The Shining Lights Of Queens:
Changing The World

This story is for them. It is just a small sketch to represent hundreds of Queens people who make their world a better place every day. People like Sister Catherine, who is the very heart of the network in Queens, and always finds a way to get the new family, the elderly person in need, or the lost teen exactly what can save their day and their lives.

George Alexiou

"It’s not about me, and it’s not me alone," said George Alexiou. "Many people are involved."

About nine years ago, Alexiou began a special Thanksgiving event centered around the distribution of free turkeys among the needy.

"This year we fed 700 people, and catered food to 300 more who could not physically join us," Alexiou said. "I had the idea, but everybody embraced it with about 60 people contributing food."

Alexiou explained that the original idea was to help the poor and homeless, but that he soon realized the party could be shared by everybody.

"There are people who have the money but they are terribly lonely," Alexiou said, citing recent immigrants he has met from countries like Bangladesh and China who have nowhere to go for the holidays. Alexiou knows first-hand how they feel, as he went through a similar experience being a Greek immigrant himself.

"When I came to America 25 years ago, all I wanted was to make money and go back to Greece within a year to buy myself a home there," recalled Alexiou. Instead he has found a new home in Astoria, where people know, love and respect him greatly for the selfless job he does for the community.

James Curran

When it comes to CPR, no one administers it better than James Curran.

That is, the NYPD "brand" of CPR – "Courtesy, Professionalism and Respect."

Curran, a 10-year NYPD veteran is currently assigned as Assistant Borough Coordinator at Patrol Borough Queens South, where he is responsible for "assisting in the everyday operation of seven commands within the Borough command."

What that breaks down to in "people" terms is that Curran is sought-out on a regular, daily basis by everyone – and anyone – who needs help gathering, distributing and processing information on precinct operations. For the record, Curran is also "the man" most sought out by reporter-types who need help in securing "oddball" facts regarding the NYPD and its operation in Queens.

Curran takes his responsibilities to heart, not only as an NYPD professional, but as a concerned, compassionate individual who is never too busy to lend a hand – even if it takes his own time.

He simply does not know how to say "no."

Danny Daloya

For many people throughout Queens, with the holiday season also comes the holiday feast. Danny Daloya, 45, knows a little bit about both. This Forest Hills butcher works hard to help those customers, the large majority of which are recent emigrants from the former Soviet Union, who may have difficulty paying for the food right away, if at all.

Reminiscent of shopkeepers during the Depression era, Daloya keeps a large green ledger handy to record the names of clientele and the amount owed. When the patrons earn enough to pay him back, the book comes out again and the debt is erased.

The son of Tunisian Jews who often lived on just enough to get by, Daloya knows full well how difficult it can be when money is scarce. At Finest Kosher Meats and Poultry, where Daloya has practiced his accommodating style since he bought the shop over eight months ago, customers can even obtain hard to find items that are especially popular during the holiday season.

When Daloya recalls being denied food while growing up in Israel with 10 brothers and sisters, he can’t help but think that he was meant to be a butcher.

Sister Theresa Fitzgerald

Sister Theresa started a unique out-reach program, Hour Children, and now runs four houses in Queens whose workers and volunteers care for and raise the children of incarcerated women.

"She is just an overpowering lady," said of her Ann Musto, one of the many volunteers. "She takes care of those children, feeds them, houses them. She is such a remarkable human being."

It is no mistake to say that these are also her children, because as Ann Musto said, "Those kids treat her like a mother; they hug her, kiss her, love her."

Sister Theresa’s activities also include a program to help the children’s mothers find a job and a safe place to live after they have served their time in jail. The house Hour Children 2, for instance, hosts eight families at the moment; the mothers are out on parole and trying to overcome the transition from imprisonment to a normal active life, while already rejoined with their children.

Sister Theresa and her unique program have helped over 500 children in the last ten years.

As for their Queens neighbors, "People call us to ask what we need," sister Celia said, "They know what sister Theresa does and people go to her, offering their help. She doesn’t need to beg anymore."

Nestor Murdocca

They just call him Nestor in Bayside, and that is the only name he needs among the children that he gives toys to.

Nestor’s gifts over the past 25 years have ranged from full-scale parties at local halls just to give toys to children to standing outside the Carvel’s on Bell Blvd. on Halloween day giving out donated toys and free ice creams that he buys.

But there have been thousands of small occasions with Nestor’s mark on them. Sometimes cases of apples show up at St. Mary’s Hospital for Children. Sometimes a neighbor finds a turkey at their door. He says "it’s all for the children" and explains that it is important for children to have "something good and unexpected" happen to them because they carry it the rest of their lives.

Von Murray

Lending a helping hand is nothing new for Von Murray, owner of Von’s Store in Corona, he’s been doing it for the past 30 years.

"He’s been giving fatherly advice" to generations of kids who stop in at his Northern Boulevard store, according to Von’s son Gerard, creator of the School of Hard Knocks clothing line.

Whether serving as a one time Kiwanis Club member and a former board member of Elmcorps or by donating time and money to children’s sports programs and other community events Von is constantly giving back to the community.

When Von turned his Corona shoe store over to his son Gerard, he turned it into a nationally known business called the "School Of Hard Knocks." But despite the family business’ international, you can still find Von Murray sitting outside of his store watching over Northern Boulevard or take the empty seat next to him inside and find that he has the time to offer just the right honest and heart-felt advice to make it all make sense.

Lucy Schilero

Lucy Schilero’s work in her neighborhood began in 1985 with a simple idea: keep her neighborhood a safe place to live.

Nearly 15 years later, Schilero is president of the Coalition of United Residents for a Safer Community, a group which helps join people together in an effort to improve the quality of neighborhoods across Queens. The Coalition covers the Elmhurst, Corona, Jackson Heights area; and all of this based out of her own home.

"The neediest in the community are elderly people and youngsters," Schilero said. "We continuously check up on our seniors. We help them stay in touch with their families, if they are not nearby."

Schilero said that she and the coalition volunteers become a "family" for those who are lonely. "We go door to door, to check that seniors who participate in the program are well," she said.

As for the youngsters, Schilero explained that the Coalition has an outreach program to let teenagers know there is someone they can turn to when when their parents are not available.

Linda Vigilio

Linda Vigilio and her father Carl Dilallo light up Queens every Chistmas . . . and Halloween, and Easter, and sometimes even on St. Patrick’s Day.

For five years, Vigilio has created imaginative displays like the one shown this week on the Tribune’s front page (157-66 19th Avenue, Whitestone) and her father has helped with the mechanical and electrical work. And over those five years, her neighbors have stopped, applauded, and turned over between $12-$14,000 to the collection box outside to help St. Mary’s Hospital for Children. Sometimes there are checks. Sometimes there are many coins to wrap, but Vigilio said that what always makes the days of work she puts into each display worth finding the time between caring for her mother and her three young children, and her mail-order work at home is what it means to the neighborhood.

"The older people, they look for it, they wait for it," she said, and the faces on the neighborhood residents as they enjoy 47,000 lights and 40 animated dolls are Vigilio’s reward.

Christine Zeoli

Christine Zeoli (right), her young neice (left) and her devoted helper Poppy (at Santa‘s right) make Christmas a joy for children of the Queens Psychiatric Center simply because they believe someone should.

Eight years ago, an accident happened.

Christine Zeoli, co-owner of Studio Z in Bayside, wanted to donate gifts to a local charity for Christmas, but the charity only wanted cash, not toys.

In her upset, she told a customer at her salon about her problem, and Susan Gibson took Zeoli’s tragedy to heart and to work at Iris Hill House for troubled children, then later added the Queens Psychiatric Center for Children.

Every year now, Zeoli has a giving tree in her salon with ornaments made by the children of the center and signed with their names and ages. She then gives the ornaments out to customers who bring back extraordinary persents in return . . . from Game Boys to Pokemon.

This year, Queens residents and Studio Z employees Poppy and Stephanie took to heart their work as elves and spent hours on the salon floor wrapping, labeling, and checking presents for delivery by Santa on Christmas week.

And as the wrapping paper flew at the center’s party, it was Zeoli and Poppy who stood guard, checking the batteries, assembling the toys, and finding the one extra something to bring a smile to every child.