WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES MAY 11, 2017 27 BUZZ Former Knicks star helps Ridgewood kids get active BY ANTHONY GIUDICE AGIUDICE@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM @A_GIUDICEREPORT Former New York Knicks great John Wallace visited the Ridgewood Y last month to help teach kids the importance of staying active and physically fi t during the YMCA’s annual Healthy Kids Day. Over 600 residents attended the day-long event at the Ridgewood Y — located at 69-02 64th St. — on April 29, and girls and boys aged 5-11 got to take part in a Junior Knicks Basketball Clinic, where they participated in exercise drills that taught them to stay healthy and fi t while learning the fundamentals of basketball with Wallace on hand to help the kids with their form. As a former Y kid himself, Wallace off ered words of support and encouragement to the children, stressing the importance of staying physically active and performing well in school so that they can fulfi ll their dreams. “When a child is healthy, happy, motivated and excited, something amazing is inevitably going to result,” said La-Vena Francis, executive director of the Ridgewood YMCA. “We believe in the potential of all children, and we strive to help kids fi nd that potential within themselves. A child’s development is never on vacation, and Healthy Kids Day is a great opportunity to educate families and motivate kids to stay active in spirit, mind and body throughout the summer.” Healthy Kids Day consisted of plenty of other fun activities for all ages such as a family Zumba class, soccer and basketball shootout games, a scavenger hunt, family games, and arts and craft s, as well as educational sessions like making Oobleck slime and healthy cooking demonstrations. YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day is celebrated at over 1,600 Ys across the country and is visited by over 1.2 million participants. The event aims to get kids not only more active, but learning as well, in order to create habits that they can continue all summer, especially since research shows that without access to out-of-school learning activities, kids fall behind academically, the YMCA said. Healthy Kids Days is a way to combat not only summertime learning loss, but to keep children physically active, too, as kids tend to gain weight twice as fast during the summer months compared to the during the school year. For the Healthy Kids Day event the Ridgewood Y collaborated with the 104th Precinct, Jr. Knicks-NY Knicks, BlueCross BlueShield, NYC HPD, SNAP, NY Life, GNC, Wyckoff Medical Center, Office of Child Support Enforcement Services, READY NYC, the Ridgewood Volunteer Ambulance Corp., GROW NYC and the FDNY. Adorable bear cub takes his fi rst steps around new habitat at the Queens Zoo BY EMILY DAVENPORT The Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Queens Zoo debuted an adorable new addition Thursday, May 4 . A male Andean bear cub, which has not been named yet, was born to mother Nicole, 4, and father Bouba, 6, last winter. This is the fi rst Andean bear cub to be born in New York City. Native to South America, the Andean bear is also known as the spectacled bear due to the markings on their faces that sometimes resemble glasses. They have short faces and are characteristically smaller than other bears, with adult males weighing between 250 and 350 pounds and females weighing 200 pounds at most. The cub, now 25 pounds, is ready to explore the zoo’s bear habitat with his mother by his side. Exhibit times will vary until the cub becomes fully acclimated to its outdoor exhibit. The Queens Zoo is breeding Andean bears as part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), which is a cooperative breeding program designed to enhance the genetic viability and demographic stability of animal populations in Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited zoos and aquariums. Andean bears are currently classifi ed as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, with estimates indicating that there are less than 18,000 of these bears left in the wild. “This is a significant birth for the Queens Zoo and the Andean bear SSP breeding program. This little guy may be adorable, but more importantly he reminds us of what we stand to lose when a species is in danger of extinction,” said Scott Silver, Queens Zoo Director and Animal Curator. “We are excited to introduce the cub to New York and to share the work WCS and our partners are doing to save Andean bears and many other species in the wild.” Photos courtesy of Steve Fisher New York Knicks legend John Wallace visited the Ridgewood Y for Healthy Kids Day.
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