WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JULY 18, 2019 21
Troop 6000 founder joins another nonprofi t
Ozone Park’s Giselle Burgess takes a position on the board of The Child
Center of NY while continuing to oversee the expansion of Girl Scout
Troop 6000 for homeless girls. Courtesy of The Child Center of NY
Burgess will remain as the
program manager of Troop 6000.
She was a community engagement
specialist for the Girl Scouts of
Greater New York when she and her
children found themselves living in
a single room at the Sleep Inn hotel
in Long Island City, just north of the
Queensbridge Houses.
“Trying to find a home with five
children is nearly impossible,”
Burgess said. “My kids felt ashamed
of it and when you see your children
like that it makes you feel helpless. I
wanted to make sure no other girls
felt like what my daughters were
feeling like.”
Burgess, who was raised in
Woodside, together with Sunnyside
resident Meredith Maskara, the
chief operating officer of the Girl
Scouts of Greater New York, and
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer
created Troop 6000 for 22 girls
living in the shelter at the Sleep Inn
hotel in 2017.
“Having a Girl Scout troop in a
shelter brings joy to young girls,
but more than that, it helps prepare
them for success in school, in their
communities and for the future,”
Burgess said. “But this program is
also for the women of the shelter. It
gives them a place to feel empowered
through their otherwise stressful
lives. It’s an awesome feeling.”
Burgess and her children were in
the shelter system for nearly a year
before finding a home in Ozone
Park where everyone had their own
space as well as a backyard. Burgess
recently returned to work at the Girl
Scouts of Greater New York, after
maternity leave, and looks forward
to the additional work of making the
borough aware of The Child Center
of NY, which has made a difference
in the lives of 35,000 children and
their families since 1953.
Burgess has another challenge as
well.
“With my newborn son I now have
two boys and four girls,” Burgess
said with a laugh. “Yes, they love
their spaces, but now we’re looking
for a bigger home.”
BY JACOB KAYE
EDITORIAL@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
The Queens Youth Music Festival is back at
Citi Field in Corona this weekend, Saturday,
July 21.
From noon to 5 p.m., the festival, in its fourth
year, will feature young, up–and–coming singers,
rappers, dancers and influencers from around
New York City.
As the hip-hop, pop, reggae and world
jams play, attendees will be able to enjoy a
bounce park, wiff leball, video games, music
lessons, jumbo board games and a very
slimy challenge. Food and crafts will also
be available.
This year’s Queens Youth Music Festival
is hosted by Jaleel White, who played the iconic
Steve Urlke in “Family Matters.” He has also
appeared in “Grown Ups,” “Boston Legal,” House
M.D.,” and provided the voice of Sonic the
Hedgehog in the “Sonic” franchise.
Performing artists include Amera J, DJ Alden,
Hailey, JJ Hannon, Lily Latzo, Lost Boys, Samaya
Clark–Gabriel and Young Trell.
The festival will take place in the Fan Fest area
of Citi Field, located behind the main scoreboard
on the Field Level Concourse. All attendees will
have the chance to meet the performers and have
their names entered into raff les and giveaways.
General admission for the festival is $35 but
special offers are available for anywhere between
$5 and $350.
More information on the Queens Youth Music
Festival can be found online at qymfest.com.
BUZZ
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
An Ozone Park woman who
lives by the “do the right thing”
credo is at it again.
The Child Center of NY board
of directors unanimously elected
Giselle Burgess as its newest
member.
Burgess, 34, is best known for
co-founding Girl Scout Troop 6000,
the first-unit ever in New York City
designated for homeless girls, and
managing the expansion, under the
Girl Scouts of Greater NY, to more
than 18 shelters citywide serving
more than 600 girls and women
volunteers.
“I am thrilled and honored to
be part of The Child Center of NY
family and grateful to all the board
members for their support and
trust,” Burgess said. “It is exciting to
begin work together on behalf of the
more than 35,000 clients the agency
serves. As a former client myself, I
do not take the position lightly and
look forward to an opportunity to
give something back for the help I
received during a dark period.”
It was 2016 when the single mother
of five found herself homeless when
the home her family rented in
Flushing was sold to make way for
a condominium. The Child Center
of NY helped guide her before
the eviction and during a hectic
aftermath that landed Burgess
and her children right in the city’s
homeless crisis.
“Giselle has been a part of our
community for years and has stayed
in touch and shared her journey
with us, even after no longer
needing our services,” Child Center
CEO Traci Donnelly said. “She will
be an exceptional advocate for our
clients, and are truly blessed to have
her join our amazing board.”
Burgess said she would take a
public relations position to “spread
the word about the great things
The Child Center does. She called
the Forest Hills-based nonprofit
a “hidden gem that nobody knows
about until they need their help”
like she did.
“We are in awe of Giselle’s
resilience and courage,” Child
Center Board of Directors President
Richard Jay said. “As survivors of
domestic violence and abuse, Giselle
and her children know firsthand the
importance of the support provided
by The Child Center of NY. Giselle’s
insight, experience, and ideas will
be invaluable to our work, and we
are delighted to welcome her.”
Huge youth music fest this weekend at Citi Field
/qymfest.com
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