STAR OF QUEENS

MARIO HERNANDEZ<>Long Island City YMCA Volunteer of the Year

Wednesday, July 1, 2009 5:43 PM EDT

David Gordon

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Last summer, 17-year-old Elmhurst resident Mario Hernandez was supposed to work in a local politician’s office. “I’m not the type of person to sit and do paperwork while watching the clock,” he said. Instead, the Flushing High School student got a job as a counselor in training at a summer camp. That’s when Kendall Charter, director of the YMCA’s youth and family programs, informed him that there were youth programs going on at the Long Island City branch.

“I got involved with the Leader’s Club, Teens Take the City and Future Works…I felt that they were giving me this opportunity with these programs, so I decided to volunteer in the Y’s afterschool program.”

What is his reasoning for giving back? “I didn’t have an older brother to help me do the things I wanted to do, to tell me to pursue this and that.” He spends an hour or two after school every day helping the children with their homework, playing sports or “do[ing] anything they need,” which includes supervising swim activities. Recently, Hernandez was honored as volunteer of the year by the Long Island City branch at the YMCA’s Greater New York volunteer awards ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan.

PERSONAL: Hernandez was born and raised in Queens. His childhood “wasn’t perfect,” but it was “okay.” He mentioned that he has a girlfriend, and he is an avid sports fan, spending a lot of time after school playing basketball and handball with his friends.

JOB: He wants to pursue a career in business, advertising or marketing.

PROUDEST MOMENT: “Getting the award [for volunteer of the year]. I used to see a lot of people get awards in school…I wasn’t really the ‘academic achievement’ kind of person. This was my proudest moment because I had my friends there, my girlfriend there…and I know I do something that can help people.”

FAVORITE MEMORY: Hernandez said deciding on a favorite memory was a tough one. “Every day is my favorite, because there’s always something special that happens.”

BIGGEST CHALLENGE: Hernandez said his biggest challenge is school. “I was the type of person who didn’t focus…freshman year was the worst year I had.” But, he quickly saw that he had to forego his usual after school fun. “I realized I needed to focus on my education [in order to get a job]…Sometimes you just have to make a sacrifice.”

INSPIRATION: “It’s all about the kids; they need a push in the right direction…They need a role model to tell them right from wrong, so they don’t make mistakes.”