DAILY NEWS PEOPLE : JOE MAJESTIC.Byline: - Minerva A. Hernandez Ask any kid. It's hard enough to do well in school when there's stability at home. Imagine how much more difficult it would be to stay focused on schoolwork when you don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. where you'll be sleeping from week to week. Joe Majestic understands those children's struggles and, since 1993, has worked hard to help children in homeless families overcome some of their hardships. Active as a volunteer tutor for School on Wheels since its inception five years ago, Majestic is now a coordinator in charge of recruiting and monitoring tutors and raising funds for the program. ``It gives me great satisfaction to be a part of this program,'' Majestic said. ``I feel that education gives a person a sense of self-esteem, and definitely these children are in great need of it. They already are under great pressure from all sides - family, economic and peer pressure. Children need reassurance REASSURANCE. When an insurer is desirous of lessening his liability, he may procure some other insurer to insure him from loss, for the insurance he has made this is called reassurance. , and education imparts them confidence.'' Age: 38 RESIDENCE: Toluca Lake. BORN AND RAISED IN: Born in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of ; raised in New York and West Virginia West Virginia, E central state of the United States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland (N), Virginia (E and S), and Kentucky and, across the Ohio R., Ohio (W). Facts and Figures Area, 24,181 sq mi (62,629 sq km). Pop. . OCCUPATION: Film writer and producer. MARITAL STATUS marital status, n the legal standing of a person in regard to his or her marriage state. : Single. CHILDREN: None, but he takes great pride in his three sisters: Jacque, Tina and Sally. VOLUNTEERISM vol·un·teer·ism n. Use of or reliance on volunteers, especially to perform social or educational work in communities. volunteerism : As a coordinator for the School on Wheels program, Majestic is responsible for matching volunteer tutors with children living in homeless shelters Homeless shelters are temporary residences for homeless people. Usually located in urban neighborhoods, they are similar to emergency shelters. The primary difference is that homeless shelters are usually open to anyone, without regard to the reason for need. . ``Different children have different needs, and it's important to meet those needs so that they concentrate on their learning. I once tutored a 13-year-old who was studying acting. Having taken acting classes some time ago, I was able to be of some help to him. We ended up spending summers together. It's very rewarding to know that you're doing something worthwhile.'' HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED?: ``I became involved in the program almost immediately after its inception through my good friend Agnes Stevens.'' Stevens is the founder and director of School on Wheels. WHY DO YOU VOLUNTEER?: ``I feel that when one donates money to a certain cause, one may never know where the money ended up. But when you donate your efforts, time and money directly, you know exactly where it is going, and you can see the results. My main objective is to instill in·still v. To pour in drop by drop. in  stil·la tion n. in these children good study habits that will make a difference later on
in their lives - helping in their education so that they don't
become homeless individuals later on in life. Education is the reason
I'm involved with this organization.''
FAVORITE DAILY TASK: ``Seeing a happy face in a child. On one occasion when a child saw me, he started jumping up and down and said: `My tutor is here, my tutor is here!' How rewarding!'' BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: ``The homeless situation. I was not aware that there are literally thousands of children that are homeless until I became involved with the program. I don't have precise statistics, but I do know that, sadly enough, it is not a minor issue.'' GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: ``Returning to college in my mid-30s and obtaining a film degree from CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge in 1993.'' GOALS FOR THE FUTURE: ``Although I have several goals for the future, my most immediate one is to get a film into production maybe by the end of the year ... and winning an Academy Award!'' WHO RELIES ON YOU THE MOST AND WHO YOU RELY ON: ``I'm really pretty independent, but if I ever need advice - wisdom, that is - I go to my uncle, Jerry Greenwood Greenwood. 1 City (1990 pop. 26,265), Johnson co., central Ind.; settled 1822, inc. as a city 1960. A residential suburb of Indianapolis, Greenwood is in a retail shopping area. Manufactures include motor vehicle parts and metal products. , or my sister Jacque. I can always rely on sound advice from them.'' ROLE MODELS: ``When my oldest sister, Jacque, went back to college in her early 30s and went on to graduate, she became my inspiration. Her motivation, persistence and accomplishment motivated me to do the same.'' HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?: ``Success is up to the individual. It is doing what you really want to do in life and not giving up because of societal so·ci·e·tal adj. Of or relating to the structure, organization, or functioning of society. so·ci e·tal·ly adv.Adj. pressure or anything of the sort. There's nothing worse than ending up doing something which is not up to one's expectations. Following your dream - to me, that's success!'' FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: ``I like going to movie screenings and parties.'' WHAT WOULD BE A PERFECT DAY FOR YOU?: ``A day when everything seems to `click' together and I'm able to make my phone calls and meet my appointments - putting into a day as much as possible. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , stretching a day to its fullest.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Joe Majestic Hans Gutknecht/Daily News |
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