10
QUEENS WEEKLY, APRIL 28, 2019
Whitestone teacher dyes hair blue after kids raise more than $10K
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Danielle Hnath, a
Whitestone educator, loves
dreaming up creative ways
to challenge her students.
A physical education
teacher at P.S. 193 Alfred
J. Kennedy School in
Whitestone, she is dedicated
to helping more than 500
students adopt a healthy
lifestyle that includes
getting plenty of exercise,
learning about nutrition
and helping others.
Earlier this year,
Hnath teamed up with
the American Heart
Association’s Kids Heart
Challenge, a new program
designed to teach students
about their heart while
helping others and raising
money. She challenged her
students to raise $8,000 to
help fund research for kids
with special hearts.
As an incentive to
motivate the students,
she promised to dye her
hair blue if they met the
fundraising goal. After
months of following the
Kids Heart Challenge
curriculum and spreading
awareness, her students
eventually exceeded the
original goal.
In total, the school
raised more than $10,000.
On Feb. 4, Hnath showed up
to school with blue hair.
“I knew I had to do
something big to make
the students excited,” said
Hnath. “I wanted to make it
fun for them, something to
help motivate them.”
To help the kids connect
with the mission, Hnath
also shared the story of a
Virginia toddler named
Finn Blumenthal, who
underwent multiple openheart
surgeries before
age two. Learning of
Finn’s story motivated
second grader Addison
Boshnack-Roth, 8, to take
the challenge.
Soon she became the
school’s top fundraiser.
“Ms. Hnath promising
to dye her hair blue
sounded like fun,” said
Boshnack-Roth. “But when
I saw pictures of Finn
Blumenthal, our heart
hero, and read his story,
I wanted to raise more to
help him. When I saw how
much money I raised in just
one day, I pushed myself to
raise even more money.”
For being the school’s
top fundraiser, Finn and his
mom sent Boshnack-Roth a
video message thanking
her for being a heart hero.
“I didn’t understand
that though,” Boshnack-
Roth recalls. “My parents
explained that I had become
a heart hero too because
I was part of helping all of
those hearts.”
The recognition did
not stop there. On March
25, Boshnack-Roth received
a trophy from her school’s
Parent Teacher Association
for “having a big heart.”
“I was surprised. I
didn’t expect a trophy,”
said Boshnack-Roth. “I
was excited to hear I raised
the most money, because I
really wanted to do a good
job. I was also excited to
get a jump rope, which I
won for raising money and
earning hearts. Getting
a trophy felt really good
because everybody saw,
and maybe that will get the
kids excited to raise even
more money next year!”
Boshnack-Roth and
Hnath plan on raising
even more money to fund
research next year. In the
meantime, Hnath will
think of more fun and
heartfelt ways to motivate
her students.
“I’m dreaming up the
next challenge for 2020,”
said Hnath. “The most
important lesson for
my students is that it’s
important to give back
and to avoid the unhealthy
choices in life. What they
do can affect their life
and body.”
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718)
260–4526.
Second grader Addison Boshnack-Roth, 8, recgonized as PS 193Q top fundraiser and heart
hero, with physical education teacher Danielle Hnath. Photo courtesy of Danielle Hnath
Congressional hearing taps Jackson Hts. organization
Ocasio-Cortez celebrates offi ce opening with remarks recognizing Asian-Americans for Equality
BY MARK HALLUM
Asian Americans for
Equality opened its new
location of Roosevelt Avenue
in the heart of Jackson
Heights which they say
will help their organization
administer services to
immigrants of all walks
of life.
Thomas Yu, AAFE
executive director,
celebrated the opening as
an addition to their many
offices across the city, as a
symbol of advancing their
mission to provide English
as a second language
classes, small business
workshops and other
housing services with a
variety of demographics.
According to Yu, the
space has greater visibility
from foot-traffic and offers
space to accommodate
groups of people to help
stabilize their footing in the
United States.
“This neighborhood and
northern Queens is one of
the fastest growing areas of
need for our services. Lately,
we’ve done much larger
scale affordable housing
developments in Queens and
we’re seeing a more diverse
cliental than our traditional
Chinatown base,” Yu said.
“So while there are still a lot
of Chinese speaking clientbase,
it’s still very Pan-
Asian. Our largest section of
cliental is actually Spanish
speaking, so it actually goes
back to our core mission
of Asian-Americans for
equality for all people.”
AAFE has several
offices in lower Manhattan
where they service Chinese
immigrants in addition
to two other locations in
Flushing, among others.
Among the politicians at
the Tuesday ribbon-cutting
was Congresswoman
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
who has risen to the national
platform to become an icon
of the Latinx movement
in politics.
Ocasio-Cortez praised
the organization for their
efforts to help those from
abroad put down roots in
Queens and contribute to
their adopted communities.
“Just a few weeks ago I
was sitting on the financial
services committee in D.C.
and we had a hearing on
housing and federal housing
policy. We really wanted
to draw the stories from
the district that illustrate
what the housing crisis
in the United States looks
like — what it looks like
in New York City today,”
Ocasio-Cortez said. “We
had the nation’s foremost
housing experts and we
communicated right here,
with this office.”
Ocasio-Cortez said
Congress was able commit
testimony of a family who
was being harassed by
their landlord over their
immigration status to the
record of the hearing.
“What we found were
some additional tools we
could use to help improve
the lives of families
here,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“Every step of advocacy is
necessary and critical in
order for our communities
to thrive.”
State Senator Jessica
Ramos recognized the
work AAFE has done
in her community of
Jackson Heights and the
role they have played in
issues such as housing and
transportation.
“When there are so
many different forces
trying to divide us I think
it’s more important than
ever that we support the
expansion of communitybased
organizations that
have done such great work
and work to help everybody
find dignity in themselves,”
Ramos said.
The organization
recently opened One
Flushing to renters
at 133-45 41st Ave.,
which offers 200 units of
100 percent affordable
housing adjacent to the
Flushing – Main Street
station of the Long Island
Rail Road.
AAFE’s new office
is located at 37-61 84th
St. in Jackson Heights.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the
centerpiece of the ribbon-cutting for the new Asian Americans
for Equality office in Jackson Heights.
Photo: Mark Hallum/THE COURIER
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