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QUEENS WEEKLY,OCTOBER 13, 2019
Free senior transportation service returns to Queens
BY JENNA BAGCAL
A free senior transportation
program is back for
the fourth year and is one
again expanding its reach
to the elderly across all of
Queens.
Councilman Paul Vallone
joined Selfhelp Vice
President of External Relations
and Communications
Sandy Myers and
local seniors to announce
the return of the free program
on Oct. 10 and increased
funding from city
lawmakers.
This year, Vallone
allocated $90,000 for seniors
living in northeast
Queens, while Speaker
Corey Johnson secured
an additional $50,000 for
all Queens seniors at the
request of the City Council’s
Queens Delegation.
Borough President Melinda
Katz also provided
$10,000 in funding.
According to Vallone’s
office, funding for the
program “nearly quadrupled”
since 2017 when he
allocated $40,000 to fund
the pilot program.
“I’m excited to announce
the awaited return
of our Free Senior
Transportation Program,
which will kick off again
on Thursday, Oct. 10,” said
Vallone. “Since we began
the program four years
ago, thousands of rides
to and from important
medical appointments
have been provided to our
borough’s seniors — at no
cost to them. In just a few
years, we’ve been able to
nearly quadruple funding
amounts for the program,
enabling us to provide this
vital service to seniors
throughout Queens.”
Seniors interested in
making an appointment
can call the Selfhelp
Clearview Senior Center
at 718-224-7888 between 9
a.m. and noon to schedule
next-day rides. Service
users are required to fill
out an application with
demographic information,
emergency contact
and destination.
When they are ready
for pick up, seniors must
call Selfhelp again to
schedule a return trip.
“Selfhelp Community
Services is thrilled to be
partnering with Council
members Paul Vallone,
Peter Koo, Robert Holden,
Francisco Moya, Speaker
Corey Johnson, and the
entire Queens Delegation
to provide continued
and increased access to
transportation services
for older adults throughout
Queens for the fourth
year,” said Meyers.
“In transportation
deserts like northeast
Queens, where our
Clearview Senior Center
is located, older adults
are often isolated in their
homes due to the lack of
affordable, accessible and
reliable transportation
services. Investments by
government, including
through this program, enable
older New Yorkers to
continue to age with independence
and dignity in
the city they call home.
We are proud to partner
with the New York City
Council, and look forward
to the continuation and
growth of this critical service,”
Meyers added.
Four Twos and Central
Car Service will provide
rides for seniors and will
partner with Selfhelp to
schedule rides. Vallone’s
office said that the program
will operate until
the $150,000 in funding is
depleted.
“This is wonderful
news,” said Frank Pavone,
93. “I recently fell, but
now I’m back and on my
feet again thanks to my
doctors. The most important
thing is for seniors to
have reliable transportation
to get to our doctor’s
appointments. This program
makes a big difference
for us and our families.”
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by e-mail at jbagcal@
qns.com or by phone
at (718) 260-2583.
FH educator joins BOCES Adult Education Program
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
After serving as an assistant head
of school in New York City, Brad Slepian
of Forest Hills is now the assistant
principal of the Nassau BOCES Adult
Education Program, bringing nearly 10
years of educational experience to the
position.
Slepian began his educational career
in 2010 as a classroom teacher and was
soon appointed co-head teacher at The
Caedmon School in New York City.
He was also selected as director of
Caedmon’s prestigious Summer Camp,
supervising more than 30 staff members
and over a hundred students campers.
Where there, he advanced to become
STEAM Coordinator, co-director of
both the Parents Communications Task
Force and the Technology Task Force,
after-school supervisor and co-chair of
the Scope and Space Task Force.
Slepian was drawn to Nassau BOCES
by the opportunity to put his skills and
experience to work for students to provide
them with the necessary tools to
be successful in their career, he said.
“Our students are here because they
truly want to be,” Slepian said. “We
provide them with the skills to be successful
in any industry.”
Adult Education incorporates a
number of vital programs including
Adult Career and Technical Education,
Job Placement and Vocational Training.
Slepian is looking forward to help
maximize those programs to their fullest
potential to the benefit of the students.
“We have a tremendous amount of resources
available,” he said. “The goal is
to ensure that everything we do has the
best possible impact on our students.
We want to connect their passions to
successful careers.”
Slepian holds a bachelor’s degree
from Lehigh University, a master’s degree
in childhood education from Touro
College, and a master’s degree in educational
leadership from Hunter College.
He also holds a number of certifications
as a New York state educator
including school building leadership,
school district leadership, teaching
childhood education and teaching students
with disabilities.
Before entering the world of education,
Slepian worked in the private
sector, where he supervised an administrative
team for national and international
accounts and managed a budget
of more than $1 million.
This affords him a wealth of knowledge
about Long Island’s economy and
how Nassau BOCES students fit into it.
“We are growing Long Island’s workforce,”
Slepian said of the Adult Education
program. “We are fine tuning our
programs in a fiscally responsible way
to meet industry-specific needs.”
Michele Cohen, principal of Adult
Education, described Slepian as “compassionate
and supportive,” who is
committed to helping students enter
the workforce.
“We are so happy to have Brad on
our team,” Cohen said. “Not only does
he bring experience in the world of
school administration, he brings a business
sense along with his educational
perspective. He has already become an
integral part of the Adult Education
Program.”
Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed by
e-mail at cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
or by phone at (718) 260–4526.
Courtesy of Councilman Vallone’s office
Brad Slepian of Forest Hills was recently
named the new assistant principal of the
Nassau BOCES Adult Education Program.
Photo courtesy of Nassau BOCES
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