40 The Courier SUN • FEBRUARY 12, 2015 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com victoria’s secrets VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS vschneps@gmail.com tweet me @vschneps Maureen Walters turning over the keys for her newspapers to new owner Victoria Schneps Dynamic $1000 off Lumineers $500 off Invisalign DENTAL WORK Free Whitening included the inViSiBle WAy to Some excluSionS Apply StrAighten teeth third generation dentist 175-15 Jamaica avenue, Jamaica 718-297-4100 • 718-297-4106 For 107 years, the Ridgewood Times and Times Newsweekly have been sold on newsstands. They’re proud of their motto, “Fighting for the needs of Queens and Brooklyn,” and now they have joined our family of newspapers. I am so thrilled to bring them into our fold, moving from one family-owned company to another. Maureen Walters has owned the western Queens newspapers for over 35 years, having worked for the previous owner Carl Clemens, who owned the historic group for 65 years! We are excited about increasing our footprint with this group, allowing us to expand into Bushwick, Greenpoint and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where they are already a presence. The weekly newspapers are sold on newsstands in both Queens and Brooklyn, staffed by a devoted team of committed, professional reporters and photographers who provide vital, on-the-spot coverage with news that can only be found in their communityfocused pages. That fits our mission perfectly! We will be retaining their staff to make a seamless transition. What we will be adding over the months is a robust online presence to allow for a digital edition every week and the ability to receive an email blast daily. Exciting days ahead. Although there are people who believe “print is dead,” I refer them to the brilliant remark of Mark Twain: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” So we continue to grow our reach and our ability to keep our communities informed with award-winning publications and online news coverage. After all, we are neighborhood newspapers covering news about you and your neighbors. See us in print or on the World Wide Web, we are here for you and now more of you! Welcome to our enlarged family of newspapers. Another week and again Geraldo has survived the round of cuts on “Celebrity Apprentice,” meaning the organization I founded 44 years ago, Life’s WORC, has received more winnings, now over $700,000! Born out of my daughter Lara’s needs, Life’s WORC today is a testament to the battles fought for her and her fellow residents at the now infamous institution Willowbrook State School. My ex-husband Murray Schneps just published a book, “I See Your Face Before Me,” about how his guilt and anger over the desperate need to find help for Lara turned him into a fearless warrior fighting for her and, ultimately, all the other 5,400 people living at the “school.” Although Lara remained an infant for her 17 years on earth, her impact has had national repercussions for change. On Saturday morning, I visited the headquarters of Life’s WORC in Garden City to take some pictures for an article being written about us in Newsday. I had a chance to see young people arriving for classes in our new Family Center for Autism. Parents with their children arrived for one of the multiple classes being offered that day. I met some teens preparing to begin their day’s adventure into the community. Last weekend they went swimming at a local hotel, then there was a cooking class about to prepare a meal. Our new building next door on Franklin Avenue will open in April and will allow hundreds of families to come for multiple programs for their children in the autism spectrum on weekends and evenings. The money Geraldo is raising will support these programs. As I walked over to the new building next door, tears fell from my eyes to think what was wrought from my little Lara, who at her death stood under 4 feet tall and weighed less than 40 pounds. In fact she was a heavyweight! The book her dad wrote is a testament to her life and the power of her need — the war waged and the battles won on her behalf. Read it to learn about the advocacy journey we traveled. I know Lara is smiling with pride from her perch in heaven. What’s old is new again! ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ star Geraldo continues winning/benefits Life’s WORC Lynn and Michael Koufakis with their son, who is attending programs at the new center
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