Subway Serenade On St. Patrick’s Day For Student With Special Needs Recognized By Staten Island’s BP Fossella Last Week

A Simple Act of Kindness and a Song in Their Heart Led To a Magical Moment On The Subway, To Be Recognized By BP Fossella

Staten Island, NY – BP Fossella will recognize the heartwarming moment between a subway singer and a Hungerford student with special needs. While traveling to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on a subway car, Mary Ansbro, a Hungerford student, was serenaded by Joey Derobertis, a St. Peter’s Boys High School alumni, singing “The Wanderer” by Dion.

This was at the request of Mary, who asked the lead singer, Joey, to put her name into the Dion song, which he did.

Fox 5 reported on this, and Mary and Joseph met again on Thursday for a reunion, where they celebrated their newfound friendship. Mary told Joseph at their meeting, “It was nice for you to sing to me, very nice. I love your voice because your voice means everything to me.”

And Joseph responded, “I love singing for people. I do it when my friends are on the train. I might as well make someone’s day with it…Making people’s day is always something you should do and this is a great example of doing it. You make someone’s day, and you never know what can happen. Just be you,”

BP Fossella will bring them together to shine a light on this act of kindness and present them with a token of appreciation.

Borough President Vito J. Fossella will be with special guests, the Ansbro family and Joey Derobertis. BP Fossella wishes to recognize Joey Derobertis and Mary Ansbro for their heartwarming moment while riding the subway on St. Patrick’s Day.

This occured on Friday, March 24, 2023 at 11 A.M. at Staten Island Borough Hall, 10 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301

Banner Image: Mike Ansbro, a member of the FDNY, poses with his daughter Mary, while he walks in Manhattan’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Image Credit – Mike Ansbro

BP Vito Fossella

The Office of the Borough President has a responsibility to advocate for the entire Borough of Staten Island and all its residents, and represents the Borough's interests within City government. The Borough President communicates directly with the Mayor and the City Council to emphasize Staten Island’s budget priorities. In addition, the Borough President is responsible for reviewing major land use decisions and proposing sites for city facilities within the Borough. As the chair of the Borough Board, the Borough President leads Staten Island’s City Council delegation and Community Board chairs in the process of reviewing and approving the transfer of public properties to private use. The Borough President’s Office houses the Borough's Topographical Bureau, which maintains the borough’s official maps and assigns street addresses. The Borough President monitors the delivery of city services on Staten Island, and acts as a liaison between residents and city agencies when problems arise to devise solutions. The Borough President is also responsible for appointing one member to the Panel for Educational Policy and one member to the City Planning Commission, as well as some 150 members to Staten Island’s three community boards.