FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM AUGUST 15, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 19
Queens bicyclist overcomes obstacles to help kids
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
A Far Rockaway man will again proudly
join a fi eld of nearly 600 cyclists on a
grueling two-day, three-state, 180-mile
bike ride on Aug. 14 known as Bike4Chai,
which translates to “bike for life.”
Yehuda Gelman, 34, was born with
hydrocephalus, a rare disease in which
spinal fl uid accumulates in his brain,
requiring more than 30 surgeries to treat.
He’s valiantly battled the disease while
also coping with cerebral palsy.
“It can be painful at times and it puts a
strain on my quality of life, but I got into
cycling as a challenge to myself,” Gelman
said. “I met a friend who also has cerebral
palsy and he told my all about Bike4Chai.”
Living with hydrocephalus has given
Gelman a tremendous appreciation for
what he is able to do, and has helped him
realize the diffi culties that people with
disabilities face. Gelman rides with Team
Knight Riders, a group of cyclists from
Queens and the nearby Five Towns area,
in Nassau County, who also face physical
challenges, including one who lost a leg to
cancer and rides a hand cycle.
Simcha, an international overnight camp
of Camp Simcha where they are greeted
“We cycle slower than the others so
for children with cancer, chronic illnesses
by the campers, many of whom need
we’re always arriving at our hotels later in
and other medical challenges. Hundreds
wheelchairs, respirators and other medical
the evenings than the others,” Gelman said
of children at Camp Simcha are given a
equipment to survive.
with a laugh. “We’ve forged an incredible
two-week reprieve from the challenges of
Gelman is the founder and CEO of
friendship. It’s imperative for individuals
their lives allowing them to restore their
Highway for Hope, an organization on a
with life altering illnesses or disabilities
fi ghting spirit and renew their determination
mission to help individuals with rare diseases
to fi nd others who have been through the
to defeat illness and suff ering.
to live a more normal life.
ringer to partner with. We work together
Over the last decade, Bike4Chai has
“We help them overcome obstacles,
as a team and grow together.”
raised nearly $50 million dollars for
fi nding them doctors, we help them navigate
Bike4Chai begins in Princeton, New
Camp Simcha, the Hebrew word for joy.
insurance, which can be very diffi
Jersey, makes its way through Pennsylvania
Th e cyclist gather a half-mile from the
cult,” Gelman said. “We try to off set
and ends in Glen Spey in upstate New
camp to join together for the fi nal push
the cost of food, and fi nd them jobs that
York’s Sullivan County fi nishing at Camp
through the fi nish line at the main gate
can accommodate their illnesses. We help
them overcome obstacles that allows them
to comeback with a freshness that allows
them to tackle new challenges.”
As for his own battles with hydrocephalus
and cerebral palsy, Gelman fi ghts
through it constantly.
“Th rough my work at Highway for
Hope, we’ve partnered with Wounded
Warriors and I’ve heard a term at a military
base called ‘embrace the suck’ from
soldiers dealing with physical training,”
Gelman said. “I’ve adopted a cleaner version
I call ‘embrace the hurt’ and just keep
moving forward.”
Borough Hall hosts school supply drive for homeless children
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
With the new school year just around
the corner, Queens Borough President
Melinda Katz is urging borough residents
to contribute backpacks and other
school supplies as part of her sixth annual
Project: Back to School initiative organized
by the Coalition for the Homeless.
Th e drive provides homeless children
with the items they need to succeed in the
classroom.
“According to the Coalition for the
Homeless, nearly 115,000 New York City
schoolchildren experienced homelessness
at some point last year,” Katz said. “Let’s
make sure all kids have a chance to get
the school year off to a good start with the
supplies they need.”
Borough Hall is accepting donations
of new backpacks and other school supplies
now through Wednesday, Aug. 28.
Donations will be accepted on the fi rst
fl oor at 120-55 Queens Boulevard in Kew
Gardens, in a box just inside the front
entrance in the main lobby.
In addition to the backpacks, the
Coalition for the Homeless says supplies
that can be donated include No. 2 pencils,
hard and soft pencil cases, pencil sharpeners,
crayons, colored pencils, washable
markers, Elmer’s glue, glue sticks, composition
notebooks, binders, ruled paper,
safety scissors, pocket folders and scientific
calculators.
Th e Coalition for the Homeless provides
food and clothing, eviction prevention,
crisis services, permanent housing,
job training and youth programs to thousands
of homeless New Yorkers each day.
Th e Coalition also advocates for proven,
housing-based solutions to end homelessness.
“Th e Coalition for the Homeless has
been thrilled to partner with Queens
Borough President Melinda Katz in
Project: Back to School for the past
six years,” Coalition for the Homeless
Executive Director Dave Giff en said. “Th e
backpacks and school supplies so generously
donated by the people of Queens
help level the playing fi eld for homeless
girls and boys, allowing them to walk into
that fi rst day of school fully equipped and
ready for class. More than 21,000 children
will sleep in NYC homeless shelters
tonight, and so we are truly grateful
to BP Katz for her dedication to helping
so many of them start the new school
year off right.”
Donations dropped off at Borough Hall
are anonymous and are not tax-deductible
and all donated items will be distributed
to homeless children throughout
the city. Borough Hall can be easily
reached by mass transit by taking the E or
F subway lines to the Kew Gardens-Union
Turnpike station.
Courtesy of Borough Hall
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and Sarah Murphy, of the Coalition for the homeless,
following last year’s “Project: Back to School” that resulted in hundreds of backpacks with supplies
for homeless children.
Courtesy of Yehuda Gelman
Yehuda Gelman (l.) joins other physically challenged members of Team Knight Riders in one of the largest experiential sports fundraisers, Bike4Chai.
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