FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MAY 28, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 39
vschneps@gmail.com
To me, life is a great adventure
and surviving the ups
and downs is a journey
I’m delighted to share in my
column.
Th ese days are like no others
and we are all facing
the challenges of a silent
and hidden enemy
during the pandemic
day by day, hour
by hour, and maybe
minute by minute.
Being quarantined
presents its
share of challenges,
but for me, this week
had great highs,
as I was able to do
what I love: seeing my
grandchildren, children,
friends and colleagues.
I got an email from Vida
Sabbaghi, a wonderfully talented
woman I met when I was
on the board of the Queens
Museum. Vida is the founder
and executive director of
COPENYC, which provides an
innovative approach to promoting
social relationships through
art and design.
For years she has been serving
communities with creative
programs and exhibits for people
of all ages. She has worked
with seniors, youth in the foster
care system, as well as those on
the autism spectrum and with
disabilities.
For the past four years she’s
been working as an artist in residence
at Pratt Institute as an
adjunct professor. Her students
have used adaptive materials to
make interactive installations for
various communities.
When the pandemic broke
out, she instantly changed her
focus and initiated a program to
create masks. Her entrepreneurial
spirit found fabric and sewing
machines from the Materials
for the Arts.
COPENYC works at a
unique space at 630 Flushing
Ave. in Brooklyn. It’s a landmark
building that was the former
121,000-square-foot Pfi zer
plant. It has now been re-purposed
with hundreds of businesses
and nonprofi ts, including
Pratt Institute, the Silver
Spoon Animation studio and
Little Flower Children and
Family Services of New York.
Addy having a blast
on her birthday!
Th e enormous building complex
is less than one mile from the
Williamsburg Bridge.
Vida set up her group with
stands at the complex to help distribute
masks of all sizes to meet
the need for children and adults.
Knowing the growing needs for
masks, Vida’s team even provided
some for the Visiting
Nurse Service — one of the
largest not-for-profi t home and
community-based healthcare
organizations.
Recently, Vida made an open
call for New York City students
to present their ideas for mask
designs. Brooklyn Borough
President Eric Adams is helping
to bring publicity to the project
and encourage young people
to be involved. It’s remarkable
how many people
were engaged to make
it possible for artists to use
their talents and be relevant
to today.
When I saw the beautiful
masks that the artists created, I
ordered some for my grandchildren.
My favorite is the one with
little daisys sewn into the corners.
Th ose interested in purchasing
masks and learning how
to get involved with the mission
can visit www.copenyc.org.
Stay tuned for a look at the
winning designs, which will be
published by our media outlets.
Being isolated, I’ve become a
“Zoomer,” using the Zoom platform
to stay connected to my
friends in a safe way to socialize.
While stuck at home, Netfl ix
has become my favorite go-to
source for entertainment. I
decided I wanted to laugh and
what a treat it was to see Jerry
Seinfeld’s special “23 Hours to
Kill,” a live performance fi lmed
at the Beacon Th eatre before
the pandemic. Seinfeld said to
a laughing, sold-out audience
that “social contact is what we
humans like to do.” How prophetic,
as we are now mostly living
a life of isolation.
My Zoom “parties” bring me
together with family and friends,
but it’s so hard to have a real conversation.
I never realized how
hard it is to know when each
person is fi nished talking.
It’s very frustrating, but the
need to stay connected and
keeping friendships alive is what
the calls are all about.
It was a joyous week of birthdays,
when 9-year-old Addy and
11-year-old Morgan celebrated
with their own parades of
honking cars driving by their
front lawns. Drive-by parades
have become the new norm as
an alternative to having gatherings
with people during the
pandemic.
Tears fi lled my eyes as I
watched the long line of cars
paying tribute to the girls and
helping to bring an enormous
smile to their faces and making
them feel so special. Th is way of
celebrating birthdays should
survive the pandemic.
I love how it
brings the community together!
For me, Memorial Day weekend
represented the perfect
time to plant summer fl owers in
my garden. I had the local garden
center nursery deliver my
favorite impatiens and geraniums,
but then they needed planting.
I felt overwhelmed but the
“Cavalry” came to rescue me in
the form of my beautiful daughter
Samantha and strong handsome
grandson Blake!
Samantha is an organizer and
began cleaning up the backyard
where “stuff ” has accumulated
over the years like a baby wagon,
a toy plastic car, and anything
else baby-related. We left a note
for the garbage men: HELP!
Wearing a mask, I made sure
to keep everyone 6 feet apart as
we saw my backyard patio transformed.
Th ey helped me survive
an overwhelming project!
Surviving during coronavirus
is diff erent for all of us, but getting
through the days and setting
aside time to laugh, to love,
and to communicate has given
me pleasure. I hope all of you are
“surviving” and cherishing each
day. Th e present is all we have
— that’s why it’s a present!
Victoria’s
DIARY
Victoria
SCHNEPSYUNIS
tweet me @vschneps
The challenge of being in quarantine
Morgan (front) poses with
Blake, Samantha and Spencer
by her birthday sign!
Hudson and Sloane
celebrating during the
drive-by car parade.
Hudson (l.) and
Sloane wear their
COPENYC masks.
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/www.copenyc.org
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