Hanging out in Queens

[mike carey]

3 minutes ago, samhexum said:

YES... didn't you hear we had an earthquake?

Things shifted a bit.  🙃🙃🙃

Small earthquake in far away country ... nothing to see ...

Seriously, I had heard something about that, but I'm never sure about which small island a place is on ...

To quote another poster, 'grin' ...

[samhexum]

On 5/1/2023 at 2:44 PM, pubic_assistance said:

Zum Stammtisch is really the only remaining restaurant in NYC that serves good German food.

 

Check out the 14 food destinations in Queens featured on New York Times ‘100 Best’ list 

Last on the list of Queens eateries is the longtime eatery Zum Stammtisch on Myrtle Avenue in Glendale. The restaurant has been serving house made wursts, cooked in the restaurant’s own smokehouse, since 1972. This year it moved up a couple spots on the list. 

[samhexum]

The Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirmed are working to preserve a care model, rooted in love, for a growing older adult population. 

Since 1971, Ozanam Hall Nursing Home in Bayside has sponsored the Carmelite Sisters congregation to provide skilled, well-rounded care to seniors of all faiths through a traditional Catholic healthcare model. It is currently home to over 350 senior residents receiving around-the-clock care in their final years. 

Among the hundreds of employees are fifteen nuns, some visiting from other countries, who reside on the top floor. While their professional occupations include registered nurses, social workers and administrators, they are united by their pledge of poverty and service to others. Those working in the system say that their presence is a guiding force for the residents going through the physical and mental challenges of aging. 

The Carmelite System is currently exploring routes to preserve the footprint of the Catholic Church and grow the Catholic model of healthcare. In the process, they hope to continue serving people in need while adhering to their motto: “The difference is love.”

“We continue to carry on the values and charisms of the Carmelite sisters to ensure that we really have a focus on human dignity, especially as people age,” said Patrica K. Gathers, President and CEO of The Carmelite System. She began working in Catholic healthcare in 2001, and was inspired to become a Mercy Associate. 

She says that one key difference between Carmelite nursing homes and others is an emphasis on comprehensive palliative care measures to address the spiritual and emotional pain that comes up towards the end of one’s life. The goal is to allow the long-term residents to lead a dignified life as they become infirm, which includes offering private rooms, a range of daily activities for engagement, and spiritual care for people of all faiths. 

The Carmelite Sisters congregation was founded in 1929 by Mother Angeline McCrory, who also wanted to establish a care model for the middle class. She previously served as a superior of the Little Sisters of the Poor in the Bronx but was moved by the need to serve elderly people of all socioeconomic classes. 

Today, the Carmelite congregation is uniquely positioned as the only post-acute Catholic-sponsored entity in the country. It offers nursing homes and assisted living without being tied to a hospital system, which has a very different business model. The congregation is found in seven states with 13 entities, including one in Ireland.

“We want the residents to make sure that they understand that we are in their home, and we’re here to serve them,” said Gathers, giving an example of, “I don’t say I’m the CEO, I serve in the capacity of the CEO, I’m here to serve.”

While the number of nuns is dwindling—only 115 sisters remain in the Carmelite congregation according to leaders—the quality of care they deliver to patients and fellow staff members remains unwavering. The decline in numbers can be attributed to more opportunities for women to make an impact today than there were decades ago.

A 2014 report from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate found that only 1% of nuns today are under 40 and the average age of a sister is 80 years old. And since 1965 there has been a 76 percent drop in sisters around the country with less than a thousand anticipated to be left by 2042. 

“We all have a method of catering to others and my method is be available, be public and get the work done,” said Sister Philip Ann, Administrator at Ozanam Hall. “But everybody tries to give the best care they can.”

Sister Philip arrived in Queens in 2015 after working from locations in Boston, Cincinnati, Columbus and other boroughs in the city over the years. Originally from Ireland, she took a vow of poverty at 22 and has since worked in the Carmelite System in various roles, including registered nurse and director of nurses. 

“We all inspire each other,” she said about her current role in Ozanam Hall. “One person’s loving attention for a resident inspires compassion for another person. When one of us is having a bad day, another pulls them out of it.”

During the early days of the pandemic, when nursing homes had significantly high rates of infection and death, the sisters ramped up their efforts. Despite their ages and proximity putting them at a heightened risk, they continued their roles and filled in the gaps created by a shrinking staff. 

Before the pandemic government assistance came in, the St. Patrick’s Home in the Bronx was at risk of closing due to a significant decrease in the census. In an effort to save it, the Carmelite Sisters congregation gave $9 million of their own funds to keep the facility from shuttering.

“They took of their own resources, their own future pension money to take care of their congregation, and they invested it to ensure that our homes were able to survive during the pandemic,” Gathers recalled. “I think that that’s a beautiful thing.”

Gathers says it’s not the first time the nuns have used ingenuity and pooled resources to serve others. The history of the Carmelite Sisters is steeped with similar stories of women’s innovation and selflessness. This congregation was born during a period when the sisters were given male names so that they would be taken more seriously in a male-dominated society.

Gathers says that her goal now is to maintain a sound financial and business model so that the sisters do not need to underwrite their ministry in the future, even if their compassionate natures incline them to. She hopes that the Catholic business model remains viable and continues to survive amid the changes in the modern world. 

“This has been a women-led business since 1929 when it was unheard of. They really have made a material impact across this country that people don’t even necessarily understand,” said Gathers. “They pulled things together, and they just did it on faith, and a lot of prayers and a lot of grit not asking for anything in return. And that’s why I’m personally committed to trying to make sure that these assets are preserved.”

‘Love is the difference’: Carmelite Sisters work to preserve Catholic care model for aging residents  – QNS

QNS.COM

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The Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirmed are working to preserve a care model, rooted in love, for a...

[samhexum]

Forest Hills’ Geraldine Ferraro helped set the stage for Kamala Harris: Our Neighborhood, The Way it Was

and my friend shopped at the same Key Food that she did, which has been a CVS for years... though I'm sure Geraldine would've gone to the Trader Joe's on Metropolitan Ave, two blocks away, had it existed back then.

Edited April 22 by samhexum
because he's bored as hell

[samhexum]

Solar power canopy at JFK long-term parking lot to help power AirTrain, nearby homes

 

Swing Dancing at The Castle in Fort Totten 4/26

Chinese-style charcoal BBQ and live music at Gao’s BBQ & Crab 4/26

 

Edited April 23 by samhexum
because he's bored as hell

[+ WilliamM]

On 4/22/2024 at 9:39 AM, samhexum said:

Forest Hills’ Geraldine Ferraro helped set the stage for Kamala Harris: Our Neighborhood, The Way it Was

and my friend shopped at the same Key Food that she did, which has been a CVS for years... though I'm sure Geraldine would've gone to the Trader Joe's on Metropolitan Ave, two blocks away, had it existed back then.

Ferraro and her husband had  financial issues which I believe were never resolved.

[samhexum]

Rob Basch: Champion of Long Island City parks

Rob Basch is not your average volunteer. While many might shy away from the idea of picking up trash for a living, Basch embraces it wholeheartedly. As the president of the Hunters Point Park Conservancy in Long Island City, he dedicates his days to nurturing the park and transforming it into a haven for the Queens community.

With picturesque views of Manhattan and Brooklyn, Hunters Point Park South holds a special place in the hearts of locals. Basch recognizes the importance of maintaining its beauty.

“We hate litter, but someone has to get down and pick it up."

He has served in his role since 2014, ensuring his presence is felt in the park daily. Beyond his efforts in park maintenance, he spearheads fundraising initiatives to support summer programming. From outdoor movie nights to waterfront 5k runs, Basch strives to offer enriching experiences that bring the community together.

When he is not taking care of the park or holding events, he is offering environmental education to K-12 students at the newly-opened Queens Landing Boathouse and Environmental Center. With lessons on topics ranging from flood mitigation to boating, he teaches students about the beauty of taking care of nature. 

“Hopefully a kindergartner or first grader can come here and learn something and be motivated,” Basch said. “In ten years, they’ll know how to save the planet.” 

[samhexum]

[samhexum]

City opens new 35-acre public nature preserve along the Rockaway waterfront in Edgemere

By Bill Parry

 

 

City officials, elected leaders, developers and community members gathered at the location of a formerly vacant illegal dumping ground on Beach 44th Street Wednesday to cut the ribbon at the new 35-acre Arverne East Nature Preserve and Welcome Center along the Rockaway waterfront in Edgemere.

The preserve represents phase one of an ambitious Arverne East development project, which will transform more than 100 acres of underutilized space between Beach 32nd Street and Beach 56th Place into 1,650 units of housing — 80% of which will be affordable, serving low-income and middle-income individuals and families — in addition to retail and community space, a hotel and a tap room and brewery.

The new nature preserve hosts five different maritime ecosystems, providing a safe home for diverse local animal and plant life. Pedestrian pathways weave through the preserve, offering New Yorkers a new way to observe and appreciate these natural environments, including accessible connections to the Rockaway boardwalk. A new multipurpose building was also constructed as part of this project, which will house a community meeting space, crew headquarters for Parks maintenance staff and a public restroom.

Arverne East’s new multipurpose building.

 

Edited Friday at 06:35 PM by samhexum
to ensure maximum delight for the reader!

[samhexum]

On 2/11/2024 at 11:58 AM, samhexum said:

 

A lawsuit filed against Forest Hills Stadium is calling for the operators to stop holding concerts at the historic open-air venue, citing a deterioration in the quality of life for nearby residents. 

 

On 2/12/2024 at 12:10 AM, BenjaminNicholas said:

It would be a fucking shame to see these residents kill this and then end up with shitty urban sprawl instead.  FHS is a unique venue and one I've loved for a long, long time.

NYC judge muffles concerts at Forest Hills Stadium over noise complaints from neighbors

Supreme Court Justice Joseph Esposito agreed that the racket from the venue — and wandering concertgoers — was a legitimate nuisance for neighbors, and ordered the venue’s overseers to put a lid on it following a lawsuit filed by the Forest Hills Garden Corp., a local civic group.