14 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 18, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Founder of Girl Scouts Troop 6000 takes on new position
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
An Ozone Park woman who lives by the
“do the right thing” credo is at it again.
Th e Child Center of NY board of directors
Courtesy of The Child Center of NY
Few details on ATF bust
at an Ozone Pk. home
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com
@QNS
An Ozone Park home was raided by
federal agents on July 11 as a part of an
ongoing investigation.
A spokesperson from the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms’ (ATF)
New York offi ce confi rmed that agents
were sent to a home on 79th Street near
Sutter Avenue on the morning on July
11.
Th e federal agency investigates unlawful
use, manufacture and possession of
fi rearms and explosives; acts of arson
and bombings; and illegal traffi cking
of alcohol and tobacco products. ATF
also regulates the sale, possession and
transportation of fi rearms, ammunition
and explosives in interstate commerce
through licensing.
At this time, neither ATF or the
Southern District of New York could not
confi rm why the raid had taken place.
Rumors circulated that as many 30 ATF
agents were on scene investigating, however
an ATF spokesperson stated that is
not true.
As of press time Wednesday, July 17,
there were no additional details made
available about the raid.
unanimously elected Giselle Burgess
as its newest member.
Burgess, 34, is best known for co-founding
Girl Scout Troop 6000, the fi rst-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
Th e Child Center of NY family and grateful
to all the board members for their support
and trust,” Burgess said. “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 fi ve found herself homeless when
the home her family rented in Flushing
was sold to make way for a condominium.
Th e Child Center of NY helped guide
her before the eviction and during a hectic
aft ermath 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
aft er 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 Th e
Child Center does. She
called the Forest Hills-based
nonprofi t 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 fi rsthand the
importance of the support
provided by Th e Child Center of NY.
Giselle’s insight, experience, and ideas
will be invaluable to our work, and we are
delighted to welcome her.”
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.
Burgess, who was raised in Woodside,
together with Sunnyside resident Meredith
Maskara, the chief operating offi cer 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.
Burgess and her children were in the
shelter system for nearly a year before
fi nding 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, aft er maternity leave, and looks forward
to the additional work of making
the borough aware of Th e Child Center
of NY, which has made a diff erence 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.”
Photo via Google Maps, video by Robert Stridiron
Alarming partial home
collapse in Hamilton Beach
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com
@QNS
Emergency service personnel went
to Howard Beach aft er receiving a call
regarding a home collapsing into the
water on Monday aft ernoon.
According to the FDNY, a call came in
around 12:30 p.m. of a building that collapsed
into the water at 102-39 Russell
St. in the Hamilton Beach section of the
neighborhood.
Th e FDNY confi rmed that no one
was injured or transported to the hospital
as a result. A statement released
by Community Board 10 said that
the unoccupied home had a compromised
structural stability and that the
Department of Buildings issued an
immediate Emergency Declaration for
Demolition.
Photos by RHS NEWS
/WWW.QNS.COM
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