May 10, 2020 Your Neighborhood — Your News®
LOCAL
CL ASSIFIEDS
PAGES 6 & 7
Bayside Hills salutes essential workers
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
For the past three weeks, every
evening at 7 p.m. neighbors
in the Bayside Hills community
stand outside of their homes
banging pots, ringing bells and
clapping in support of the city’s
frontline workers as they continue
to battle the coronavirus.
“It’s the one thing that people
look forward to every day, so it’s
been kind of a way to cope with
what’s been going on,” said Matthew
Kenny, who has been living
in Bayside for the past 14 years.
Neighbors along 217th Street
and at the corner of 50th Avenue
come out each night clapping
for two minutes, followed by an
inspirational song — such as
“New York, New York,” “Staying
Alive” and “Lean on me”— selected
by Kenny that is played
on his portable loud speaker on
wheels.
Along 212th Street between
53rd and 56th avenues, neighbors
come together to clap and cheer
as well.
Like Kenny, some of his other
neighbors have friends and family
members in the front lines
helping to save and protect lives
during the crisis.
“My wife is a nurse at St.
Francis Hospital and she’s involved
with research for one of
the drugs they’re using in a trial
called Remdesivir. She’s working
from home and usually goes
in one day a week to the hospital
to get records,” Kenny said. “She
had been at Lenox Hill Hospital
for 25 years, and she has a lot of
colleagues on the frontline fighting
this.”
On April 23, Kenny buried
his 87-year-old father-in-law, who
succumbed to coronavirus.
“It has affected us. You go
from being with somebody every
day and helping to feed them, to
not being allowed to see them
at all,” Kenny said. “You have a
lot of respect for the healthcare
Michael Finer, president of the Bayside Hills Civic Association. Courtesy of Michael Finer
workers that go in and hold your
parent’s hand. We were able to see
him a handful of times through
FaceTime calls, and it means the
world to you.”
Meanwhile, Rita Kashdan,
a board member of the Bayside
Hills Civic Association, prays for
everyone’s safety and health.
“My son is in law enforcement
and he’s out there every day, and
we have friends that are healthcare
workers out there during
this pandemic,” Kashdan said.
“It’s a very difficult situation
right now.”
According to Kashdan, Kenny’s
inspirational music uplifts
their spirits during a time of uncertainty.
“We’re literally dancing on
our stoop and it’s been a lot of
fun. We’re trying our best to give
more love and we’re going to be
out there rain or shine,” Kashdan
said. “We love our community,
we really do. It’s a beautiful community
of all diversity here.”
Michael Finer, president of
the Bayside Hills Civic Association,
said it’s important to recognize
those who are on the frontlines
helping to serve and protect
New Yorkers.
“We’re honoring the EMS,
UPS, DSNY, FDNY, NYPD,
nurses, doctors, the grocers and
everybody else who has to come
out,” Finer said. “They have to be
out there and they’re protecting
us. They’re doing what is necessary
to keep us alive, more or
less.”
Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed
by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone at
(718) 260–4526.
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