FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 26, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 31
Rockaway Beach event honors lives lost to COVID-19
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
give the nearby community a moment
including Far
aacevedo@schnepsmedia.com
to recognize and relieve the collective
Rockaway, are seeing recent
@QNS
grief that’s resulted of the pandemic
spikes in COVID-19 cases.
and to make room for hope, joy and
The organizers of the
In an eff ort to remember the lives lost
possibility.
event wanted to commemorate
to COVID-19, NYCNext teamed up with
Queens quickly became the
those who have passed.
Floral Heart Project to host a socially
epicenter of the epicenter, with
Libby brought messages of
distant healing ritual and concert at
more than 7,000 deaths since
love as well as a fl oral heart
Rockaway Beach on Saturday, Nov. 14.
the pandemic forced the city
arrangement presentation.
NYCNext, a volunteer organization with
to go on lockdown
The Black Surfing
a mission to bring spontaneous joy to the
in March.
Association ofRockaway
city, and Floral Heart Project artist Kristina
N o w ,
helped release the heart
Libby, in collaboration with leading fl oral
s e v e r a l
into the ocean.
provider 1-800-Flowers.com, wanted to
neighborhoods,
Th ere were performances
by Th e Salvation Army Queens Temple
Corps & Worship, based in Jackson
Heights, and noted musicians Willie
Martinez and Friends. Queens activist
Ruben Cruz, co-chair of the Latin
American Intercultural Alliance (LAIA),
also supported the event.
Th is is the latest in a series of events
organized by NYCNext. Previous events
include “A Moment for Broadway” in
Times Square with Broadway stars and a
poetry reading on the steps of New York
Public Library with Min Jin Lee, Nancy
Mercado and Daniel J. Watts.
buzz
Photos courtesy of NYCNext
/1-800-Flowers.com
/WWW.QNS.COM
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