20 THE QUEENS COURIER • MARCH 7, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Acts of Kindness Send your Acts of Kindness to editorial@qns.com
Flushing Cemetery has completed construction of the
Memorial Chapel Mausoleum
Families now have the options of inurnment of cremated remains and
crypt entombment as means of interment and memorialization.
It is with great pride and pleasure that
the Board of Trustees of Flushing Cemetery
Association announces
the opening of its newly constructed
Memorial Chapel Mausoleum.
The 75 acre countryside cemetery,
lovingly referred to as the
Wonderland of a Million Blooms,
has provided a beautiful resting place
for those who have passed on since 1853.
In addition to its nearly 3400 niches,
the Memorial Chapel Mausoleum
will provide Flushing Cemetery the ability,
for the fi rst time in its 165 year history,
to off er families the option of crypt
entombment in a community mausoleum.
General Manager John Helly stated,
“With cremation rates in New York expected to be
over 50% by the year 2022 and with many cemeteries
facing the reality of dwindling land acreage,
our new mausoleum, with its options of niches and
crypts, will allow Flushing Cemetery to serve the needs
of our community for decades to come”.
Those looking to inquire can call the cemetery offi ce at 718-359-0100
Whitestone Memorial Day march
organizers get big donation
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Planning for the Whitestone Veterans
Memorial Day Parade this May is well
underway, as the community works to
keep alive the tradition of celebrating and
honoring its veterans.
Jay Vigorito, vice president of Dwarf
Giraff e Athletic League, a local nonprofit
sports organization in Whitestone, said
they’re sponsoring the upcoming parade
with a $10,000 donation.
“We’re hoping to get more donations.
We are raising money at our basketball
games, and we’re trying to raise the
$10,000 in diff erent ways,” said Vigorito.
“We just wanted to take the burden off
of the veteran’s this year of raising the
money.”
In May 2018, Vigorito and Nick
Gagliano, president of Dwarf Giraff e,
announced their commitment to provide
a $10,000 check, which will be presented
at the Whitestone Veteran’s Memorial
Association’s dinner on April 27.
A near-century old annual tradition in
Whitestone, the Veterans Memorial Day
Parade was in danger of vanishing years
ago due to a funding shortage.
“I’m on the committee with the
American Legion on raising funds and
it’s very hard to do,” said Vigorito. “Th ey
do send letters out, they have the dinner
dance … people just don’t donate like
they used to.”
According to Vigorito, he’s unsure why
there isn’t an outpouring of funds for
the parade, which traditionally begins
at 149th Street and 15th Drive with a
memorial service and making its way
through Whitestone Village. World War
II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans
march alongside a host of community
groups and elected offi cials.
“It’s one of the oldest Memorial Day
Parades in Queens. To me, it’s the only
community thing left that we do here
in Whitestone. It’s the one parade that
gets everyone together,” said Vigorito.
“Diff erent civic groups, the little league,
the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts, the Fire
Department — everyone is there.”
However, Vigorito is not quite sure
about the future of the parade, calling for
community involvement.
“It depends on the people of the community.
At this point, there’s not many
veterans left ,” said Vigorito. “What happens
fi ve years, 10 years down the road,
I don’t know but it’s something the community
has to keep doing. If the community
doesn’t step up and keep the parade
going, I don’t know how much longer it
will last.”
Vigorito is challenging residents and
other organizations in Whitestone to step
up to the plate and help raise money for
the parade.
To make a contribution, all donations
can be sent directly to the Whitestone
Veterans Memorial Association at 10-20
Clintonville St., Whitestone, NY, 11357.
Photo by Dominick Totino Photography
A bugler at the 2018 Whitestone Memorial Day Parade
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
link
link
