The Margaret Tietz Center’s relationship with the Queens Transition Center goes back for over 25 years. Students from the school come during the year to volunteer their time to provide invaluable assistance with various tasks in different departments such as recreation and dietary. Each year we award a check to the one or two outstanding students from the school who have shown the most promise. This money comes from a memorial scholarship fund established in remembrance of Gerald Hart, to continue his legacy at the Tietz Center and for the purpose of perpetuating his support of students with limited opportunities, giving them a chance to develop a career track and support them in seeking future employment. He is a past administrator of Margaret Tietz that we lost much too soon in his life. He was only 35 years old but accomplished so much and left a legacy that not too many people do in a lifetime. He was kind, passionate, accomplished and cared deeply for everyone he came in contact with. Everyone’s success was his success! He was a Marine and his motto was “Adapt and Overcome” and he did. On June 19, 2015, graduation was held for the students of the Queens Transition Center. This year the check was awarded to a very deserving and special student Brandon Smith. Brandon has had many challenges in his life and has risen to overcome many of them. His volunteerism in the dietary department this year was outstanding.