16 JUNE 20, 2019 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
FH medical volunteer group takes prize
BY JACOB KAYE
EDITORIAL@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
A team of Forest Hills teens
can save a life and win some
trophies at the same time.
The Forest Hills Volunteer
Ambulance Corps took home several
awards at the Keyport First Aid
Cadet Competition in New Jersey
this weekend. One of the corps’
teams finished first in the basic
skills competition, which involves
CPR, splinting and taking vital signs.
Another team finished third.
“Last year, we only placed second,”
said Rohan Mohotra, a co-captain of
the youth corps team. “So, we were
very happy that we got first and third
this year.”
While the skills the Forest Hills high
schoolers learned with the Volunteer
Ambulance Corps have served them
well during competitions, they all
agree, the team is setting them up
for successful careers.
Boyuan Zhang is the youth corps’
second lieutenant and studying
to become a certified emergency
medical technician.
“I had my test yesterday and I
remembered some answers from
working with my team,” Zhang said.
Several members of the team hope
to have careers in medicine, they say,
and although some of the members
with the highest ranks are heading
off to college this fall, they plan on
staying involved.
The group’s co-captain, Magdalena
Mazur, will attend The Macaulay
Honors College in the fall but plans to
continue to volunteer with the team.
“They’re going to benefit me,”
said Ricky Nandkumar, the Youth
Chairman who, among other things,
coaches the team. “They are going to
be EMTs and assist the class.”
Nandkumar was once in his
students’ shoes. He enjoyed it so
much, he stayed to pass on the
knowledge teens like Mazur, Zhang
and Mohotra.
And his team appreciates him.
“We have to give a lot of credit to
our advisors,” Zhang said.
The camaraderie is clear and
an important aspect of the job,
they say.
“If you don’t like each other, it
doesn’t matter,” Mazur said. “You
have to save someone’s life. You have
to work together.”
The Forest Hills group appears to
have that part down.
Sara Diaz, the secretary of the
youth corps, summed it up.
“We’re building friendships that
will last forever.”
Join cancer survivors and caregivers
BY JACOB KAYE
EDITORIAL@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
The 17th annual Middle Village
Relay for Life will be held this
weekend in support of cancer
research, education and advocacy
programs across the country.
Hosted in Juniper Valley Park
in Middle Village, the overnight
event on June 22 and 23 will feature
an opening ceremony, a walk
for survivors and caregivers, a
luminaria lighting and a closing
ceremony. Music, food and
entertainment will be available as
participants celebrate throughout
the night and into the morning.
The money raised supports
American Cancer Society programs
dedicated to eliminating cancer as a
major health issue. The organization
is community and volunteer based.
The opening ceremony will begin
at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 22, on
the Juniper Valley Park running
track off Lutheran Avenue, between
Juniper Boulevard North and 71st
Street. Directly after the ceremony,
the Survivor’s Lap will begin. Teams
of survivors and supporters will
take turns walking around the track
all night long.
Participants will celebrate the
lives of those who have been affected
by cancer until 10 p.m., when they’ll
begin the candle-lighting ceremony.
The candles, which will be placed in
white bags and positioned around the
track, will be lit to honor those who
have survived or are still fighting
The Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps and they’re most recent
trophies. Photo: Jacob Kaye/QNS
cancer as well as those who were
unfortunately lost to the disease.
The candles will burn throughout
the night.
The closing ceremony will take
place at 7 a.m. the next morning,
Sunday, June 23.
A final planning meeting will be
held on Thursday, June 20, at the
Ridgewood Moose Lodge at 72-15
Grand Ave., Maspeth, at 7 p.m. June
20 is also the last day to register.
Organizers say that volunteers
are still needed. You can sign up
by emailing Jacqueline Rosa at
jacqueline.rosa@cancer.org.
Cancer survivors at the 2015 Middle Village Relay for Life. QNS/File photo
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