By Brendan Browne
For the first time in years, Shea Stadium seemed like a place of champions Thursday.
Sorry, Mets fans, but it was not due to the heroics of Mike Piazza or Roberto Alomar. The Home Town Hero Awards honored 10 Queens kids for excellence in community service, school work or creative talents at the stadium’s Diamond Club.
St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital, the Mets, the TimesLedger Newspapers and the Helms Brothers Mercedes dealership sponsored the luncheon.
“These kids give you hope and let you know that there is goodness in the world,” said Mets outfielder Tony Tarasco. “It’s great that kids find the courage to step up and help out in the community. It lets you know the next generation isn’t headed for the drain.”
Former first lady Donna Hanover served as the master of ceremonies and the kids, ages 5 to 18, were congratulated by Tarasco and Mets pitcher Steve Trachsel, Amazin’ legends Tom Seaver and Rusty Staub, and the team’s broadcaster, Ted Robinson.
The youths received Mets jerseys with their names on the backs for awards such as Silver Slugger, Rookie of the Year and Home Run Hitter for different contributions they made to the Queens community.
The Comeback Kid honor went to Flushing’s Joseph Leone, 5, who was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 3. He rebounded from chemotherapy treatment, regaining his ability to walk, which the disease had taken from him. Now healthy, he is enrolled in elementary school.
“He is full of life and love, and he is a very special boy. I am proud to have such a brave, strong child in my life,” said his mother, Karamarie Leone.
Jonathan Price, 17, of Bayside, towered over Hall of Famer Tom Seaver as he was honored for teaching religious instruction to sixth-graders and working as a peer tutor. He also graduated seventh in his class at Flushing’s Holy Cross High School as president of the National Honor Society at the school.
Whitestone’s Lauren Dash, a 9-year-old singer, was declared the Amazin’ Kid for her exceptional musical talents. She thanked the audience and sang a rendition of “The Laughing Song.”
The Heart of the Team award went to Sumera Bukhari, of Briarwood, for her four years of volunteer work in the American Red Cross. She assisted relief efforts after a fire destroyed an Astoria hardware store, killing three firefighters on Father’s Day last year.
“I’m very proud. Hopefully, I motivated other people in the community,” Bukhari, 16, said. “I enjoy [the Red Cross] because it allows my peers and I to do so much.”
The Mets also honored Bayside’s Vincent Rossi, 8, as the Most Improved Player for boosting his grades in school. Laura Flynn, 10, of Maspeth, won the Major League Manager award for the entrepreneurial achievement of selling hundreds of pieces of lanyard jewelry and key chains.
Diana Medina, 18, of Flushing, took home the Silver Slugger award for her work at the Red Cross and for community service since she was a child. Another Red Cross volunteer, Jukay Hsu, 17, of Flushing, won the Most Valuable Player for helping to organize the organization’s relief effort outside of Shea Stadium on Sept. 11.
Daniel Reeves, 7, of Douglaston, was awarded the Rookie of the Year honor after he donated the money he received for his first Holy Communion to a local firehouse after Sept. 11. He also participates in an annual walk-a-thon that raises money for a local hospital.
The Mets also honored Aileen Thai, 16, of Jackson Heights, for her work in the Salvation Army and the Red Cross. She has helped organize several fund-raisers to support both organizations.
Reach reporter Brendan Browne by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or by phone at 229-0300, Ext. 155.
