22 times • JULY16, 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.timesnewsweekly.com QUEENS FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com JUly 16, 2015 • THE COURIER SUN 3 QUEENS VILLAGE WOMAN RECEIVES DREAM WEDDING WITH HELP FROM COMMUNITY BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected]/@AngelaMatua Minerva Santivanez met her fiance Edward Horan seven years ago and knew that day that the couple would be together a long time. Her intuition was right, and on Sunday, August 2, the couple will get married at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach with a little help from the community. Though they were only engaged on May 23, Santivanez and Horan want to tie the knot before Santivanez starts chemotherapy treatment to fight her stage 4 cancer. In November 2014, Santivanez, a Queens Village resident, saw bulges in her abdomen and went to Queens Hospital to have them examined. Doctors told her that they were tumors and that she would need surgery to have them removed. During her recovery in the hospital, Santivanez experienced chest pain and difficulty breathing. Soon after, she became unresponsive and the staff went against hospital policy to give her a double blood transfusion that saved her life. Though it has been a difficult journey, Santivanez said her fiance and family have been a great support system for her. “I’m grateful that my fiance has been there the whole way through,” Santivanez said. “I told him, I don’t know how he deals with things, how he’s been so strong. My cousin Mary has been helping me out nonstop, her family as well.” Once Santivanez and Horan got engaged, her cousin Mary Legaspi began using social media to raise funds for the wedding and hospital bills. Frank Russo, who owns Russo’s on the Bay, heard about the story through his son Frank Russo III and offered to provide Russo’s on the Bay for the service and reception. “I’m trying not to cry right now because its been overwhelming,” Santivanez said. “Who does that nowadays? In this day and age nobody does anything unless you’re going to do something in return. They don’t know me like that and they just offered it.” Once other people heard her story, the offers started pouring in. Thomas Knoell Designs donated wedding jewelry, Clay Bouquet Shop offered to donate a bouquet, Nidji Photography, Alice Escobar, Nick Kanellopoulos and his wife will be donating their photography services and DJ entertainment and several other organizations and people have offered to provide wedding services for free. “Just listening to her story, sometimes you get caught up but every time you hear a story, if it can help … it’s a situation that we could participate in and that’s pure and that’s the most important piece, then I don’t mind helping,” Russo Sr. said. Santivanez said she cannot wait to meet these people so she can hug and thank them in person. She’s also excited to participate in a longstanding wedding tradition — the first dance. “I’m excited for everything,” Santivanez said. “I’m hoping to beat chemo in the end and have it all be a bad memory. But the fact that everybody has been there for me, I want to be able to thank everybody. I just want to be able to hug them and thank them in person.” Anyone who would like to donate to help Santivanez and her family cover medical expenses can visit her GoFundMe page. Photo courtesy of Minerva Santivanez Minerva Santinevez and Edward Horan will tie the knot in August, before Santinevez undergoes chemotherapy to treat her stage 4 sarcoma. Students Local service enhance academy community students room have at Laurelton military library ties BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected]/@AngelaMatua A fresh coat of yellow paint transformed the Laurelton library‘s community room, which was unveiled on July 10. The project was completed by students enrolled in Publicolor, a nonprofit organization that uses design-based programs to help at-risk students prepare for college and careers. Councilman Donovan Richards allocated $5,000 in his budget for the program, which couples college and career prep with community service. Students receive stipends for volunteering their time to paint community spaces like schools and libraries. “Publicolor helps to lift up our youth in the city and allows them to learn new skills and find potential career paths they may have never been aware of, which is why I funded their organization again in this year’s budget,” Richards said. “Their contribution to the Laurelton library, which is one of the most frequently used libraries in Queens, has made the teen space a more welcoming and uplifting environment for our residents who take advantage of the great programs Queens Library has to offer.” The community room at Laurelton library hosts different programs including Summer Meals, where children are provided with free lunches; English Literature at Laurelton for third- through eighth-graders; quilting and math clubs; and the Laurelton Homeowners Club, where homeowners gather to share ideas how to make Laurelton a better community. Students enrolled in Publicolor gave the community room at Laurelton library a fresh coat of yellow paint. patrons and after several Saturdays of work, people were happy to see it completed. “Our program room is used for all kinds of programs: cultural, educational and recreational ones,” Wang said. “Participants of programs were thrilled seeing the new face of the newly painted multipurpose room. You can tell that the multipurpose room is very important for Laurelton library and the community it serves. It greatly enhanced the outlook of the library.” Photo courtesy of Donovan Richards stay in school with 97 percent graduating on time and 94 percent going to college, according to Ruth Lande Shuman, president and founder of the organization. “We were delighted to transform the community room at the Laurelton library and look forward to continuing our partnership with Councilman Richards to transform more spaces in the 31st district,” Lande Shuman said. “Through our long-term commitment and BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GiudiceReport Two teenagers are joining some of America’s best and brightest in continuing their education and serving their country — and their parents couldn’t be prouder. Zachary Kurre of Glendale and Kate Gerodias of Middle Village were among the seven students from Queens accepted to the U.S. service academies after Congresswoman Grace Meng nominated them to attend the institutions, and their parents said that they have always had the drive and intention to join one of the military academies. Both Kurre and Gerodias have military connections in their families. Kurre’s grandfather was in the Navy for four years, while Gerodias’ father, Amerito, is a retired military officer from the Philippines. This exposure to the military aided their decisions to apply for the U.S. Service Academies. “She’s visited naval bases and several military schools, so that may have influenced her decision,” Amerito Gerodias said. “She said that she had a long desire since she was a kid. She loves to challenge herself. She wanted some form of training to prove herself and she thought the Naval Academy would be a good place to improve her skills.” “My father was in the Navy for four years, but he was in the reserves for 32 years,” said Chris Kurre, Zachary’s mother. “So really for Zachary’s entire life he was exposed to being on different military bases…and for some reason that was just something that he was drawn to from a very early age.” Kurre and Gerodias were both accomplished students, posting outstanding grades at their former high schools, Archbishop Molloy High School and Forest Hills High School, respectively. They were also involved in their schools’ athletic programs; Kurre ran on Molloy’s track and field team for all four years, and Gerodias was a member of Forest Hills High School’s lacrosse and volleyball teams and was the captain of the basketball team. “That’s one of the things the academies look for, is students as well as athletes because all of the students at the academy will participate in a sport whether they are a recruited athlete or not,” Chris Kurre said. “As a matter of fact, as part of their academic day there is a segment of time that is reserved for sports.” Apart from grades and sports, the service academies put a major emphasis on the extracurricular activities of their recruits. Kurre and Gerodias were involved in programs outside of their schools as well. “They look for the student’s leadership skills,” Amerito Gerodias said. “They look for the ability to volunteer in the community. Kate volunteered in the church choir every Sunday.” “He was in Boy Scouting for his whole life,” Chris Kurre said. “He achieved his Eagle Scout…that was one of the things that also, as far as West Point, they look for anybody that sticks with something. Of course being an Eagle Scout, the highest rank scouting, they hold it at a pretty high level.” Both Kurre and Gerodias have the love and support from their families as they embark on this journey. “I am very proud of Kate. Our family is proud of her. The whole community is proud,” Amerito Gerodias said. It’s not easy to give everything to serve the country. I know the U.S. Navy is a very good institution. I am very confident that they can hurdle the challenges ahead of her. And we miss her too. We have to pray for strength. All of what is happening to Kate is part of God’s grace.” “It was a little surreal but it brought the whole thing full circle,” Chris Kurre said of the experience of dropping her son off at West Point for the first time. “It definitely brings out all of your emotions, enormous pride…it is quite striking to see that.” Photos courtesy of the Kurre family and the Gerodias families Left: Zachary Kurre presenting the New York State flag at the Fourth of July ceremony at West Point. Right: Kate Gerodias in her uniform at the Naval Academy.
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