By Brendan Browne
The minute the first airplane flew into the north tower of the World Trade Center, Queens volunteers responded in the rescue and recovery efforts that still have not ceased today.
“As soon as I saw on television that the plane hit, we went and got the van” and rushed to the World Trade Center, said Mario Velez, who heads the disaster action team for the American Red Cross’s Queens chapter, at a ceremony honoring the organization’s volunteers in June.
Like thousands of other volunteers from the city, Velez and members of the Red Cross fought gridlock traffic to make their way to Ground Zero to provide any assistance they could. Teenagers worked side by side with adults in the Red Cross.
That effort stretched out over days, weeks, months and neared the year mark as volunteers assisted not only Sept. 11 victims through physical medical attention but also with psychological counseling, legal advice, financial support and even free transportation.
Alongside the Red Cross volunteers, every corps of the New York State Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association immediately went to Ground Zero, including ones from Bayside, Glen Oaks, Middle Village, Glen Oaks, Forest Hills, Jamaica Estates and Ridgewood.
The Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corp. lost 18-year-old Richard Pearlman, who died while administering first aid at the World Trade Center site. All the corps had equipment damaged beyond repair in the rescue.
The recovery effort quickly spread into Queens as the Red Cross set up a base for firefighters at Shea Stadium, providing blankets, food, medical attention and psychological counseling around the clock.
In the days that followed, the ranks of volunteers swelled. Drivers from the Taxi and Limousine Commission all over the city gave free rides to families that had lost a loved one, blood donors, rescue workers and anyone else involved in the recovery, said Allan Fromberg, deputy commissioner for public affairs at the TLC.
“Taxi drivers were queued up every hour of the day and night. It’s one of the better tales of how this city came together,” said Fromberg.
He pointed out that drivers of Middle Eastern and Asian descent, including many Queens Sikh drivers, sensitive about how people would perceive them, worked especially hard.
Jatinder Sekhon Singh, a Sikh taxi driver from Queens Village, said he drove all over the city offering free rides to rescue workers, victims, and other affected by the terrorist attacks.
“I enjoyed it and felt happy to do the work,” said Singh. “The people came forward and helped the city. We did as most people would do.”
Children and teenagers pitched in tremendously, too. Daniel Green, 14, of Howard Beach who recently became an Eagle Scout, the highest rank for Boy Scouts, organized a “Community Safety and Security Fair” that dealt with community concerns ranging from crime prevention to first aid training. in the wake of the attacks
His brother, Matthew, 16, also an Eagle Scout, put together a drive that sent food and supplies to Ground Zero, and another that supplied food to families that lost their homes or loved ones in the attack.
Even Douglaston’s Daniel Reeves, 7, donated the money he received for his first Holy Communion to a local firehouse after the terrorist assault.
To this day, thousands of recovery workers, in all sorts of fields, still assist those affected by the events of Sept. 11.
For example, more than 1,000 members of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, including several from Queens, formed the Trial Lawyers Care to give free legal guidance to the victims and their families, who wish to secure federal funds earmarked for their benefit.
“Some of the lawyers have told me this is the most rewarding thing they’ve done as lawyers,” said Christopher Goeken, a spokesman for the organization.
The Red Cross volunteers and several non-profit organizations like Project Liberty have offered free counseling for victims suffering not only from the effects of the attack but also from fears there could be another attack.
And in a touching undertaking, thousands of schoolchildren have contributed artwork, food, clothes, and other types of support to assist victims of that September day.
Reach reporter Brendan Browne by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or by phone at 229-0300, Ext. 136.
