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Community Corner

The Lifesavers of Little Neck

A look at the area's volunteer community ambulance corp

The very first time an ambulance rolled out of the garage of the Little Neck Douglaston Community Ambulance Corporation's headquarters, the organization had one stated purpose:

"To provide ambulance service without charge to anyone in our community who needs our help ... it's been our trademark for over 50 years," said the group's sitting president Louis Calderon.

The defining accomplishment of Little Neck and Douglaston in 1958, which was spearheaded by the Little Neck Lions Club in partnership with nearly every civic, fraternal, and religious organizations in the area, by the spring of that year LND Ambulance launched on it's maiden voyage – transporting a heart victim to North Shore Hospital.

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"The first ambulance we had was a 1947 Buick, which had been donated by the Bayside Volunteer Ambulance Corps ... it was a lot different from the rigs we have today," Calderon said.

And while there've been many upgrades to the company's fleet of ambulances, as well as advances in the life-saving equipment and techniques the group uses when treating patients and saving lives, one thing has remained constant for the past 53 years:

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"Our staff is made up entirely of dedicated volunteers who really cared about their community," he said.

Individuals like Captain Paul Kelly, the group’s volunteer Chief of Operations.

"Volunteering has always been a big part of my life ... even before moving to Little Neck I was a volunteer fireman in Franklin Square out in Nassau," Kelly said.

Something he enjoys doing, Kelly stressed that he liked being part of a group that is really focused on helping people.

"We don't just provide first-aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation or other emergency medical services, we also provide wheelchairs, crutches, and walkers, when available, to local residents at no charge to them," he said.

Answering the call to serve, all the volunteers who make up the community ambulance company are proud of their organization and the work they do.

"We're a shining gem of the Little Neck-Douglaston Community ... I'm proud that my children get to see daddy volunteer for something as worthwhile as this," Calderon said.

To find out more information about the Little Neck Douglaston Community Ambulance Corporation visit them on-line here.

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