “acts of kindness” are
all about! Every day, people are
doing great things to help others.
If you know someone we can feature,
please reach out to our editorial
team by emailing editorial@
qns.com!
Never before has it been so
meaningful to wish you a happy
and healthy new year! May we
all fi nd ways to safely have fun
with our friends, family and colleagues.
Wearing masks allowed us to safely gather at
the Stone Creek Inn in East Quogue.
Sheila Levy
Jean Shafi roff
Chris Wasserstein
Mary Mulvihill
Ilene Kazanji
Perla Yarom
Dice Garcia creates masks
with your face’s image on
it! The fantastic masks are
available on her website,
theoriginalselfi emask.com.
Nancy Burner
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