By Bill Parry
A philanthropist from Manhattan’s Upper East Side was watching the news Saturday morning and saw surveillance video of a thief breaking into a Corona church. The suspect was stealing musical instruments valued at $2,300 by the NYPD. It was then that Boo Grace, 64, began planning a trip to Queens.
“I was so touched by the story and it hurt my heart that it happened,” Grace said. “When I saw the story, I was devastated. A church is where young people go when they want to stay out of trouble. I felt so bad I knew I had to do something.”
In the early ’80s, Grace and her husband hired three young men from Brooklyn, through the Youth Employment Service, to paint their apartment. During a conversation with one of them she learned he was always under pressure from kids in his neighborhood to do drugs or steal cars, and so he sought refuge at his church’s after-school programs.
“I guess that’s why the story touched my heart so much,” she said. “If kids are looking to the church to stay out of trouble, they should be able to have music. I knew the church needed its stolen instruments replaced.”
Grace and her husband started a positive role model program to reward kids for doing good things at a middle school in Yorktown Heights where she was teaching.
“The kids actually ran the thing for years, we gave the financial rewards,” she said. “We ran the program for 10 years before moving to New York City.”
Grace lost her husband five years ago and endures significant health issues, but she was determined. She contacted TimesLedger Newspapers Sunday to learn more about the case and the name of the church.
Grace called a car service Monday afternoon and set off on her trip to Corona.
“I didn’t know how to get there by subway, so I figured I’d be better off letting a driver find it,” she said.
The car pulled up to Canaan Baptist Church, located at 35-24 108th St.. Grace met with Pastor Juan Carlos Suero, 52, and presented him with a check in the amount of $2,300, enough to cover the expense for new instruments.
“It was great, man. She helped us so much,” Suero said. “God touched her heart and now we have the money to buy new equipment. She’s a lovely person. Just wonderful.”
Boo Grace was happy to help.
“It was really nice to meet the pastor and his wife,” she said. “It was time well spent.”
Police were still looking for the suspect, described as a black male between 30 and 40 years old. He was last seen wearing a yellow jacket and blue jeans. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
