By Adam Kramer
“We need more of this and they give us a boost,” said Brown, one of the 40 seniors who attended the show at their Hillside Avenue residence.
Resident Helen Cosgrove agreed, saying the whole sing-a-long was enjoyable and the students did a marvelous job.
The visit was one of the many charitable events the 25 students donate their time to throughout the year.
“A lot the residents living here do not have people come to visit and they get lonely,” said Gwendolyn Williams, an 11th-grade member of the organization from St. Albans who also volunteers at the home. “It brightens their day. We did it last year and they were very happy.”
She said young people who want to experience something extraordinary should spend some time in a nursing home learning about the residents and their lives.
“I think it is really nice to help out the elderly,” said Veronique Mompoint, an 11th grader from Queens Village who lives down the block from the home. “When I see them outside, they look depressed and to see them smile while we sing is really nice.”
The Leaders Organization is run through Van Buren's physical education department. Its members spend the first gym period of the day learning skills, such as how to officiate sporting events. During the second gym period they assist in another gym class.
But they also work beyond the school day.
Debra Gold, who runs the Leaders Organization, said members work with City Harvest to collect food, they participate in Queens Botanical Garden's toy drive and hold a bowl-a-thon to raise money for St. Judes Hospital in Texas, which specializes in children's cancer research. All told, they raise about $4,000 each year, she said.
Those students who participate in the program must maintain a grade-point average of 80 or better. Many of the teens are members of Scholars and Arista, an honors program at the school. Gold said she looks for quality youth.
“The kids have to be committed to both the community and to school,” she said. “The kids get into the program through recommendations of the high school's teachers and have to possess integrity and commitment. If you say you are going to do something, you do it.”
