4 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 6, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
‘Commonpoint Queens’ merges two community orgs.
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/ @jenna_bagcal
Two community organizations in
Queens have announced a new name to
mark their merger and rebranding.
Th e Samuel Field Y in Little Neck and
the Central Queens Y in Forest Hills formally
merged on July 1 of this year aft er
announcing their intent to merge in the
summer of 2016. To commemorate the
union, the two organizations will now be
known as “Commonpoint Queens.”
“In just the last year, this merger has
allowed us the opportunity to expand our
reach, to promote fairness in our neighborhoods,
to meet the evolving needs
of our borough, and to more eff ectively
reinforce that we are a “common point”
for the diverse population of Queens to
come together,” said Danielle Ellman,
Commonpoint Queens’ CEO.
Combined the two agencies serve a total
of 45,000 people at 52 locations across
Queens.
“Prior to merging, the Samuel Field Y,
founded in 1954 and the Central Queens
Y which began serving the borough of
Queens in 1973, were jointly managed,
working closely together to deliver programs
and services to the greater Queens
community for almost 10 years,” according
to the agencies.
Th ey were originally created to support
the local Jewish community and
were “guided by the Jewish values of service
and justice.” But as time went on and
demographics shift ed, they extended their
services to reach the broader community.
Since they were created, they were considered
the two largest social service agencies
in the borough and have off ered
numerous services including early childhood
programs, summer camps, senior
services, mental health resources, support
during times of crisis by means of career
help and a food pantry, health and wellness
programs.
Th e agencies have been able to “pool
their human capital resources and capabilities”
which enabled them to add new
programs at nearly 20 locations across the
borough which raised their annual client
base from 35,000 to 45,000.
“You can be assured that the individuals
and families that these two community
mainstays serve will not notice any
change in the quality of the programs
and services currently off ered,” said Larry
Gottlieb, Commonpoint Queens’ Board
Chair. “In fact, Commonpoint Queens
will be able to increase the programs
and services off ered, as we’re continually
innovating and responding to the needs
of the community.”
As is the tradition on Sunday, Dec.
9, the annual Winter Celebration and
Chanukah Festivals will be held at
Commonpoint Queens’ Central Queens
and at Commonpoint Queens’ Sam Field
Center from 1 to 3:30 p.m.
For more information on Commonpoint
Queens, you can visit their website at
www.commonpointqueens.org.
Flushing civic
activist Capalbi
dies at age 73
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@cnglocal.com
@QNS
Flushing civic leader Don Capalbi
died Sunday at the age of 73, according
to Congresswoman Grace Meng.
Capalbi was Meng’s Community
Liaison and had served in the same
capacity when she was a member of the
New York State Assembly.
“It is a deeply sad day,” Meng said.
“A member of our family has passed
away and we are devastated by this terrible
loss.”
Capalbi died at a local hospice facility.
He was hospitalized at Long Island
Jewish Medical Center last month aft er
sustaining a head injury from a fall.
“He was an invaluable part of my
team, providing me with information
and advice about community issues,
and representing me at civic meetings
and local events. He also fought tremendously
for his neighborhood, dedicating
countless hours to preserving
and improving the quality of life in his
community.”
Capalbi grew up in Astoria as the
only child of an Italian immigrant
mother and a father from Indiana.
He was a longtime resident of the
Queensboro Hill section of Flushing,
a quiet residential neighborhood
between Kissena Boulevard and the
Long Island Expressway.
In 2009, Capalbi was elected president
of the Queensboro Hill Flushing
Civic Association aft er the organization
fell dormant following the death
of its previous leader Phyllis McAuliff e
earlier that year.
Capalbi was also a member of many
other organizations in the Queens
community including the Greater
Flushing Chamber of Commerce, New
York Hospital Queens Community
Advisory Council, 109th Precinct
Community Council, Kissena
Corridor Park Conservancy, Lions
Club, Knights of Columbus, Society
for Accessible Travel and Hospitality
and the NAACP.
Funeral arrangements have not been
announced.
Unhappy customer smashes way through Flushing spa
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com
@robbpoz
Armed with a hammer, a man terrorized
workers at a Flushing spa last week
aft er his request for a refund was rebuff ed,
police reported.
Law enforcement sources said the
trouble began at 10:35 p.m. on Nov. 29
inside the Tao Spa Bodywork located at
135-20 40th Rd.
During his visit, police said, the perpetrator
demanded a refund from a
55-year-old female worker. When she
refused, he pulled out a hammer and
again demanded money.
Cops said the suspect then grabbed
the worker by the hair, dragged her out
to the waiting area and punched her in
the face. Th e worker then fl ed to a backroom,
and three other female employees
confronted the enraged customer.
According to authorities, the hammer
wielding man grabbed one of the
workers, a 56-year-old woman, by the
throat and shoved her against the wall.
He then threatened the other employees
with the hammer, prompting one of the
workers to hand over $40 to the suspect,
hoping that he would fi nally leave.
Th e steamed suspect took the money,
but that still wasn’t enough for him,
police said.
Cops noted that the perpetrator walked
over to the counter and smashed open a
piggy bank that was there. He grabbed
some of the coins and cash from the
destroyed bank, then fi nally exited the
spa and headed eastbound on 40th Road.
Offi cers from the 109th Precinct
responded to the reported robbery.
Paramedics treated the injured workers
at the scene.
On Dec. 1, the NYPD released video
footage of the perpetrator, who’s
described as a Hispanic man with black
hair between 20 and 30 years of age,
standing about 5 feet, 6 inches tall and
weighing 160 pounds. He was last seen
wearing a gray hooded coat, dark-colored
jeans and tan work boots while carrying
a light-colored backpack.
Th e video shows the suspect punching
one worker, menacing another and
smashing the piggy bank on the counter.
As The Courier went to press
Wednesday aft ernoon, the suspect was
still at large. Anyone with information
regarding his whereabouts can call
Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS; all
calls are kept confi dential.
Photo via Twitter/@RepGraceMeng
Photo courtesy of NYPD
Photo courtesy of Commonpoint Queens
Samuel Field Y and Central Queens Y commemorate their merger with a new name.
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/www.commonpointqueens.org
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