By Alexander Dworkowitz
On a recent afternoon, Rosa Belmont was busy in Whitestone's American Legion Post 131 on Clintonville Street. The World War II veteran quickly went from decorating the women's bathroom for Valentine's Day to boxing clothing donated for the homeless.
“I take care of this place like it was my home,” Belmont said during a break from her efforts.
For Belmont working hard in the Clintonville Street house is not a rarity. As the only female member of a post with nearly 300 people, Belmont has developed a reputation as a tireless helping hand to several community groups in Whitestone.
After growing up in Manhattan and Long Island, Belmont enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II. She went through basic training in Georgia and spent more than three years traveling to commands throughout the country, where she inspected radios for cargo planes.
“I loved it, and I would do it again,” she said.
After the war, Belmont worked as an inspector in a defense plant for two years. She married, moved to Whitestone and began raising a family. The mother of three then opened a beauty salon in Flushing, which she was involved in for several years.
In the 1990s, after her husband died and her children had moved away, Belmont started becoming very active in local groups.
“I was always Florence Nightingale,” Belmont said. “I always liked to help people. That's why I joined the service.”
As social director of the American Legion post and treasurer of its women's auxiliary group, Belmont is one of the leading voices in a group traditionally dominated by men. Belmont is in charge of gathering clothing to be distributed to the homeless, which fellow post member Tom Montgomery delivers.
“I put a little fabric softener in it so it smells nice,” Belmont said.
Belmont also is one of the group's primary fund-raisers, gathering a large amount of money for the Whitestone Memorial Day Parade. Every year, she sells about 1,000 calendars for the Whitestone Veterans Memorial Association, the organizer of the parade, for $25 a piece. Purchasers of the calendars are entered into a daily drawing run by Belmont, which on holidays has top prizes as high as $500.
“She's one of the most active people in our group,” said Bob Gracia, the house chairman of the post. “If we could have another two like her, we would have no headaches at all.”
Belmont's work is not limited to veterans groups. She is a dispatcher for the Whitestone Community Volunteer Ambulance Service, and she also volunteers with the Catholic Daughters of America, the Queens Kiwanis Sports Association and the St. Albans Veterans Hospital.
Belmont also organizes donations of supplies for Animal Haven, the non-profit Flushing shelter for pets.
“I never go inside, because if I ever go inside, I'll take all the dogs home with me,” she said.
Running around from group to group has had its benefits, Belmont noted. She credited her work with keeping her in good health.
“When you do good, it comes around.”
Reach reporter Alexander Dworkowitz by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 141.
