Woodhaven’s Grapevine – Volume # 134

• Our Top Stories
  • Woodhaven Town Hall TOMORROW Sat. July 18th 10 AM at Emanuel
  • Community Calendar
  • Save the Date! WRBA 2015 Fundraiser / Dinner Dance
  • Mary Whalen Playground Renovations To Begin 

• Local Events
  • No-Cost Breast Cancer Screening 7/23
  • Graffiti Cleanup for NYFAC  7/25
  • Blood Drive at Emanuel  7/25
  • STA Giant Rummage Sale  7/25
  • National Night Out Against Crime  8/4  
  • Woodhaven & Ozone Park: Life on the Border  8/11
    
  • Woodhaven 50s Drive-In Party  8/22
  • Joe Addabbo’s Annual Thank A Vet BBQ  8/29
    

• News & Announcements
  
  • New Bus-Only Lanes on Woodhaven Boulevard
    
  • Woodhaven Cemetery Cleanup – Year One
  • Assemblyman Miller’s Newsletter
    
  • Participatory Budgeting Comes to District 30
    
  • CM Ulrich Discusses Budget
    
  • Plan B at Forest Park
    
  • Woodhaven WW2 Vet Returns to Neir’s Tavern
  • Town Hall for Veterans
    
  • Woodhaven Walkabout
    
  • Woodhaven Resident on Real Housewives
    
  • Help Man Find His Father
    
  • WRBA Website
  • Woodhaven Resources
  • WRBA Dance Journal
  • WRBA Membership Drive

** Our Top Stories:

** Woodhaven Town Hall 10 AM TOMORROW Saturday July 18 – Your problems and issues do not take off for the summer — and neither does the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association. Come out tomorrow morning to keep up to date on what’s happening – pass along any complaints – and still have plenty of time to enjoy your summer day. Click here for details along with some advice on what to do if you’ve got a noisy neighbor – plus details on our upcoming graffiti cleanup to benefit families with autistic children – and how you can help!! See you tomorrow at Emanuel – 91st Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard!

** Community Calendar – At the top and bottom of every Grapevine you will find links to the community calendar that the WRBA maintains. Please take a few moments to peruse the schedule of events, including all the Forest Park concerts, for 2015. And if you see that we’re missing something — let us know!

** Save the Date! The 2015 Dinner Dance / Fundraiser – The WRBA’s annual celebration of Woodhaven will take place at Roma View Catering Hall on Friday, October 2nd starting at 7:30. Tickets will go on sale soon – and an exciting group of honorees will be announced very soon.

** Mary Whalen Playground Renovations To Begin – This week we received the great news that renovations to Mary Whalen Playground (79th Street and Park Lane South) are set to begin soon. CM Elizabeth Crowley invites everyone to be a part of a groundbreaking ceremony at 10 AM on Tuesday, August 18th.

** Upcoming Events:

** No-Cost Breast Cancer Screening – The American-Italian Cancer Foundation’s (AICF) mobile, No-Cost Breast Cancer Screening Program which provides mammograms and clinical breast exams to uninsured and medically underserved New York City women is scheduled to conduct screenings in Woodhaven on Thursday, July 23, 2015 in front of Queens County Savings Bank (NYCB) at  93-22 Jamaica Avenue. You must schedule an appointment.  For more information, please call 1-877-628-9090.

** Graffiti Cleanup to Fight Autism –  On Saturday, July 25, the Block Association will lead a group of volunteers in painting every mailbox in the neighborhood.  Many of Woodhaven’s more than 100 mailboxes have been vandalized with graffiti.  The WRBA will solicit pledges from residents to support the clean-up effort.  All proceeds will be donated to New York Families for Autistic Children (NYFAC). Residents may pledge donations (for example, 25 cents per mailbox painted) and may cap their pledges (for example, 50 cents per mailbox, up to a maximum of $25).

** Blood Drive at Emanuel – Emanuel United Church of Christ, (93-12 91st Avenue) will be hosting their 8th Annual Warren Ackermann Memorial Blood Drive on Saturday, July 25th 9 AM to 2:45 PM.  Their goal this year is 40 pints of blood and your donation will help to save up to three lives. This blood drive is always a fun day with good people, good refreshments and a good raffle.  Walk-ins welcome or you may call 718-849-1153 for an appointment. For questions concerning medical eligibility, please call 1-800-688-0900. Note: New York Blood Center is also offering a Donor Advantage Program, so each time you donate blood you will earn points.  Once you accumulate 800 points, you can then redeem your points for a wide variety of gifts, gift cards or donate your points to selected charitable organizations.

** Giant Rummage Sale at STA – The annual rummage sale at St. Thomas the Apostle in Monsignor Mulz Hall (88-08 Jamaica Avenue) starts next week – click here for dates of the sale and drop-off information.

** National Night Out Against Crime – The 2015 Night Out Against Crime will take place Tuesday, August 4th at the Buddy Monument in Richmond Hill. This is always a fun time – and a great opportunity to get to know your local police officers. Click here for highlights from last year’s event.

** Woodhaven & Ozone Park: Life on the Border – The Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society will be giving a presentation of old pictures of the area between our two communities on Tuesday, August 11th starting at 7:30. Highlights include the Grosjean Factory and Mansion, the Arrival and Disappearance of the Railroad, and the Cyclone of 1895.

** 50s Woodhaven Drive-In Party – On Saturday August 22nd, the Woodhaven Historical Society will bring back the excitement of the Drive-In Movies — Coming Attractions and Short Films — the great music on the speakers — running to the Snack Bar to get Popcorn or Hot Dogs. Tickets $5 for adults, $2 for children – click here for more details.

** Joe Addabbo’s Annual Thank A Vet BBQ – Sen. Joe Addabbo will be hosting his Thank a Vet BBQ at his office, as he has done for the last few years, on Saturday, August 29th from 12 PM to 3 PM. Joe’s Office is at 159-53 101st Street in Howard Beach and everyone is welcome!

** News & Announcements:

** New Bus-Only Lanes on Woodhaven Boulevard – New Bus-Only lane rules (North of Metropolitan Avenue) will go into effect very soon (click here for details).

 

** Woodhaven Cemetery Cleanup – Year One – The Woodhaven Clutural & Historical Society along with dedicated volunteers from the community and the STA Woodhaven History Club have been working hard for the past 12 months on the Wyckoff-Snedicker Family Cemetery on 96th Street – click here for a progress report. The next cleanup is on Saturday August 8th (always the 2nd Saturday) from 9 AM to 12 PM. Volunteers welcomed and needed. Note: At the last cleanup, a lost tombstone was returned to the cemetery – click here for the story.

** Assemblyman Miller’s Newsletter – Assemblyman Mike Miller’s latest newsletter is out – click here to read it. Mike will be hosting “Assemblyman in Your Area” events all over the community during the summer, including dates at the WRBA Office – the entire schedule is in the newsletter!

 

** Participatory Budgeting Comes to District 30 – Over the past 2 years, residents of the District 32 portion of Woodhaven took part in the Participatory Budgeting process. Starting next year, all residents of Woodhaven will be able to take part as District 30 will join the process in which residents help decide how to spend capital funds.

** CM Ulrich Discusses Budget – Councilman Eric Ulrich called into Radio Free Woodhaven last week to discuss the budget passed by the NY City Council and what it means to Woodhaven – the best news is that there will be more police officers, Saturday Library hours, and no cuts to our Senior Centers or our Firehouses. Eric also discussed a $175,000 upgrade to our Forest Park Dog Run – click here to hear the entire interview.

** Plan B at Forest Park – Last week’s Beatles Tribute at the Bandshell was canceled due to predictions of bad weather – but there was a crowd and you know the old saying – the show must go on! Check our community calendar for the full schedule of community events, including concerts in Forest Park.

** Woodhaven WW2 Vet Returns to Neir’s – 90-year old WW2 Vet William Burlingame was married to his wife Peggy in 1946. They held the reception there as well. Mr. Burlingame returned to Neir’s for the first time in many decades – click here to read, or click here to see the story on NY1.

** Town Hall for Veterans – The Queens Library is hosting a Town Hall for Veterans on Saturday, August 1st from 10 AM to 4 PM at the Central Library on Merrick Boulevard in Jamaica. Here, veterans can get answers to the GI Bill and Benefits questions – click here for more information – and if you know a veteran, pass along the news! If you have any questions at all, please call 1-888-762-0132, option 5.

** Woodhaven Walkabout – Some pictures from a recent walkabout of Woodhaven – lots of nice pictures in Forest Park including a surprise appearance – click to see who was on the tower near the FDNY Dispatcher building.

** Woodhaven Resident on Real Housewives – Woodhaven’s Sema Ballavoski (Author of Lilith’s Awakenings) will make an appearance next Tuesday (7/21) at 9 PM on New York’s Real Housewives on Bravo – Click here for an episode preview.

** Help Man Find His Father – Adam Maiello was born in 1980 – and he is looking for his father who came from this area. Click here to read the story – or you can click here to here our exclusive interview with Adam. Maybe someone out there can help this young man find his father.

 

** WRBA Website – If you ever want to know when our next meeting is, you can always find out by visiting our official website – woodhaven-nyc.org. There, you will find our Community Calendar, Latest News and Announcements, Membership Info, our Press Releases, and a list of our media appearances.

** Woodhaven Resources – Click here for a new page that is a useful resource of local numbers and links — you will find local clubs and organizations, emergency numbers, city agencies, elected officials, schools and churches. This is a work in progress – if you come across any incorrect information or information you think should be added, please drop a line to projectwoodhaven@gmail.com.

** WRBA Dance Journal – Each year, the WRBA produces a journal for its dinner dance. The journal looks back on the past 12 months, pays tribute to our honorees, and includes many ads from businesses and sponsors — click here to take a few moments to look through last year’s WRBA Journal. And please take note of the businesses that supported our community by taking out an ad in this year’s journal. Return the favor – support these businesses – and please thank them the next time you are doing business with them.  Without their support, much of what the WRBA does would not be possible.

** WRBA Membership Drive – Many thanks to everyone who signed up as new members or renewed their existing memberships. Our drive for new memberships and renewals continues.  If you want to renew or sign-up online, click here.

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Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association

woodhaven-nyc.org

718-296-3735

     

Tags: Grapevine