Photo Courtesy of Councilwoman Ariola
By Forum Staff
City Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) teamed up with Resorts World NYC to transport the 5th grade class at PS 306 in Woodhaven to and from Citi Field for a Bullying Prevention Performance and Amazin’ baseball game on Thursday.
“We were able to obtain school buses to bring us to Citi Field, however, because the game ends after the school day there were no available contracted school buses to bring us back to school,” explained 5th grade teach Patricia Molina. “The Mets organization put me in contact with their charter bus company and they quoted us $1,500 for two handicapped accessible buses for our two wheelchair-bound students.”
Photo Courtesy of Councilwoman Ariola
The class, however, was unable to raise the funds required to cover that cost, and reached out to the councilwoman’s office for assistance. In turn, Ariola reached out to community partners at the Resorts World Casino, who provided all necessary funding to the students.
“Resorts World did not hesitate to step up to the plate and provide the funding that these kids needed to make it to their game,” Ariola said. “They’ve proven to be a valuable partner several times in the past when the community needed assistance, so I had a feeling they might be able to help with this as well.”
“I was honored to have been able to make the connections and broker this arrangement,” the councilwoman added. “Many of these children have never been to a baseball game before, and thanks to this partnership we’ve given them memories that will last a lifetime.”
