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20 The Courier sun • MARCH 10, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com VOLUNTEER FACEBOOK GROUP REUNITES QUEENS PETS By Devin Holt Rafael Jagmohan was shoveling snow when he found the dog — a female, all-white husky with no leash or collar, wandering Queens Village on Presidents Day. Jagmohan went back inside and grabbed some bacon, which he used to lure her into his garage. He didn’t want to leave a dog alone in the cold and was worried she might be hit by a car. “It was snowing out, she was white, anything could happen,” Jagmohan, 26, said. Searching online that night with his wife, he discovered a Facebook page called Queens Lost & Found Pets. Jagmohan made a post and went to bed. Bonnie Gorlick, 56, called in the morning and told him the dog’s name was Porsche. Her owner lived a few blocks away. “Within like 10 hours she was reunited with her family” because of Queens Lost & Found Pets, Jagmohan said. “That’s now one of our favorite pages.” Pet owners across Queens, the borough with the second-highest number of cats and dogs, according to a 2012 study by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, turn to Queens Lost & Found Pets often. A small crew of volunteer women run the page remotely. They scour social media and the Internet to find lost animals during lunch breaks, slow meetings at work and late nights on the computer. Lost pet requests have been especially urgent in recent weeks because of the severe weather. Queens Lost & Found Pets was created in 2013 by Luisa Hindle, Claudia Duque (who has since moved on to work with an animal rescue organization) and Kathleen McGurty-Weiser. They knew each other from various volunteer positions working with animals. When a mutual friend lost a dog named Betsy, the women collaborated to find her through social media. After seeing pages for missing animals for other boroughs, they made one for Queens. “We felt there was a missing piece on social media for Queens specifically,” Hindle, 56, said. Today, Queens Lost & Found Pets has almost 6,000 likes on Facebook and a constant stream of posts from desperate pet owners and people who found an animal. When a pet is successfully returned, the administrators update the original post with the word “reunited” at the top, in all capital letters. But the stories don’t always end with happy tails wagging. Sometimes dog owners search for years, Hindle said. Kristina Elias was out looking for her lost shih tzu Einstein on a recent Saturday in Ozone Park. Einstein went missing on Feb. 8. Elias thinks he dug a hole under the fence. “It’s been really hard having my baby away,” said Elias, 26, while putting up lost dog fliers to supplement her post on the site. Einstein’s father, Xavier, and sister, Xena, sniffed the trees and ground as she pushed thumbtacks into the black-and-white fliers. Elias knew about Queens Lost & Found Pets before Einstein disappeared. Her brother’s dog was found through the page, and she used it to return two pets to their owners, she said. “Hopefully all of that karma will help out to get Einstein back,” Elias said. On its page, Queens Lost & Found Pets has a list of steps for people who lost an animal to follow. It includes filing a report with the Animal Care Centers of NYC, creating a lost dog poster and contacting the company that placed the embedded microchip, if the dog has one. Above all, Hindle said, try to stay calm and start searching immediately. “People don’t know what to do. You start to panic, you start to cry, and then what?” Hindle said. “There’s a very specific set of steps that needs to be followed. It’s like when you see it on CBS, the first 24 hours are the most crucial.” That type of deadline-driven urgency can be hard for a small group of volunteers. “It’s not easy. You have to multitask,” Gorlick said. “I’m constantly, constantly checking it. I love to see that word ‘reunited.’” High school competition in Jamaica shows off teens’ technical skills BY MIGUEL VASQUEZ editorial@qns.com/@QueensCourier Teenagers looking to build their technological careers showcased their skills during the SkillsUSA regional competition on Saturday, March 5, at Jamaica’s Thomas Edison Career and Technical Education. SkillsUSA, which is celebrates its 50th anniversary, continues to grow in the hopes of allowing students to find their passions, help them become innovative thinkers and leaders, as well as work in conjunction with C.T.E. (Career Technical Education) high schools such as Thomas Edison. These schools teach students how to manage both academic and technical skills as a means of preparing them for the future. The C.T.E. program allows students to truly demonstrate the full extent of their talents. From a wide range of categories such as architectural drafting, cosmetology, graphic design, electrical construction wiring, carpentry, automotive technology, robotics and even plumbing, student have the chance to truly progress and develop as future professionals. The regional competition had various sections. First, the students within each category take a sort of standardized exam testing their general knowledge gained throughout the school year. The performance portion of the competition followed in which students were given an allotted amount of time to complete a task or show the success of their project. Those in architectural drafting had to edit a blueprint for a floor of a house; students in carpentry had a few hours to build a shed; and the robotics students had to show off the capabilities of their robot. Once the performance portion of the exam is over, students were then given a mock interview, to test their professionalism and ability to communicate efficiently. Attendees expressed pride of the hard work and dedication that the students put forth. “This competition really raises spirits and it’s exciting for the kids. It prepares them for the workforce and also prepares them to be successful in college,” said SkillsUSA adviser Jessie Kalloo. Chynna Cummings, a junior from Ralph McKee C.T.E. high school, was excited about her first year in SkillsUSA: “Being that it’s my first year, I am so happy to have made the connections that I have made, whether through resume-building events, fundraisers or team meetings.” Joseph Mendoza, also a junior from Ralph McKee C.T.E. high school, was sincerely thankful to be part of SkillsUSA: “Being a city officer allows me to be a facilitator as well as a leader. Being a representative for others is so empowering.” The competition even caught the attention of Mayor Bill de Blasio, who sent a letter to be read at the event. In his letter, de Blasio remarked that “a quality education is one of the most powerful tools to give a child … SkillsUSA is a tremendous help in our efforts … and together we are forging a brighter future for all.” The winners from the regional competition will have the opportunity to move on to the state competition in Syracuse, followed by the possibility of competing in the national competition in Kentucky and lastly the international competition held all over the globe.


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