'This is Queensborough' February 2023

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO AND CHAIR

Indispensable Partners

The business community of Queens County is as diverse as the population. One industry whose contributions incorporates arts, culture and humanities, education, and human services to name a few is that of our nonprofits. These organizations are a lifeline to our community and for that reason we celebrate them in this special edition of our magazine.

Our indispensable partners, also known as nonprofits, have the ability to stretch every dollar of their sometimes vary narrow budgets to help meet the needs of families in Queens. They need your support every bit as much as we need theirs.

We’re proud to have as one of our 13 volunteer committees the Not-forProfit committee which is made up of Queens Chamber members who work in variety of organizations. They’re charged with educating our members and nonmembers on the pressing matters facing this sector of our community. They present a wide range of presentations including an annual needs assessment which drives their programming throughout the year.

In addition, a number of our partners and affiliates are represented within the nonprofit sector. Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, Rockaway Business Alliance, 82nd Street Partnership, and Sunnyside Shines for example.

The Department of Nonprofit Opportunities at Borough Hall created in 2021 by Borough President Donovan Richards is a tremendous asset for this industry. With the mission to assist, support, empower, and respond to the needs of nonprofits serving Queens they certainly go above and beyond to enriches the lives of millions in our community.

To each and everyone of you who work tirelessly in your nonprofit organization, thank you for giving of yourselves to make Queens County a sustainable community for all.

We’re both grateful for the role we serve with Queens Chamber. Hands down the best jobs ever. Thank you for your continued support. Please visit our website www.queenschamber.org for more information regarding resources, upcoming events, and ways to engage.

Queens strong!

THOMAS J. GRECH PRESIDENT & CEO

HOWARD GRAF CHAIRPERSON

PUBLISHER

Walter H. Sanchez

MARKETING DIRECTOR

John Sanchez

MAGAZINE EDITOR

Alicia Venter

Queens Chamber of Commerce

75-20 Astoria Boulevard, Suite 140 Jackson Heights, N.Y. 11370-1131

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THE VISCARDI CENTER

Viscardi Helping Organizations to Ensure Content Accessible to All

By: Michael Caprara, Chief Information Officer, The Viscardi Center

From the first moment our founder, Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr., opened our doors he was committed to making the world more inclusive. His innovative, groundbreaking work, which became a model for the world, centered on creating employment and education opportunities for children, adults and veterans with disabilities. Over 70 years later, we continue his mission. As technology has evolved and plays an ever-growing role in our daily lives Viscardi has been at the forefront of ensuring people with disabilities have equal access to digital content and environments. If fact, our commitment to digital accessibility started right here at The Viscardi Center.

The advent of the Internet and the technology boom has demonstrated that a lack of accessible technology puts disabled people at an unfair disadvantage in school, the workplace and their communities. Viscardi’s Digital Accessibility

A Large & Growing Market

• 61 million (1 in 4) Americans have a disability

• 12 million people, over the age of 40, have a vision impairment*

• 11.5 million Americans have a hearing impairment ranging from difficulty hearing conversations to total hearing loss**

• 39 million Americans have motor impairments***

* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

** U.S. Census Bureau – March 2022

*** Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Services were born from the necessity to convert paper worksheets to accessible PDF documents for students with visual and mobility disabilities attending Henry Viscardi School. Seeing firsthand how this effort positively impacted their academic performance and ability to work independently, we recognized a broader need for document accessibility. We also began to hear from many within the disability community that they were unable to use websites for online shopping, read digital documents with screen readers, or access captioning on videos. As a disability advocate, we made the decision to utilize our knowledge and expertise to blaze a trail in the digital accessibility marketplace.

Innovation is core to our mission. Our team has over 60-years of experience making documents, websites, videos, meetings and events fully accessible and compliant. We’re committed to helping organizations meet evolving industry standards and making sure customers, students, employees and stakeholders with disabilities get the most out of digital media.

People with disabilities shop, read, engage, and work just like everyone else, so why wouldn’t they need access to digital environments? Over the past decade, digital accessibility lawsuits have been trending and prevalent in certain states, including New York. As a result, organizations should proactively make their digital content accessible or suffer the financial and social consequences associated with these lawsuits.

For organizations trying to avoid the legal risks of maintaining inaccessible digital environments, they can begin by following these five steps:

1. Create a Plan – First and foremost, organizations should ensure accessibility is a priority and a comprehensive compliance plan and accessibility policy is developed. The compliance plan should include

steps to assess and remediate accessibility for websites, apps, documents, and videos, along with a dedicated, accessible method of contact for users who are experiencing accessibility issues. In conjunction, internal IT teams or vendors should be made aware of their responsibility to make digital environments accessible.

2. Assess Current Digital Assets – Websites and apps should be audited for accessibility by an outside organization to get a baseline of what is needed. The ensuing reports will help guide future training and remediation efforts and will prove crucial in prioritizing work.

3. Train & Educate Teams –

Whether the accessibility fixes will be done by internally or externally, organizations should ensure that those responsible for making them are well-versed in digital accessibility.

4. Make Changes & Reassess –

Once the accessibility issues have been identified, begin making changes prioritizing the most trafficked pages and documents to have the greatest immediate impact.

Once addressed, it is strongly recommended to have those sites and apps checked for usability by stakeholders.

5. Ensure Continuity of Accessibility Planning – Digital environments will ostensibly keep changing. As such, organizations must make sure that accessibility is continuously considered in any digital iterations, to avoid falling back out of compliance.

With a growing focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), efforts are expanding more than ever to include disability. This expansion means organizations need to be conscious of meeting all accessibility standards, including digital media.

The Viscardi Center educates, employs, and empowers youth, adults, and veterans with disabilities or similar needs, so we can all discover the love of learning, the power of work, the freedom of independent living, and the self-confidence to fulfill our dreams.

Michael Caprara, CIO The Viscardi Center

BELLES BOARD

Kids Helping Kids — A Queens Success Story

By Frank Orzo Board Member, Holy Cross High School, Flushing, Queens Board Member, Little Saint Nick Foundation (serves Long Island & NYC), Co-Founder, BellesBoard & Nonprofit Sector Strategies, PBC

For any of us who volunteer our time in the nonprofit sector, it is rewarding to know that our efforts are doing good for someone, or some group. Recently, I was fortunate to have been able to help connect and foster a partnership between two very different nonprofit organizations. This is a story of that partnership and its impact on the community.

The two organizations to which I refer are the Little Saint Nick Foundation www.littlesaintnick.org and Holy Cross High School www. holycrosshs.org.

This story had its beginning many decades ago when I was in the seventh grade of grammar school. There is almost always a defining moment in each of our lives that sets us on our life’s journey. In my case, that moment occurred when I attended a Thanksgiving Day football game in Queens between Holy Cross High School and Flushing High School.

For a twelve-year-old, it was pageantry! I decided that day that I wanted to attend Holy Cross, and hopefully play football. Fast forward six years and I had the honor

of playing on a championship football team for Holy Cross. That began my lifelong relationship with my alma mater. Decades later, I became board chair at Holy Cross.

A few years ago, I was asked to join the board of the Little Saint Nick Foundation (LSNF). The Foundation’s mission is to create a positive experience for kids in crisis through the compassionate power of a helping hand.

When a young child finds themselves in an unfamiliar and somewhat scary situation, like a children’s hospital, fear and anxiety can naturally set in. Yet, when presented with a supportive ally, particularly from another child, there is this transformative moment when the expression on the child’s face turns from fear to a smile.

The Foundation’s immediate focus is in hospitals where we have had considerable success changing the fortunes of patients, partners, and participants. Its goal is to ease the anxiety that comes from being in a hospital. For LSNF’s hospital partners, we have seen dramatic improvements in care-giver experience, employee satisfaction and community goodwill. Finally, for the kids who give their time and extend a helping hand to kids in need of a smile, we have seen LSNF’s young volunteers walk away from the experience both fulfilled and inspired to continue to be community service minded and lend a helping hand to

those in need of a smile.

The Foundation provides gift bags that contain items such as a coloring book, crayons, a stuffed animal, and a handmade get-well card made by the young volunteers. These gift bags have an everyday impact by providing a positive distraction for patients, improving hospital employee morale, and empowering kids of all ages in communities to become future leaders.

Here is where Holy Cross High School comes in. Each year, every student at Holy Cross is required to participate in a “Day of Giving.” For the last two years, Holy Cross has partnered with the Little Saint Nick Foundation to fulfill this requirement.

Specifically, each student brings in a coloring book, crayons, a stuffed animal, and a personal, handmade get-well card as part each student’s Day of Giving experience. The students then place their items in individual bags provided by Little Saint Nick personnel. The Little Saint Nick team collects the bags and delivers them to a local hospital.

This past December, Holy Cross students assembled 760 bags which were then delivered to Cohen Children’s Medical Center. This was the largest collection of bags ever assembled by any of their other volunteer groups at one event. Going forward, the organizations will continue to partner on this annual “Day of Giving.”

The LSNF partnership with Holy Cross has also opened new opportu-

nities for “kids to help kids” in the Queens community. A local school, St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy in Flushing, heard about the Holy Cross event and reached out to LSNF to follow the same model of having their students pack gift bags for young patients. They will have a similar event at their school on February 3rd.

In my professional life, my company, Nonprofit Sector Strategies, developers of BellesBoard, www. bellesboard.com, serves small and medium-sized nonprofits, so it is especially rewarding when we can bring two organizations together, create a win-win situation for all involved and ultimately help to maximize mission impact.

Frank Orzo Co-founder, BellesBoard

BellesBoard was designed from the ground up to help nonprofits save time, money and boost board member engagement. We make it easy to transition from spreadsheets and emails to BellesBoard with our completely free personalized onboarding.

QUEENS COMMUNITY HOUSE

Queens Community House Reopens Newly Renovated Forest Hills Community Center

Written by: Ben Thomases, Executive Director of Queens Community House

The Forest Hills Community Center --- a site born from a bitter controversy that gripped our borough 50 years ago --- has reopened for programming after undergoing a major renovation. The Center was part of a compromise crafted by little-known attorney Mario Cuomo after a widespread uproar arose from plans to build a public housing development in Forest Hills, then a predominantly white, middle class community. The conflict touched on racial tensions and prejudices, but also demands for government accountability and community input in local planning.

Cuomo’s compromise, which also included establishing the development as the first and only coop in New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA’s) portfolio, received a mixed response, but the process and the result were ultimately deemed a great success. My organization, Queens Community House (QCH, originally Forest Hills Community House) was founded to run the newly-built community center on the site, with a board comprised of neighbors from both sides of the conflict. When the Center’s doors opened in 1976, it hosted only three small programs, but from the beginning these programs were crucial in bringing together new and longstanding residents of the community and helping a divided community to heal. As

our organization grew, so, too, did the Center’s activity. Before the renovation, more than 500 neighbors attended the Center on a typical day, and more than 4500 people passed through its doors each year.

As the neighborhoods around the Center (Forest Hills, Rego Park, Corona, Elmhurst) changed and diversified, the Forest Hills Community Center continued to play an important role in community integration and stability. Children, teens, older adults, new immigrants, and families from different backgrounds and walks of life have come to the Center to improve their lives, to learn a skill or get connected to a resource, to get to know their neighbors, and to make a difference in their community. As we have seen in Forest Hills and in the other 14 neighborhoods in which we now operate, community centers are the keystones to healthy, integrated communities and are fundamental to the work that we do as a settlement house. In addition to providing much-needed services, community centers also serve as modernday town squares, where people can debate opinions, share ideas, and find fellowship. I believe this has been especially true in Queens, which has been at the forefront of what urban communities of the future will look like.

Since the Forest Hills Community Center was originally owned by NYCHA, it saw few renovations or improvements over the years and much of its infrastructure had become worn down and outdat-

ed. Fortunately for us, the need for an upgraded space coincided with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to purchase this site. In 2017, negotiations between NYCHA and the Forest Hills Coop led to the tenants assuming ownership of the property. In turn, the tenants offered QCH the opportunity to purchase the Center in December 2020. Soon afterward, we began the process of reimagining the space to better meet the community’s future needs, and started renovation work in late 2021.

While renovation will be ongoing through spring of this year, the work necessary to reopen for programming was completed in early fall 2022. The new Forest Hills Community Center is brighter and more accessible, with technologyenhanced program rooms, upgraded infrastructure, skylights, gender-neutral bathrooms, an elevator, ADAcompliant doors, and improved walkways. The renovation also freed up space for additional programmatic use, including a Neighbors’ Lounge off the front lobby, small meeting rooms to ensure participants’ privacy,

and an expanded food pantry.

The renovation has been supported by a number of public and private sources, including the Queens Borough President, the Council Speaker, Councilmembers Karen Koslowitz and Danny Dromm, the New York State Regional Economic Development Council, and numerous foundations and individual donors. We are grateful for their support and for their acknowledgement of the importance of this site for the communities of central Queens.

The Forest Hills Community Center started out as an experiment, but it has grown into a vital part of the Queens landscape and a demonstration of the good that can come out of conflict, if addressed in the right way. We hope this renovation will enable it to provide another 50 years of service to the borough as it continues to evolve.

Ben Thomases Executive Director, QCH

THEIR MISSION

Queens Community House (QCH) is a multi-service settlement house committed to serving the diverse neighborhoods of Queens. QCH serves more than 25,000 children, youth, adults, and older adults every year. Our mission is to provide individuals and families with the tools to enrich their lives and build healthy, inclusive communities. Through a broad network of programs operating out of 39 sites in 15 neighborhoods, we offer Queens residents a needed support system at every stage of life, helping them to develop the knowledge, confidence, and skills to change their lives for the better and become active participants in their larger community.

QBP NONPROFIT NETWORK

“Support, Empower and Respond” — QBP’s Department of Nonprofit Opportunities

By Alicia Venter aventer@queensledger.com

Created in April 2021, the Queens Borough President’s Department of Nonprofit Opportunities works to support nonprofits in Queens through grant assistance and by connecting local New Yorkers to these organizations, all in an effort to create a sense of community in the World’s Borough and to ensure all its residents have access to needed resources.

Currently, the QBP Nonprofit Network boasts a collection of over 300 nonprofits that have a footprint in Queens, meaning that the organization is either based in Queens or that it already offers services in the borough.

To date, the QBP Nonprofit has helped to link member organizations to close to half a million dollars in additional funding. Of the organizations in the non -

GOALS

The QBP Department of Nonprofit Opportunities looks to serve as a clearinghouse of information for nonprofits, and help diversify their funding sources.

The department’s mission is to assist, support, empower, and respond to the needs of nonprofits that serve Queens communities. The platform for accomplishing this is the QBP Nonprofit Network.

The QBP Nonprofit Network’s referrals enabled member organizations to access a total of nearly $500,000 in additional funding.

profit network, 62 percent are “small,” shared Susie Tanenbaum, who has served as the Director of Nonprofit Opportunities since its beginning. These nonprofits, Tanenbaum described, have an annual budget between $0 and $500,000, with many serving communities of color in Southeast Queens and the Rockaways.

Many of the workers at these nonprofits, Tanenbaum acknowledged, have full time jobs beyond their nonprofit responsibilities — with many of their leaders being woman — but serve beyond work hours because they “see a need that is not being met.”

“They are really unsung heroes,” she praised, continuing on to add that “they really do create a sense of community.”

Features of the nonprofit network include monthly zoom meetings, in which a sense of community is garnered through an icebreaker and fun activities — even a yoga

class in one month, Tanenbaum shared.

“[We] support, empower and respond to the needs of the nonprofits,” Tanenbaum described.

There is no membership fee to join the QBP Nonprofit Network. The application is a Google Form on the Queens Borough President’s Website, and each organization selects the program and service areas that they provide.

Through this requirement on the application, Tanenbaum shares, she is able to shephard each nonprofit to a member of her staff that specializes in that service area, ensuring that the best resources are made available to the specific needs the organization could have.

Tanenbaum has been a part of the Queens Borough President’s Office for over 20 years. For

her, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards’ launching of her department shows her dedication to the nonprofits in Queens. She shared how he recognizes the way in which the government depends on its partnerships with local nonprofits.

“He raised it to another level and made it more a central focus,” she shared, continuing to add “There’s so much potential now that the Borough President has created this office.”

Tanenbaum can be reached at stanenbaum@queensbp.org. For more information on the services provided by the QBP Department of Nonprofit Opportunities, visit www. queensbp.org/nonprofits.

Susie Tanenbaum Director of Nonprofit Opportunities

TRANSITIONAL SERVICES FOR NY

Supporting the Most Vulnerable in Queens With a Transition-Based Approach

By Alicia Venter aventer@queensledger.com

“Transitional services is a notfor-profit mental health agency that provides both residential and outpatient services to anybody over the age of 18 who has a psychiatric diagnosis,” Larry Grubler recited, as if he had said the line a hundred times before.

He likely has — Transitional Services for New York (TSINY) works to make Queens safer for its struggling locals, not for the community’s praise and accolades.

With facilities throughout the borough and in the Bronx, TSINY, based in Whitestone, provides a continuum of rehabilitative services with a community-based approach to those recovering from mental illness.

Grubler has been the CEO of TSINY since 2007 and with the agency for a total of 31 years. He has taken upon himself to expand the facilities and assets by which

his organization can best support some of Queens’ most vulnerable. What exactly do these rehabilitative services entail?

To Grubler, who attended St. John’s University for his masters degree and received his doctorate from Southern California University, this means that individuals have constant access to care at their own pace and need level.

The whole concept of TSINY — which has a staff of approximately 400 people — is to transition, avoiding a “one size fits all” mentality regarding psychiatric treatment.

“In the housing units, for instance, we have all the housing from supervised living settings for people that need staff available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to teach them the skills that they need to function out in the community…so then we can go from there, and they would transition out to an apartment,” Grubler said

in an interview.

TSINY offers housing to over 600 individuals, with a variety of housing situations. The supervised community residence programs, for instance, consist of single and shared living quarters, with amenities including exercise rooms, libraries, kitchens and dining facilities.

The different buildings, programs and apartments offer a range of treatments to facilitate the eventual adjustment by their patients into the community.

Their buildings offer courtyard space and rooftop access, as to provide a safe way for the patients to socially interact with one another.

There are currently two projects under development in Jamaica, as well as two housing facilities already there, called the Delson and Amelie’s. The additional facilities are expected to be completed in 2024.

Since he became CEO, the nonprofit’s assets have grown from $12 million to nearly $100 million, largely due to the development of their residential buildings and other day facilities.

Starting with a budget of $250,000, they now have $40 million to continue with projects to meet the continually shifting needs of people with mental illness.

“There’s a lot of needs out there, and there’s been a lot of growth in the mental health field,” Grubler said. “I’ve got a really good team of people that helps support that growth. We’re constantly writing proposals to do more — to do better.”

The difference between homeless shelters and the supportive housing provided by TSINY, Grubler described, is the on-site support-

ive services to people living in the buildings with psychiatric disabilities.

“There’s too many people that are living in a homeless shelter to really give them the individual attention that they need to be rehabilitated… 600 people living in a building, that’s hard.”

In the residential facilities, TSINY teaches skills that residents need in order to function in the community, including how to cook, clean, budget, take medication, to do laundry, and other things “you and I might take for granted,” Grubler detailed.

“Because of the illness, which usually starts between the ages of 18 to 24, [such as] the schizophrenia, major depression and things of that nature, they don’t usually get that opportunity to learn those skills as effectively and practice them,” Grubler said. It’s TSINY’s job to step in and provide what they can to develop those necessary skills.

A crucial part of this development is job training — TSINY offers job resume building courses and on site-job support. They also have an “affirmative business,” called Turn the Page. This used bookstore — funded by the city — allows residents to maintain a job for approximately three months to learn work skills. Through this transitioning business model, patients are able to earn work experience and garner a sense of pride in their work abilities.

There are a number of success stories garnered from this affirmative business model, Grubler detailed, including a woman who now works on the Intrepid.

“Because of the stigma of mental illness, people don’t usually want people who are mentally ill having a program in their neighborhoods,”

Transitional Services for New York, Inc. is a comprehensive, community-based mental health organization located in New York City. We provide a continuum of rehabilitative services to enrich the lives of those recovering from mental illness and facilitate their transition to increased levels of independence.

Transitional Services for New York, Inc. envisions broadening its rehabilitative services and becoming a regional social service provider.

he said. “But with [Turn the Page], other community boards, other communities have said, ‘please open one near us.’” Grubler would be willing to open another affirmative business, he said, with the proper funding.

Through Grubler’s leadership, TSINY continues to grow, serving Queens’ vulnerable in a community-based supportive way.

For more information on TSINY, visit www.tsiny.org.

Photo: Annual Report TSINY

Alphapointe: Empowering People with Vision Loss to Achieve their Goals and Aspirations

By Scott Thornhill, Alphapointe Director of Public Policy

Did you know that more than 8 million adults in the United States are legally blind? Did you know that New York ranks second in the country for the highest number of residents who have low vision? Did you know that the Centers for Disease Control estimates that 93 million adults in the country are at high risk for serious vision loss?

This information might be surprising or even scary – particularly when you also consider that 1-in-4 adults in the U.S. (61 million people) have a disability that significantly affects their lives.

I can speak to this because at the age of eight I was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa – a condition that causes cells in the retina to break down over time. Because of that diagnosis, I knew at a young age that, eventually, I would lose the vast majority of my vision. And, that’s what’s happened in my life.

But, it didn’t stop me from playing football in high school and college. It didn’t stop me from earning undergraduate and master’s degrees. It didn’t stop me from having an incredible family of my own. It didn’t stop me from owning a real estate brokerage firm. And, today, it doesn’t stop me from working alongside policy makers and government officials around the country to positively affect the lives of people with disabilities.

My story is one of several hundred at Alphapointe – a non-profit organization with a massive facility in Richmond Hill that is one of the largest employers of people who are blind in the nation as well as a provider of training/rehabilitation services to those with vision loss.

You might also be unaware that the unemployment rate for people who are blind is above 70

percent. Yet, more than half of Alphapointe’s 200 Richmond Hill employees are blind or visually impaired. And, like me, they defy the misconceptions of what they’re capable of doing every single day. We have team members who hand craft life-saving devices for the U.S. military. We have team members who operate machines that produce millions of janitorial products every year such as plastic bottles, mops and brushes. We have team members who serve as liaisons via telephone for anyone who has questions regarding the State University of New York. The list goes on and on.

Within the blindness community, there’s a common saying: “we can do just about anything a person with sight can do – we just might do it a bit differently.” Each of our team members at Alphapointe are the living embodiment of that saying. And, at some point in time, each of us received training that helped us adapt to the circumstances of our vision loss.

With more than 500,000 people who are blind living in the state of New York alone, that training is absolutely invaluable as a means to reduce the dreadful unemployment rate for people with low vision. Alphapointe has long offered a variety of services that provide assistance to people who are blind and I am beyond thrilled to share that the organization recently completed construction on a new state-of-the-art rehabilitation facility that allows us to significantly expand on the services we provide.

Two key elements of the new facility are an adaptive technology center and an adaptive training apartment. Through the technology center, we provide specialized training featuring the latest advances in software. This training with adaptive software means a seamless integration of people with low vision into the workplace.

Consider this – what would you do if you lost your vision today? How would you get to work? How would you make dinner? How would you keep your household clean? In the training apartment, we simulate how to continue to do those types of daily tasks each of us probably takes for granted – cooking, using the dishwasher, doing the laundry, etc. I can’t overstate how empowering it is for someone with vision loss to rediscover how to do these things.

Both of these enhancements enhance Alphapointe’s existing efforts to facilitate communitybased employment for people with vision loss.

Are you one of the 500,000+ New Yorkers with low vision? Are you one of the 93 million Americans at risk for significant vision loss? Do you know someone who is?

If so, reach out to our team at Alphapointe. We’ve helped tens of thousands of people of all ages

who are blind from around the world. We’ve helped them rediscover their independence.

We can help you too.

Scott Thornhill Director of Public Policy Alphapointe

MEDISYS HEALTH NETWORK

MSK and MediSys Health Network Collaborate to Enhance Cancer Care in Queens

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and MediSys Health Network (Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and Flushing Hospital Medical Center) today announced a new collaboration that will expand access to world-class cancer care for the people of Queens and eastern Brooklyn. Aligning MSK’s unique expertise and specialized cancer care with the deep community integration and acute care knowledge of MediSys Health Network, the collaboration is positioned to make a true difference in the lives of thousands of New Yorkers.

Today, Queens is one of the most diverse communities in the world with 2.4 million residents who speak more than 135 languages. Many people living in Queens also face significant healthcare barriers, including socio-economic, language, and educational disparities, that have a profound effect on their ability to access care, particularly cancer care.

During the first phase of the relationship, which is anticipated to last throughout 2023, MSK physician leadership will work closely with clinical leadership from MediSys to enable the development of a robust oncology program onsite at Jamaica Hospital. Together, the team will also create a more streamlined process to transfer patients needing more specialized care to MSK locations including participation in clinical trials, based on clinical criteria and treatment requirements.

“We are thrilled to launch this exciting new collaboration that merges our combined expertise and honors our shared goal of bringing the very best cancer care to the

residents of Queens and eastern Brooklyn,” said David Pfister, MD, Chief, Head and Neck Oncology Service and Associate Deputy Physician-in-Chief, Strategic Partnerships. “MediSys Health Network and Jamaica Hospital have deep roots within their community, an extraordinary commitment to serving it, and great expertise in caring for their patients. We believe that together our efforts will make a positive impact across this vibrant community.”

“We at MediSys are very excited about our collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center,” said Sabiha Raoof, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Chairperson of Radiology, MediSys Health Network. “Cancer care is a significant unmet need in our community. MSK will help bring world class oncology expertise to our patients. In combination with our long-standing experience in addressing socioeconomic determinants of health, I believe our partnership will be highly synergistic and will reduce the heavy burden of cancer in Queens.”

This collaboration aims to bring innovative cancer therapies to the people of Queens and eastern Brooklyn. It is also a pivotal step in furthering MSK’s goal of creating a patient population that better reflects the diversity of New York City and, ideally, offering participation in clinical trials to a broader group of people. The knowledge gained from clinical trials that include a diverse mix of patients is invaluable and will support the development of potentially lifesaving therapies for a wider range of people with cancer.

About Jamaica Hospital Medical Center

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, part of the MediSys Health Network, serves a population greater than 1.2 million in Queens and Eastern Brooklyn. The 408-bed medical center is an accredited teaching hospital with a large network of community-based ambulatory care centers. Jamaica Hospital is the busiest Level 1 Trauma Center in New York City. The hospital is the only medical center in New York City to earn The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Primary Heart Attack Center Certification. It is also the only healthcare organization in Queens to receive Comprehensive Stroke Center certification in recognition of its excellence in the care of stroke patients. Jamaica Hospital’s commitment to serving patients and the community in a way that is second to none is reflected in its many achievements, which include receiving the America’s 250 Best Hospitals award by Healthgrades, for four consecutive years.

About Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

The people of Memorial Sloan

Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) are united by a singular purpose: to find a cure for cancer. Our specialized care teams provide personalized, compassionate, expert care to patients of all ages. Informed by basic research done at our Sloan Kettering Institute, scientists across MSK collaborate to conduct innovative translational and clinical research that is driving a revolution in our understanding of cancer as a disease and improving the ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat it. MSK is dedicated to training the next generation of scientists and clinicians, who go on to pursue our mission at MSK and around the globe. One of the world’s most respected comprehensive centers devoted exclusively to cancer, we have been recognized as one of the top two cancer hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report for more than 30 years. www.mskcc. org

For more information about MediSys/Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, contact:

Michael Hinck

718-206-8739

mhinck@jhmc.org

ABOUT MEDISYS

MediSys is a supporting organization to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center(JHMC) and Flushing Hospital Medical Center(FHMC). Through commitment to our mission and collaboration with community residents, businesses and other groups we have strengthened and expanded the hospital’s services.

DAYTOP VILLAGE

As the Opioid Epidemic Persists, Wellness Programs Embrace Addiction and Mental Health Services

By Michelle DeMott VP of External Affairs Samaritan Daytop Village

Plagued by stigma for decades, addiction has moved from the shadows and into the spotlight. The reason for the change? The opioid epidemic.

In 2020, fatal opioid overdoses claimed the lives of 103,000 Americans – more than the number of U.S. casualties from the Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf Wars combined.

The figures have been just as stark in New York City. In 2021, more than 2,600 individuals died from overdose in NYC, a sharp jump of 26.5% from the previous year. Statistically, Queens had the lowest rate among the five boroughs. Yet, the death rate still grew from 20.6 to 21.4 per 100,000 residents. More troublesome, the highly lethal substance called fentanyl was involved in 80% of the deaths – for the fifth year in a row.

The opioid epidemic has prompted employers to take a fresh look at their employee health and wellness program. Mental and behavioral health services are becoming mandatory benefits on health insurance plans and appearing in corporate wellness programs. The trend shows a commitment to employees’ wellbeing as well as enhances corporate social responsibility.

Other benefits include:

• Positively impacting local communities,

• Keeping families together,

• Increasing employee retention and loyalty, and

• Enhancing recruitment incentives.

Headquartered in Queens,

Samaritan Daytop Village has treated New Yorkers with substance use disorder since 1960. Over the decades, we have adapted and expanded our services to include mental health services, transitional housing for the unhoused, primary care services, care management (for the chronically ill), and even a senior center.

As one of the largest providers of health and human services in New York State, we have built relationships with employers to bring treat-

ment, training, and prevention services to the workplace.

Among them are:

• Narcan training workshops virtually and in person. Participants learn how to recognize the signs of an overdose and how to administer Naloxone, the medication used to reverse a fatal opioid overdose.

• Health insurance partnerships to become a preferred provider of substance use disorder treatment with premium services to the insured.

• Outpatient treatment for patients who can receive treatment without interruption to their daily work and personal lives. For convenience, we have programs in all five boroughs, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley.

• Residential treatment offers intensive (24/7) care for an extended period, based on the client’s treatment plan. We have 12 programs in NYC and upstate.

• Mental health treatment is integrated into our services, and we have a mental health clinic in the Bronx.

• PARC (Peer Alliance Recovery Centers) in Queens and the Bronx offer free resources, training workshops, and group sessions to individuals who have completed substance use treatment. A valued benefit is the free, supportive guidance of Recovery Coaches and certified Peer Specialists.

• Daytop Preparatory Schools are alternative schools for teens in recovery or at risk of addiction. We proudly operate two of these schools for 8th-12th graders in Rockland and Suffolk Counties.

If you are interested in learning more about our services or want to form a partnership, contact Michelle DeMott at michelle. demott@samaritanvillage.org or call 718-206-2000, ext. 1222.

Michelle DeMott VP of External Affairs Samaritan Daytop Village

THEIR MISSION

Samaritan Daytop Village provides a rich array of services including substance use treatment, mental health and primary health care, specialized programs for military veterans, vocational and employment services, shelter and transitional housing, and services for adolescents, families and seniors.

Little Flower’s OPWDD Program Turns Caring into Action in Queens

By Michelle Matics, MHA, CALA, CDP, Senior Vice President, Program for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York is a nonprofit organization serving individuals and families across New York City and Long Island. Since 1930, Little Flower has been committed to improving the well-being of children, youth, adults with developmental disabilities, and families by building on their strengths and supporting their success. Our staff of more than 600 builds well-being by providing foster care services, residential care, adoption services, programs and services for individuals with developmental disabilities, and medical and mental health services for children and youth in foster care. In Queens we provide residential care for adults with developmental disabilities, as well as foster care and mental health services for children and young people in foster care.

In the 1970s, Little Flower opened the organization’s program for adults with developmental disabilities in conjunction with the state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). As the Senior Vice President for the OPWDD Program at Little Flower, my job is to oversee programs for adults with developmental disabilities. The adults in our OPWDD program are provided residential and healthcare services and reside and receive services in either an Individual Residential Alternative (IRA) group home or via a family-care program.

Little Flower is a proud member of the Queens nonprofit community. Currently, Little Flower operates seven group homes throughout Jamaica, Bayside, and Forest Hills, providing critical services to nearly 40 adults. Each home houses up to eight individuals with round-theclock care and support. This support

includes anything from nursing to medical support to training and education, to behavioral skill building. Each service is person centered— it’s not like what works for one individual will work for another. It’s a holistic model, and Little Flower has a holistic approach to each of the supported persons whom we serve.

We want to provide opportunities for people we serve to live in our residences or in the community, whichever is best for them. Sometimes, this means enrolling an individual into a family care program. Families hoping to care for supported persons go through a lengthy application and background check process. In addition to supporting the individual as a family member, foster families are responsible for facilitating recreational therapy, providing support with medication and diets, and community integration, among other services.

We try to encourage our supported persons to be fully integrated in everything that New York City has to offer. We make sure they feel and live like a New Yorker. Little Flower’s goal for our supported persons is in line with the state’s OPWDD mission: To encourage the dignity and independence of adults living with developmental disabilities. The individuals in our care in our group homes maintain employment, participate in social events, and develop personal relationships. One resident has even published a novel!

An important facet of maintaining dignity is extensive record keeping. Little Flower’s OPWDD staff and family care professionals all receive extensive training to make sure they keep accurate records of medication, finances, and everything in between. Direct Service Professionals (DSP) are highly trained and certified. They are not only CPR and AED certified, but they are also required to submit to New York State background checks, pass a defensive driving course, and undergo person

centered behavioral crisis intervention training to become certified in strategies for crisis intervention and prevention.

Due to the exhaustive job requirements and the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the human services sector, one of the major challenges currently facing OPWDD programs is staffing. There is a statewide DSP staffing shortage, and many programs funded by the Department of Health are working on ways to shift the pay scale in favor of DSPs, who often work long hours to make sure the supported persons they serve are cared for properly and with dignity.

The job of a direct support professional is not an easy one and my hope is that whoever reads this will engage in deeper conversations—not just about appropriate salaries and pay equity, but of the importance of human services and nonprofits as a form of health care that is essential to the lives of so many individuals. Little Flower’s IRAs are open 24/7 and remained so through the pandemic. At the onset of the pandemic, many DSPs remained on-site for several days to not only maintain

the consistent level of care needed by our supported persons but to reduce the risk of contracting the virus from outside of the residences and passing them on to our supported persons, many of whom are immunocompromised.

Now, Little Flower’s OPWDD program is looking to further expand training services for DSPs and expand community integration opportunities for our supported persons. If you look around Queens, you may find them at the next Mets game or a local restaurant eager to find out where they’ll go next.

Michelle Matics Senior VP Little Flower

WHY US

Since 1929 Little Flower has provided safety and care for thousands of abused and neglected children and teens of all races and religions. We offer a multitude of high quality, innovative programs that serve the many needs of those in our care. Little Flower’s trained and experienced staff strive to provide love, stability, nurturing and the sense of family permanency that all children need.

The New Family Enrichment Center Will Benefit the Entire Community

By Jacqueline Denson, Director FEC

Southeast Queens will soon be home to one of a growing number of Family Enrichment Centers. In 2021, Forestdale Inc. was named as one of nine agencies selected for NYC’s Family Enrichment Center initiative. A Family Enrichment Center is a home-like space where community members come together to support each other, share interests and activities, learn about resources, and strengthen their families and communities. All activities and resources are free of charge, and community members of all ages are welcome. What sets this initiative apart is that every aspect of the Center will result from a collaborative co-design process with community members. The first three FECs opened in 2017 in Brooklyn and the Bronx. At each site, the Center’s community members were deeply involved in every part of the planning and design process, including the location, furnishings, and even the name.

Once the FECs were open, com-

munity members continued in a leadership role deciding what kinds of offerings and activities were most needed and of greatest interest to residents.

Forestdale’s FEC will follow the same roadmap. Staff have already had conversations with dozens of community members and local leaders about where to locate the Center and what it should offer. “At Forestdale, we always work closely with families to make sure they have what they need to thrive,” said Bill Weisberg, Executive Director of Forestdale Inc. “The FEC takes this collaboration to the next level.”

Economic mobility is one of the guiding concepts in all FECs, and existing centers have creatively partnered with local business leaders to provide information, skills, and opportunities.

Some examples are public computer access to work on resumes or a job search, financial information workshops, and clothing to wear during interviews. But the FECs are primarily about people making connections; the most inspiring achievements

have come from doing just that. For instance, the staff at another FEC shared the story of a group of community members who had jobs in food delivery but wanted new opportunities. Because the FEC knows the community so well, the Center matched them with a neighbor who owns a catering company and can coach them along on their journey.

Keeping the focus on local partnerships and relationships allows the FECs to cultivate these kinds of connections. The Southeast Queens FEC has already put this principle into practice, supporting local businesses and organizations in planning. “As we planned our first community event in October, our staff ensured we were thinking locally.” Said Krista Larson, Forestdale’s Assistant Executive Director for Preventive Services. “Because we’ve hired people who grew up and currently live here, they had many ideas. Ultimately, it was held at ALLURE Art Studio, a local art space in Hollis, and

catered by Nettie’s Restaurant in Queens Village.”

As the planning process moves forward through the spring of 2023, FEC staff will continue our outreach to residents, organizations, schools, and businesses in Southeast Queens to generate ideas about how the FEC can be a space where people form new relationships and contribute to a stronger community. If you’d like to get involved in the planning process or learn more about the FEC initiative, please email FEC@ forestdaleinc.org.

Jacqueline Denson Director, FEC

#ServicesNotCells #JobsNotJails AVENUES FOR JUSTICE

By Angel Rodriguez

For 40+ years, Avenues for Justice has kept thousands of African American and Hispanic youth and young adults in New York City out of the criminal justice system, reducing recidivism rates for court-involved youth, through one of the most successful and cost-effective ATI models in the United States.

WHAT WE DO

In a nation that imprisons over a quarter of a million teens each year, Avenues for Justice (AFJ) has provided Second Chances to thousands of New York City’s youth and young adults, preventing them from being processed through the criminal justice system and from being stigmatized with a criminal record for the rest of their lives.

Incorporated in 1979, AFJ was one of the first alternatives to incarceration programs in the country for youth, helping facilitate the creation of Manhattan’s Youth Part, where youth are tried separately from adults—a model now used nationwide.

We currently serve 400 African American and Hispanic courtinvolved and at-risk Participants, ages 13–24, at our centers in Harlem, the Lower East Side, and through a hybrid online and in-person platform. We alleviate an overburdened court system by replacing incarceration with court advocacy and our HIRE UP wraparound services for employment and job training, education and academics, and mental health wellness. With headquarters based inside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, AFJ’s staff can quickly assess young people’s needs as they enter for their court dates, appear with them before the judge and advocate to the courts that they receive a second chance.

Our model maintains low recidivism rates—only 6% of our courtinvolved Participants are reconvicted of a new crime within 3 years of enrollment in our

program. In 2021, the NYC Department of Corrections spent half a million to incarcerate one person for a full year, whereas it only costs $5,750 to put one young person through our program for a full year.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

VISIT: Schedule a visit to our Manhattan Criminal Courthouse offices to see our court advocacy in action. Or visit one of our two community centers in the Lower East Side and Harlem and engage with our Participants receiving wraparound services.

EXPLORE: Collaborate with AFJ to provide our Participants with “exposure, access and opportunity”. AFJ works creatively with Corporate Partners to develop a volunteer project that matches the expertise of the Corporate Partner’s employees with the needs of our Participants.

JOIN: Our network of over 60 volunteers and lead a workshop series or to make a one-time presentation in our HIRE UP program in order to help our Participants craft and develop employment and digital literacy skills.

HELP OTHERS: Join one of our boards and commit to our mission of justice reform and offering second chances. More important than any particular skillset is a desire to truly help AFJ grow all aspects of the services we provide and to help us meet this moment.

DONATE: Support our alternative to incarceration and court advocacy services by donating here https://avenuesfor-

justice.networkforgood.com/ projects/93743-avenues-for-justice SHARE: Stay up to date with AFJ by subscribing to our newsletter at: https://www.avenuesforjustice.org/

EVENTS

AND FUNDRAISING

Second Chance Award

Experience: The Second Chance Experience was an evening in October that honored the work of those committed to criminal justice reform and celebrated the accomplishments of AFJ’s Participants.

WISHLIST

1. What’s top on your wish list now?

•$10,000 will help cover hybrid online and on-site training workshop costs, metro cards for court dates and job interviews, and groceries for Participants and their families.

•$5,750 to sponsor an AFJ Participant for a full year to receive court advocacy and wraparound services.

•Mentorships, internships or employment opportunities for AFJ Participants - many of whom are earning certifications in digital literacy and OSHA 40-hour construction safety or studying videography and media in our HIRE UP program for wraparound

services.

2. What’s your biggest opportunity in the upcoming year?

You can champion our mission and our Participants by getting involved with AFJ by becoming a volunteer, a donor or through placement on our Board, Junior Board or Advisory Council. We welcome you to attend, sponsor or donate to our Third Annual Second Chance Experience, AFJ’s largest fundraising event which honors justice activists committed to criminal justice reform, in Fall 2023.

Angel Rodriguez Co-founder, Executive Director Avenues for Justice

THEIR MISSION

Intervene to divert and reclaim young people from lives of crime, provide an overloaded court system with a reliable alternative to incarceration and Make New York City a safer place for everyone.

QUEENS CENTER FOR PROGRESS

Queens Centers for ProgressYour Partner in the Community

By Terri Ross, Executive Director, Queens Center for Progress

For nearly three quarters of a century, Queens Centers for Progress (QCP) has been creating positive change. Founded in 1950, QCP provides adults and children with developmental disabilities with opportunities to maximize their skill development, independence, and integration into community life.

We firmly believe that people have the right to make choices about their lives: they know best what they would like to do, and where they would like to do it. Our role is to listen – and to support their choices with the appropriate programs and services. Over the decades, the organization greatly expanded its offerings to connect with more individuals, extending support to a wider range of people with developmental disabilities and related conditions. Armed with a staff of more than 400 and an annual budget of $34 million, we ushered in 2023 with a greater demand with support.

In addition to education, therapy, day programs, advocacy, and housing, QCP has cemented job training and placement as a cornerstone of our work to help people with developmental disabilities lead fuller lives. Each year, we engage with hundreds of people in our workforce programs, providing them with the skills necessary to thrive – and in the communities where they live.

Our WorkSource Supported Employment Program meets the employment needs of area businesses by placing and training individuals whose goal is a job in their community. On-the-job training provides a realistic opportunity to learn positive work behaviors and specific work skills. And our ongoing support services and group activities help individuals meet the changing demands of the

workplace. Through this program, we work with nearly 200 people each year who have been placed in jobs in department stores, supermarkets, restaurants, and offices.

Referrals matter: ACCESS –VR (Adult Career and Continuing Education Services – Vocational Rehabilitation), and local school districts refer potential program participants to our Supported Employment Program. If they meet eligibility requirements, they undergo an assessment to determine employment-related skills and interests. When a suitable job site is found, we train them on how to commute to and from work, and our coaches work with them on job sites until employers are satisfied. (But our work doesn’t stop there: coaches keep visiting site to ensure the relationship is working well.)

In our Community Pre-Voc program, we prepare people with developmental disabilities for employment. Our staff work with individuals to improve their employment readiness skills, and our volunteers assist at food pantries, churches, schools, and other nonprofit organizations. This gives them a chance to enhance their skills- such as clerical, sorting, pricing, cleaning, kitchen skills, food prep, loading/ unloading and packaging - with valuable work experiences.

This opens up a world of opportunity: volunteers explore various types of jobs as they strengthen social skills, learn how to respond to directions, work as a team, and

adopt safety skills. Throughout the process, QCP are there to support our participants to ensure the work is up to standards.

Beginning a career can be daunting. That’s why we hold a CareerPrep event at our Jamaica Day Program, which provides training, such as career exploration, job interview skills, safe travel to work, dressing for work, and acquiring social skills necessary for employment. Our staff assist with writing job applications, preparing for job interviews, dressing for interviews, and conducting computer-based job searches. Additionally, they train people in money recognition and value, shopping and cooking nutritious foods, stress reduction, communication, and travel skills.

Success cannot be achieved in a silo. It begins with a person taking that first step to seek opportunity, and then a team to stand by their side. QCP provides individually designed services and supports which will maximize their independent decision-making capabilities, help them integrate into community life, and improve their daily lives through education and work-related skills.

We continue to stand on the frontlines, not the sidelines, when

it comes to advocating for the rights and entitlements of persons with developmental disabilities. QCP thanks our partners, elected officials and agencies that continue to support our work this year. Because of them, we heighten awareness of QCP’s services, and the contributions made by persons with developmental disabilities.

Since our founding days, our vision remains the same: we stand on the pillars of dignity and respect, and staunchly believe in the development of the individual, that all people can learn and that all people – in spite of any developmental disability – can make meaningful choices about their lives.

The window to opportunity begins at www.queenscp.org.

Terri Ross Executive Director Queens Center for Progress

QCP’s goal is to support each person in making the most of his or her talents, abilities, and interests. We seek maximum involvement from the individual in making the choices of goals and outcomes that have meaning in their lives.

SERVICES OF THE UNDERSERVED

S:US holds MLK Food Drive in South Ozone Park

By: Alicia Venter aventer@queensledger.com

Services of the Underserved (S:US) hosted a food drive in South Ozone Park this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, volunteering to collect over 50 bags of nonperishable goods, fruits and vegetables for families within their supported behavioral health housing units in Brooklyn and the Bronx.

Approximately 15 volunteers — many workers of S:US who were using their day off to provide this service — could be seen in the basement of the South Ozone Park S:US venter bagging food in whatever bag they could find.

Planning to collect food to provide 40 families with food, they soon realized that the food collected that week surpassed that number.

With only 40 bags with the S:US

logo brought to the event, the volunteers got creative. Foodtown bags, Target bags and boxes were quickly found within the center to be used collecting food. Within the hour of the food drive starting, over 50 bags — or boxes — could be seen collected by the volunteers. Over 1,000 pounds of food and other items were collected and distributed to families served at two supportive housing programs the same day. S:US is “all about creating opportunities for folks who are having challenges,” said S:US CEO Jorge R. Petit at the collection Monday, where he was helping in the collection. “We provide an array of services that actually help people on their road to recovery and we’re part of their journey to lead lives that are full of purpose.”

Believing in service, Petit described S:US as a platform for which people

can provide others with that which they take for granted: food, security and a roof over their head. There are numerous opportunities to get involved with S:US, including volunteering and donation. Among the different ways people can get involved include working at urban farms, teaching someone how to search for a job and even lead a yoga class.

“We really look at every day [as] doing a service for people,” said Monica Santos, Chief Program Officer at SUS, who was among the volunteers on Monday. “We help New Yorkers all over the city — ones with mental illness, behavioral health needs, homeless, veterans… and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

The Ozone Park Center, located at 115-70 Lefferts Blvd, is a day program, with community residences in

the area. People with developmental disabilities come during the day, and among the services provided by the location are two food fridges and a lending library.

“At the heart of what we do at S:US is a firm commitment to righting the disparities caused by racial discrimination, bias and health inequity and eradicating these within our practices and programs to help us move towards true social justice,” the S:US website stated.

As stated on their website, the mission of S:US is to “drive scalable solutions to transform the lives of people with disabilities, people in poverty and people facing homelessness: solutions that contribute to righting societal imbalances.”

For more information on the services provided by S:US, visit www. sus.org/.

Pizza Wars —Bellucci’s vs Bellucci? A SLICE OF QUEENS

By Robert Intelisano

As most of my “A SLICE of Queens” column readers know, Pizza is my favorite food! My passion for Pizza started way back during my early childhood, when my Sicilian Grandma Anna Leonardi-Intelisano made Pizza for us often on Friday nights. I miss the euphoric smells of Pizza wafting through Anna’s home in Forest Hills Gardens!

Pizza was invented in Naples, Italy, in the early to mid-1800’s. The classic Margherita-Style Pizza was named after the Queen, Margherita. In celebration of the Queen’s visit to Naples in 1889, a popular Pizzeria made a special Pizza pie to commemorate the green, white and red colors of the Italian flag!

Pizza became popular in the United States many years later in late 1945, when returning soldiers, who were stationed in Italy during World War II, spread the word of this delicious food.

The first established Pizzeria in the United States was Lombardi’s (named after bread maker Gennaro Lombardi) which opened in 1905. Gennaro chose to make Pizza from the leftover bread in lieu of throwing it out. Lombardi came from Naples and originally served pies out of his grocery store to nearby factory workers who stopped by in the morning for grab and go pies. There were no toaster ovens in the USA at the time, so the workers reheated the pies on top of the building’s heaters for lunch. Other than perhaps high-end sushi

counters, there are no other businesses such as Pizzerias which so intimately link the chef to the business. Pizza is made from the heart and Pizzaiolo’s pour their heart into every pie!

Because the making of quality Pizza is so personal, it is not a surprising that Pizza disputes can become intense and sometime violent! Pizza battles that come to mind include:

- Ray’s vs Original Ray’s vs Famous Ray’s in the mid 1990’s

- Joe’s Pizza vs Joe’s Pizza of the Village (actually in Brooklyn)

- Patsy’s vs Patsy Grimaldi’s which evolved into Grimaldi’s vs Julianna’s

- The 2011 beating of Louis Lombardo, owner of “The Square” in Staten

Island for allegedly stealing the L & B Spumoni Gardens sauce formula

Now, Queens is the location of the new Pizza feud, Bellucci’s Pizza vs Bellucci Pizza. You know Queens has arrived on the Pizza scene when we are at the epicenter of the current Pizza Wars!

Andrew Bellucci is a descendant of what I call “The Lombardi’s Pizza Family Tree!” Three Pizzaiolos worked at Lombardi’s in the 1920’s before branching out on their own to form the foundation of what New York Pizza looks like today. Anthony “Totonno” Pero opened Totonno’s in 1924. John Sasso opened John’s in 1929 and Pasquale “Patsy” Lanceri opened Patsy’s in 1933.

At various points in his career, Andrew Bellucci has worked at, made, and oversaw pies being made at Lombardi’s, Joe’s, and Big Apple Pizza. He is known for his threeday dough fermenting process, which yields a crisp and bubbling charred crust that is easy to digest.

Andrew Bellucci is no stranger to controversy as he was sent to prison in 1996 for embezzling money from the law firm where he was employed in the 1980’s. He shared a cell with Mafia Boss Sonny Franzese. His backstory is so interesting he is the subject of a recent 7-part documentary directed by David Shapiro called “Untitled Pizza Movie!” The documentary chronicles the food world in pre-gentrified New York City.

Upon release from prison, Andrew Bellucci bounced around nonfoodoriented jobs before deciding it was

time to do what he loved most, make and sell Pizza! Having always wanted to open his own Pizzeria and needing financing, Bellucci put an ad on Craigslist, and it was answered by Leo Dakmak. A few months later, Dakmak became his partner when they opened “Bellucci Pizza” at 29-02 30th Avenue in Astoria in February of 2020.

In October of 2022, Andrew Bellucci, known as “The Don of Dough,” ended the relationship and opened an almost identical Pizzeria called “Bellucci’s Pizza” just 8 blocks away at 37-08 30th avenue. Dakmak sued for trademark infringement and the lawsuit was just settled in December of 2022, after Bellucci agreed to change his Pizzeria name to “Andrew Bellucci’s Pizzeria” in mid-November.

I happened to visit both Bellucci Pizza establishments the first week they opened. The original Bellucci Pizza on 29th street started off as a “grab and go” takeout shop and has since expanded with seating for 20+ people, making it a perfect venue for stop 2 on my Astoria Pizza Crawl (see the picture of the elite 8 Pizza crawlers). In addition to slices, they offer 29 Pizza Pie options including 4 gluten free Sicilian vegan pies, one of which is called the Mike Tyson 2.0. The showstopper is their “Vodka Roni,” which consists of fresh mozzarella, pepperoni, and vodka sauce (no tomato sauce). There are also 3 salad options and 6 bread options of which 1 is vegan and 3 are gluten free.

“Andrew Bellucci’s Pizzeria” has limited seating in the back of their shop. They accept reservations, and

you can (BYOB) bring your own bottle for a $5 cork fee. Their Pizza menu is different from the original venue, and they feature a large “Fresh Shucked Clam Pie” that needs to be ordered 72 hours in advance. The clam pie is not available at the original location.

As per their website; www. AndrewBelluccisPizzeria.com, “We’re only serving clam pies after 5pm on Thursdays – Sundays for right now.” The reason for this is because Andrew Bellucci is a stickler for fresh ingredients and will not use jarred clams. If you are craving their “Fresh Shucked Clam Pie” during Monday-Thursday afternoon and/or have special requests, they can be emailed in advance at info@ AndrewBelluccisPizzeria.com. They are open 7 days per week from 12 noon to 10pm.

Andrew Bellucci’s Pizzeria offers 10 pies (small and large sizes) including the “Vodka Roni” in addition to their “Fresh Shucked Clam Pie.” They have vegan and gluten free options, as well as a Caesar salad and Calzone appetizers, in addition to their delicious breads.

This Pizza War reminds me a little of the Philly Cheesesteak battles between Geno’s and Pats, diagonally across the street from each other in Center City Philadelphia.

There is no doubt you cannot go wrong with either of the Bellucci Pizza establishments on 30th Avenue in Astoria. The bottom line is Queens Pizza has Arrived! Thursday February 9th marked National Pizza Day! Tell me where you celebrated at Rob@InsuranceDoctor.us.

Robert Intelisano leading his Astoria Pizza Crawl at Bellucci Pizza

The Bellucci Pizza Vodka Roni slice

By Rob MacKay, Director Public Relations, Marketing & Tourism, Queens Economic Development Corporation

Valentine’s Day. Groundhog Day. Super Bowl Sunday. Black History Month. February has some charm. It’s also the shortest month and the only one to vary in length. Queens is exploding with activity this February with ballet, jazz, monkeys, owls, pilots, puppets, and rabbits. Please continue reading to the get the details.

Pan-Pot, Octave One (Live), Desna

Feb. 11 @ 10 p.m.

This German duo stands as one of techno music’s most beloved acts, bringing soulful originals to life with joyful spontaneity and a virtuosic level of control.

Knockdown Center, 52-19 Flushing Ave., Maspeth.

The Monkey King: A Kung-Fu Musical

Feb. 11 & Feb. 12

Based on a 16th-century Chinese novel, this story follows the firstever female Monkey King as she battles Heaven and Earth’s most treacherous foes to save her tribe and achieve immortality. Shows are 3 pm both days.

Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

The Mousetrap

Feb. 11 & Feb. 19

IT’S IN QUEENS

A community theater production of an Agatha Christie murder mystery. Shows at 2:30 pm on the two Sundays and 8 pm on the Friday and two Saturdays.

Maggie’s Little Theater, 66-05 79th Pl., Middle Village.

Cupid’s Chase 5K

Feb. 11 @ 10 a.m.

This fun race raises funds for agencies that work for housing and employment for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Between Grand Central Parkway and Van Wyck Expressway, Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Candlelight Tours

Feb. 11 @ 6 p.m.

Explore three floors of exhibits with a guide and learn about the families and history of a landmarked property. The tour repeats on March 11.

Onderdonk House, 1820 Flushing Ave., Ridgewood.

Valentine’s Day Jazz Party

Feb. 12 @ 2:30 p.m.

The 12-piece Dean Saghafi Orchestra, which features vocalist Kathryn Farmer, performs amid wine, cocktails, and hors d-oeuvres. Bayside Historical Society, 208 Totten Ave., Fort Totten, Bayside.

Literary Thursdays

Feb. 16 @ 6 p.m.

Christine Kandic Torres discusses her first-ever novel, “The Girls in Queens,” as per Queens Public Library’s Literary Thursday program. This coming-of-age tale explores loyalty, the complications of sexual abuse allegations within

communities of color, and the danger of forgetting that monsters can hide in plain sight.

By phone: 1.408.418.9388; Access Code: 2348.388.2440.

Queen Bess: The Bessie Coleman Story

Feb. 23 - March 4

This production celebrates the life and career of Bessie Coleman, who was the first African American (and the first Native American) to earn an international pilot’s license. Shows are at 8 pm.

Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, 161-04 Jamaica Ave.

Winter Bird Walk: Owl Prowl

Feb. 25 @ 11 a.m.

An experienced birder and naturalist leads a stroll through Alley Pond Park in search of owls.

Alley Pond Environmental Center, 224-65 76th Ave., Oakland Gardens.

Sedalia to Harlem: A Celebration of Black History

Feb. 25 @ 7:30 p.m.

Maestro David Close, who founded Musica Reginae, guides the audience through AfricanAmerican music, art, and culture with help of Jazz, Opera, and Spiritual gems.

The Church-in-the-Gardens, 50 Ascan Ave., Forest Hills

Twilight Concert

Feb. 26 @ 4:30 p.m.

Con Brio Ensemble members perform Mozart, Debussy and Dvorak. The Church-in-the-Gardens, 50 Ascan Ave., Forest Hills.

Beauty of Ballet

Feb. 26 @ 1 p.m. & 3 p.m.

The School of American Ballet offers excerpts from famous works such as “The Sleeping Beauty,” “Swan Lake,” and “The Nutcracker.”

Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Evening of Fine Food

Feb. 28 @ 6:30 p.m.

Restaurants from around the borough – including Bourbon Street, Marbella, and Austin’s Ale House – offer samples of their specialties, while Jim Altamore croons the best Frank Sinatra tunes. Guests play Roulette at the Casino and immortalize themselves in Le Selfie photo booth during this fundraiser/party for Queens Centers for Progress. Terrace on the Park, 52-11 111st St., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

More information is available at https://bit.ly/3JABukh.

Stroll through Alley Pond Park on Feb. 25 in search of owls.

The Monkey King is being shown in Queens Theatre this February.

QUEENSBOROUGH CALENDAR OF EVENTS

FEBRUARY NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION

2023 BUILDING AWARDS APPLICATION

February 2 - June 5

Application Fee of $100 waived before June 1

Calling all architects, builders, engineers, lenders, and owners of building projects in Queens County. Please submit applications online.

Online Application or mail a to Queens Chamber of Commerce office

7520 Astoria Blvd, Suite 140 Jackson Heights, New York Apply at queenschamber.org

MORNING SPEED NETWORKING

February 8, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

This fast paced networking event will definitely take you out of your comfort zone. It’s guaranteed to build your professional network and increase your business bottom-line.

We’ll keep you on your toes... literally.

The Café at Bulova Corporate Center

75-20 Astoria Boulevard Jackson Heights, NY Register at queenschamber.org

FINANCING YOUR BUSINESS

February 14, 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 a.m.

This workshop will serve as a guideline to help you start on the right track for your start-up or operating business. It is important for entrepreneurs to be informed and prepared on how to launch/ expand. You will walk away with information about the importance of utilizing a business plan, various financing options, resources for start-ups, and an overall better understanding of the fundamentals for business. There will be an opportunity for Q&A.

VIRTUAL

Register at queenschamber.org

February 15, 10:00 a.m.11:00 a.m.

The Queens Chamber of Commerce is committed to maximizing your Membership. If you’re a new member and have yet to participate in an orientation please register to join us in person.

Over the course of orientation we’ll get to know you, discuss contacts and connections and explore committee participation. Space is limited.

Queens Chamber of Commerce

75-20 Astoria Boulevard, Suite 140

Large Conference Room Jackson Heights, New York Register at queenschamber.org

ASK A CPA

: TAXES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

February 15, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Join BOC Network for a free 1-hr live Q&A session with a CPA.This session is dedicated to answering tax-related questions for entrepreneurs and small business owners. This event is open to the public - Complimentary admission.

VIRTUAL Register at queenschamber.org

QUEENS CHAMBER BANKING & LAW COMMITTEE: A CANNABIS CONVERSATION

February 16, 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Cannabis is now legal in New York State for medical and adult use. How does legalization affect Real Estate, Employment, Business Taxation/Banking, and other traditional industries? What and Where are the business opportunities and barriers?

The Café at Bulova Corporate Center

75-20 Astoria Boulevard Jackson Heights, NY

Register at queenschamber.org

WHY DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY IS VITAL IN TODAY’S WORLD

February 16, 10:00 a.m.12:00 p.m.

The discussion will assist you with helping your organization meet evolving industry standards to ensure customers, students and employees with disabilities get the most out of your digital media – website, documents, videos.

VIRTUAL Register at queenschamber.org

REAL ESTATE BREAKFAST & NETWORKING

February 16, 10:00 a.m.12:00 p.m.

Join us or a meet and greet breakfast & networking event with Woodhaven Local real estate agents. Learn about current commercial space trends and more. You will also have a chance to meet community stakeholders in the area. This event is open to the public, complimentary admission. Space is limited, please register to attend.

Woodhaven Manor Woodhaven, NY Register at queenschamber.org

BANGLADESHI TEXTILE AND GENERAL BUSINESS

EXPO IN JAMAICA

February 16, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

The 2023 Bangladeshi Textile and General Business Expo in Jamaica will feature a rich array of high-quality products for you to peruse.

If you are interested in being a vendor, please contact George Hadjiconstantinou at ghadji@ queenschamber.org or (718) 898-8500x171.

The Harvest Room 90-40 160TH ST Jamaica, New York

IT’S TIME TO NETWORK- QUEENS CHAMBER 2023 MIXER

February 21, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

New year, new opportunity to build your network.

This is a fantastic opportunity to meet fellow business owners and Members of the Queens Chamber of Commerce. Come prepared with business cards and your elevator speech ready to connect. As always, we are here to make the room smaller for YOU.

Don’t miss this networking experience with amazing views of the city.Complimentary appetizers with a cash bar.

The One Boutique Hotel 137-72 Northern Blvd Flushing, New York

MARCH

ST. PATRICK’S DAY ANNUAL LUNCHEON 2023

March 15, 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Celebrate Celtic traditions with great food and entertainment, corned-beef and cabbage, a live band, networking, and much more.

Antun’s 96-43 Springfield Boulevard Queens Village, New York Register at queenschamber.org

FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR THE NOVICE ENTREPRENEUR

March 17, 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Join Queens Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Workshop Series: The Nuts & Bolts of Starting a Business: A Guide for the Aspiring Entrepreneur; Fall 2022 to Spring 2023

(In conjunction with NYIT Center for Human Resource Studies and Dispute Resolution Institute of New York)

VIRTUAL Register at queenschamber.org

QUEENS CHAMBER PARTNERS & AFFILIATES

82ND STREET PARTNERSHIP

37-06 82nd Street, Jackson Heights, NY 11372

Executive Director: Leslie Ramos 718.335.9421

82ndstreet.org

QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $224,000 with more than 200 businesses under its umbrella. The district is on 82nd Street from 37th Avenue to Baxter Avenue. The board meets quarterly with the annual meeting in June.

ASIAN AMERICAN FEDERATION

120 Wall Street, 9th Fl., New York, NY 10005 aafederation.org

QUICK GLANCE: The Asian American Federation’s mission is to raise the influence and well-being of the pan-Asian American community through research, policy advocacy, public awareness and organizational development. Established in 1989, the Federation is a pan-Asian non-profit organization representing a network of community service agencies in the Northeast. These agencies work in the fields of health & human services, education, economic development, civic participation, and social justice.

BAYSIDE VILLAGE BID

213-33 39th Avenue, Bayside, NY 11361

Executive Director: Christine Siletti 718.423.2434

info@baysidevillagebid.com

QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $218,000 and over 350 members. Founded in 2007, the BID includes commercial property owners and residents on Bell Boulevard between 35th Avenue and Northern Boulevard, as well as a block east and west on 41st Avenue.

BAYSIDE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

41-16 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY 11361

President: Ed Probst

Vice President: Judith Limpert 718.229.2277

info@baysideba.com baysideba.com

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1997, the Bayside Business Association services all of Bayside business to address issues and concerns those businesses have with regards to running their businesses.

ACCOMPANY CAPITAL (FORMERLY BCNA)

78-27 37 Ave., Ste. 1 Jackson Heights, NY

11372

Business Development: Tshering Gurung 347.730.6468

tgurung@accompanycapital.org

QUICK GLANCE: Accompany Capital is an award-winning Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and Small Business Administration (SBA) micro lender that provides small and micro business owners in New York City with lowcost loans, access to business training & technical assistance, and one-on-one counseling.

Accompany Capital has disbursed over $34 million in loans and assisted over 10,000 immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs in New York City since its founding as Business Center for New Americans (BCNA) in 1997, as well as provided workshops and one-on-one advice on business management and marketing to over 10,000 businesses.

BUSINESS OUTREACH CENTER NETWORK (BOC, INC.)

85 S. Oxford Street #2 Brooklyn, NY 11217 718.624.9115 bocnet.org

QUICK GLANCE: Business Outreach Center Network’s mission is to improve the economic prospects of traditionally underserved groups, with a focus on lowand moderate-income entrepreneurs and their communities, and thereby create genuinely brighter futures.

At the heart of our mission is the belief that whatever their differences, people and communities share a common goal: to achieve economic stability and growth. Working in partnership with culturally diverse individuals and organizations in support of this shared goal is the hallmark of BOC.

CHHAYA CDC

37-43 77th Street, #2 Jackson Heights, NY 11372 718.478.3848

chhayacdc.org

QUICK GLANCE: Core to our strategy is organizing and advocating for systemic changes that remove the barriers to wellbeing, housing stability, and economic mobility for our communities. For over 20 years, Chhaya has served tens of thousands of individuals and led the charge on key policy issues for immigrants, such as basement legalization, language access, tenants’ rights, and more.

CHINATOWN DISTRICT MANAGEMENT

ASSOCIATION (CHINATOWN PARTNERSHIP)

217 Park Row, 2nd Floor, Suite 9 New York, NY 10038

chinatownpartnership.org

QUICK GLANCE: Chinatown Partnership, led by Wellington Chen, was formed in 2006 as new start-up from grounds up to bring residents, business owners and community groups together to rebuild Chinatown following 9/11, and to preserve the neighborhood’s unique culture while ensuring its vitality in the future through strategic positioning. With the highly popular Weekend Walks street festive series, MidAutumn Festival, One Day in NYC, annual Beautification/Earth Day, East West Parade with Little Italy, Double Valentine’s Day to promote the softer side of Chinatown and the Jewelry District and all the cafes, eateries in the area. Explore Chinatown marketing initiative, Lunar Stages outdoor film screenings, and Taste of Chinatown street events, Chinatown Partnership helps promote the area as a special destination to live, work, and visit.

FOREST HILLS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

PO Box 751123, Forest Hills, NY 11375

President: Leslie Brown 718.268.6565

FHChamber11375@gmail.com

FHChamber@aol.com

QUICK GLANCE: Re-formed in 1995, the group has over 225 members. Chamber meetings are held on the last Wednesday of the month at 9 a.m. at the West Side Tennis Club, 1 Tennis Place, in Forest Hills.

GATEWAYJFK

Interim Executive Director: Barbara J. Cohen 516.730.3400

info@GatewayJFK.org

GatewayJFK.org

QUICK GLANCE: GatewayJFK is a public-private partnership providing neighborhood services, improvements and advocacy for the District’s off-airport cargo community and all who live, work or visit the area. A vital link in the global supply chain, GatewayJFK is a distinct and unique NYC neighborhood of major economic significance to the region, the nation, and the world. “

GREATER FLUSHING CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

39-01 Main Street, Suite 511, Flushing NY 11354

Executive Director: John Choe

john@flushingchamber.nyc 646.783.8985

flushingchamber.nyc

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 2014 and representing over 200 businesses.

GREATER JAMAICA DEVELOPMENT

CORPORATION

90-04 161st Street, Jamaica, NY 11432

President: Hope Knight 718.291.0282

gjdc.org

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1967, the group has 75 members. GJDC’s work expands economic opportunity and improves quality of life for the ethnically and economically diverse residents of Jamaica and for the region at large, which benefits from rational, well-planned, and sustainable metropolitan growth.

GREATER WOODHAVEN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONWOODHAVEN

BID

84-01 Jamaica Avenue, Woodhaven NY 11421 718.805.0202

gwdcbid@hotmail.com

woodhavenbid.com

QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $257,000 with more than 350 businesses under its umbrella on Jamaica Avenue from Dexter Court to 100th Street. They are providing free benches for store owners along Jamaica Avenue. They also provide 2.5 and 5 percent home improvement loans.

JAMAICA CENTER BID

161-10 Jamaica Avenue, Suite 419 Jamaica, NY 11432

Executive Director: Jennifer Furioli 718.526.2422

jamaica.nyc

@JamCenterBID (Twitter)

@jamcenterbid (Instagram)

@Jamaica Center BID (Facebook)

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1979, the Jamaica Center BID serves over 400 businesses on Jamaica Avenue between Sutphin Boulevard and 169th Street.

With a budget of over $1 million, the BID’s goal is to promote and maintain Downtown Jamaica as a thriving business hub and an enjoyable destination to shop, work, live and visit.

JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

P.O. Box 300687, Jamaica, NY 11430

Executive Director: Clorinda Antonucci

QUEENS CHAMBER PARTNERS & AFFILIATES

President: Al DePhillips

Vice President: Joseph Morra

JFKCoCExec@gmail.com

jfkairportchamberofcommerce.org

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1978, the group has over 200 members. The chamber was chartered in 1978 by a group of business people in and around JFK Airport. It is the only airport in the nation to have its own Chamber of Commerce. The chamber seeks to create an environment in which members of the business community can work together to enhance the growth, well being and economic development of the airport community and its aviation industry.

LONG ISLAND CITY PARTNERSHIP

718.786.5300

longislandcityqueens.com

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1979, the Long Island City Partnership advocates for economic development that benefits LIC’s industrial, commercial, cultural and residential sectors. The goal is to attract new businesses to the neighborhood, retain those already here, welcome new residents and visitors, and promote a vibrant and authentic mixed-use community. The LIC Partnership operates the LIC Business Improvement District and the LIC Industrial Business Zone.

MASPETH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

P.O. Box 780265, Maspeth, NY 11378

President: David Daraio 718.335.1300

maspethchamberofcommerce.org

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1953, they have 120 members and a budget of $115,000.

MASPETH INDUSTRIAL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION (MIBA)

BOC: 96-11 40th Road, Corona, NY 11368

Coordinator: Quincy Ely-Cate 718.205.3773

qelycate@bocnet.org

mibanyc.org

QUICK GLANCE: Covering roughly 600 businesses with 30 active members, the Maspeth Industrial Business Association provides a collective voice in advocating the needs and interests of industrial and manufacturing businesses in Maspeth. They help companies in the Maspeth Industrial District in developing workforce, accessing tax credits, obtaining financing, navigating government regulations and, in some cases,

finding real estate.

MIDDLE VILLAGE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

79-47 Metropolitan Ave., Middle Village, NY 11379

President: Salvatore Crifasi 718.894.8700

Sal@Crifasi.com

QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $8,000 with 35 businesses under its umbrella. Formed in 1929. MVCC meets annually and focuses on the Metropolitan Avenue shopping district between 69 and 80th streets. The mission is to improve the area and assist local businesses if they have any concerns or needs.

MURRAY HILL MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION OF NY

P.O. Box 1897 New York, NY 10156 212.886.5867

murrayhillnyc.org

QUICK GLANCE: Murray Hill is a unique residential neighborhood in midtown Manhattan. While there is no formal boundary for the neighborhood, the area served by The Murray Hill Neighborhood Association and its sister organization the Manhattan East Community Association (MECA) extends from Fifth Avenue eastward to the East River and from 42nd Street down to 26th Street (encompassing the 10016 postal code).

MYRTLE AVENUE BID

62-14 Myrtle Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385

Executive Director: Ted Renz 718.366.3806

QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $500,000 with over 300 retail and service businesses under its purview. Board meetings are held four times a year with the annual meeting in June. The district includes Myrtle Avenue in Ridgewood between Fresh Pond Road and Wyckoff Avenue. Program support is provided by the Ridgewood LDC.

QUEENS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

12-55 Queens Boulevard, Room 309 Kew Gardens, NY 11424

Executive Director: Seth Bornstein 718.263.0546

queensny.org

QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $1.5 million and a resource for over 2,000 businesses in the borough of Queens. Register online for upcoming virtual

events, including:

ROCKAWAY BUSINESS ALLIANCE info@rockawaybusinessalliance.org

QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $40,000 and a resource for over 200 businesses. The Rockaway Business Alliance was founded in 2012 after Hurricane Sandy. RBA’s vision is to create business corridors that are clean, safe, and welcoming, with shopping, dining, attractions, and engagement for the local community and the visitors drawn to Rockaway’s beaches and open spaces.

ROCKAWAY DEVELOPMENT & REVITALIZATION CORPORATION

1920 Mott Avenue, Far Rockaway, NY 11691

President: Kevin Alexander 718.327.5300 www.rdrc.org

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1978, the Rockaway Development & Revitalization Corporation (RDRC) was established to promote the revitalization of the Rockaway’s economic base and neighborhoods by creating long-standing partnerships with city and state agencies.

ROCKAWAY EAST MERCHANTSASSOCIATION (REMA4US)

1032 Beach 20th Street Far Rockaway, NY 11691 rema4us.org

QUICK GLANCE: REMA 4 US, Inc. seeks to engage in economic development and revitalization in the Rockaway Peninsula. To strengthen our community revitalization programs and community development efforts in the Rockaway Peninsula REMA works alongside businesses, civic groups, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. REMA works to inform the public about opportunities that exist to strengthen the community, and to create a welcoming and safe environment to help expand economic opportunity in the Rockaway Peninsula.

STEINWAY ASTORIA PARTNERSHIP BID

25-69 38th Street, Suite 1C, Astoria 11103

Executive Director: Marie Torniali 718.728.7820 info@steinwaystreet.nyc steinwaystreet.org

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1991, the BID has over 300 members. The Steinway Street Business Improvement

District encompasses all 300 business located on Steinway Street from 28th Avenue to 35th Avenue. National chain stores such as Victoria’s Secret, The Gap, Benetton, and Express are side by side with local family-owned shops.

SUNNYSIDE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

PO Box 4399, Sunnyside, NY 11104

President: Vanessa Ceballos

718.729.4688

sunnyside-chamber.org

QUICK GLANCE: With an annual budget of $55,000, the chamber is an organization built around assisting and helping local business and professionals by providing resources to increase business, safety and historical preservation throughout the neighborhood.

SUNNYSIDE SHINES

45-56 43rd Street, Sunnyside, NY 11104

Executive Director: Jaime-Faye Beam 718.606.1800

director@sunnysideshines.org

sunnysideshines.org

QUICK GLANCE: The BID has a budget of approximately $480,000 with more than 250 businesses under its umbrella. The mission of Sunnyside Shines is to invigorate and enrich the economic life of the neighborhood by creating a safe and dynamic commercial district.

SUTPHIN BOULEVARD BID

89-00 Sutphin Boulevard, Suite 204C Jamaica, NY 11435

Executive Director: Glen Greenridge 718.291.2110

sutphinblvdbid@verizon.net

QUICK GLANCE: The BID was founded in 2004 and represents 134 businesses, 56 properties and 39 property owners along Sutphin Boulevard between Hillside Ave. and 94th Ave.

URBAN UPBOUND

40th Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101

CEO & Co-Founder: Bishop Mitchell G. Taylor

QUICK GLANCE: Urban Upbound, originally known as East River Development Alliance (ERDA), was co-founded in 2002 by Debra-Ellen Glickstein, a strong advocate of economic development inclusion, and Bishop Mitchell Taylor, a lifelong resident of Queensbridge Houses, with the intention to develop high-quality services that address resident-identified needs. Since then, the organization has grown to serve thousands of youth and adults living in public housing and other low-and moderate-income neighborhoods annually

FEBRUARY 2023 THIS IS QUEENSBOROUGH 27

MAJOR CORPORATE

Google

1600 Amphitheatre Parkway

Mountain View, CA

https://www.google.com

Contact: Angela Pinsky, apinsky@ google.com

Our mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Realterm

1 Penn Plaza, Suite 4215 New York, NY 10119

https://www.realterm.com

Contact: Robert Caton, bcaton@ realterm.com

Realterm is an independent global investment manager focused on the transportation industry. We acquire, develop, finance and manage differentiated real estate and infrastructure assets serving land, air, sea and rail networks in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

CORPORATE

Aetna Better Health of New York

55 W. 125th Street

New York, NY 10027

https://www.aetna.com

Contact: Margaret Gonzalez, gonzalezm7@aetna.com

Since our founding in 1853 in Hartford, CT, we’ve been committed to providing individuals, employers, health care professionals and producers with innovative benefits, products and services.

Bonanza Contracting LLC

133-33 Brookville Blvd, Suite 218

Rosedale, NY 11422

https://www.bonanzacontracting. com

Contact: Lateef Belfor, lbelfor@ bonanzacontracting.com

Bonanza Contracting is a family-owned MBE, Certified Licensed contractor originating in Westchester County serving NYC and the Tri-State area.

First National Bank of Long

NEW MEMBERS

Island

1901 Utopia Parkway

Whitestone, NY 11357

https://www.fnbli.com

Contact: Dina DiMarco, dina. dimarco@fnbli.com

Gastons Electric

43-24 21st Street, Suite 301 Queens, NY 11101

https://www.gatsonselectric.com

Contact: Michael Gatzonis, michael@nyathgroup.com

Operating within all sectors, including commercial, high-end residential, education, retail, hospitality, leisure, healthcare, places of worship to special events environments, primarily throughout NYC and surrounding Boroughs, along with neighboring counties of the Northeast Tri-State Area

Kelair Inc.

301 Fields Lane, Suite 7 Brewster, NY 10509

https://www.kelairinc.com

Contact: Frank Kelly, frank@ kelairinc.com

We are a highly customer-focused, commercial and industrial, airconditioning and heating, service and installation company servicing the five boroughs of New York, Westchester County and the Long Island community. We pride ourselves on being knowledgeable, reliable, and responsive to our customer’s needs.

On-Trac Construction Associates.

86-40 122nd Street

Richmond Hill, NY 11418

https://www.otcany.com

Contact: Ignazio Artale, iartale@ otcany.com

Since 2005, On-Trac Construction Associates, Inc. has been a foundational piece in building NYC’s most coveted infrastructure. Our longevity, which we credit to our strong moral principles, has made our organization a staple in the space.

Millennial Strategies

315 Main Street Huntington, NY 11743

https://www.millennialstrat.com

Contact: tiffany@millennialstrat. com

Oxford Harriman & Company/ Haddad & Co.

2408 32nd Street, Suite 1002C Astoria, NY 11102

https://www.oxfordharriman.com

Contact: Mikal Haddad, Mikal. haddad@gmail.com

Oxford Harriman & Company is a strategic partnership designed to help investors accumulate, preserve and transfer wealth through a collaborative and strategic approach. We offer a comprehensive approach to private wealth management that helps to chart a course based on focus, strategy and discipline.

Rock Brokerage

170 Lee Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11211

https://www.rockbrokerage.com

Contact: Arye Krause, arye@ rockbrokerage.com

Rock brokerage provides clients with professional soil removal services, debris transport and disposal, contaminated soil remediation and swift regulatory certification.

SMALL BUSINESS PARTNERS

City National Bank

1140 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 100 New York, NY 10036

https://www.cnb.com

Contact: Christopher Vega, chris. vega@cnb.com

HealthCor Corporate Medical Services

.73-01 Grand Avenue Maspeth, NY 11378

https://www.healthcor.org

Contact: Joseph Ciuffo, ciuffomd@aol.com

Howard Perry Real Estate P.O. Box 731011 Elmhurst, NY 11373

Contact: Howard Perry,

hperryreb@gmail.com

J Caiazzo Plumbing & Heating Corp.

1381 Utica Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11203

Contact: jcaiazzoplumbing@aol. com

Mimoza Restaurant 36-05 30th Avenue Astoria, NY 11103

https://www.mimozalounge.com

Contact: Mike Kolenovic, nycmimoza@gmail.com

Paychex 417 White Plains Road, Suite 6 Eastchester, NY 10709

https://www.paychex.com

Contact: Sean Ryan, seanryan1600@gmail.com

People’s Alliance Federal Credit Union 125 Wireless Blvd. Hauppage, NY 11720 https://www.pafcu.org

Contact: Vic Castro, vcastro@ pafcu.org

SL Law Group 3202 30th Avenue Astoria, NY 11102

https://www.sllg.law

Contact: Steven Simicich, steven@sllg.law

STRATCO Property Solutions 469 7TH Avenue, 12th Floor New York, NY 10018 https://www.stratcoproperty.com

Contact: Lilly Hanratty, lhanratty@stratcoproperty.com

TeamLogic IT 550 Mamaroneck Avenue, Suite 211 Harrison, NY 10528 https://www.teamlogicit.com/ mamroneckny

Contact: Thomas McFarland, tmcfarland@teamlogicit.com

Tri-Art Construction 43-24 21st Street, Suite 201 Long Island City, NY 11101 https://www.triartconstruction. com

Contact: George Kyrimes, george@triartconstruction.com

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE EXECUTIVE STAFF

Howard Graf

Chairperson

Richard Dzwlewicz

Vice Chair

Patricia Mezeul

Treasurer Nash Roe

Secretary

Kenneth J. Buettner

Stephanie Baldwin

Chad E. Callahan

Salvatore Crifasi

David Diraio

Steven DeClara

Patrick Yu

Associate Treasurer

Michelle Stoddart

Associate Secretary

Thomas J. Santucci

Immediate Past Chair

Richard Dzwlewicz

Charles Everett, Jr.

Joseph R. Ficalora

Tamara Gavrielof

Howard Graf

Fran Gross

1st Equity Title & Closing Services

A&L Cesspool Services Corp

A+ Technology & Security

AARP

Abrams Fensterman

Ads Engineers, DPC

AES

Allied Risk Management, Inc

Amna Construction Corp

Andromeda

Antun’s of Queens Village

APC Specialist LLC

ARK Import Export Center, LLC

At Your Side Home Care Service

Avison Young

Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP

Balkan Sewer and Water Main

Service

Barn Truck Rental

Barone Management LLC

Berkshire HathawayHomeservices

Laffey International Realty

Blumenfeld Development Group, Ltd.

Thomas J. Grech

President & CEO

Joanne M. Persad

Chief of Operations

Arlene Diangkinay

Financial Controller

Neil Wagner

Business Service Program Manager

Brendan Leavy

Business Development Manager

Jacqueline Donado

Strategic Program Coordinator

Jef Gross

Manager of Media Relations

SENIOR ADVISORY COUNCIL

William Blake

Dominick Ciampa

Joseph Farber

Louis D. Laurino

Jeff Levine

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Raymond Irrera

Kenneth Koenig

Lorraine Chambers Lewis

Bert Lurch

Meredith Marshall

Carl Mattone

Broadway Stages

Brooklyn Tile and Design

BRP Companies

Bulovas Restorations Inc

Capital One Bank

Carben Construction Inc.

Carter Milchman and Frank

Catholic Charities Brooklyn &

Queens

Catholic Health

CBRE

CDS-Mestel Construction

Center for Automotive Education and Training

Century Development Group

Cerini and Associates, LLP.

Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, LLP

Champion Elevator Corp.

Ciampa Organization

Cine Magic LIC Studios, LLC

Cipico Construction, Inc.

Coastal Flooring Solutions Combs & Company

Patricia Mezeul

Melinda Murray-Nyack

Maria Odysseos

Stephen Preuss

Nash Roe

Jeffrey Rosenstock

CORPORATE MEMBERS

Community Care Rx INC

Cornell Tech

Cornerstone Land Abstract

Cort

CPower Energy Management

Crann Integrated Solutions

Crescent Properties, Inc

Cross County Mortgage LLC.

Crown Castle

Crystal Window & Door Systems, Ltd

Dedline AV

Diehl & Sons Inc. D.b.a New York

Freightliner

Direct Clean Service Solutions

E-J Electric Installation Co.

Elite Builders and Management

EMCOR NY/NJ

EMU Health

ENP Environmental, Inc.

ENT and Allergy Associates, LLP

EW Howell Construction Group

First Central Savings Bank

Forest Hills Financial Group, Inc.

COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Adrienne Whaley

Queens Underground Black & Brown Film Festivals queensunderground718@gmail.com

Kelsey Brow King Manor Museum director@kingmanormuseum.org

BANKING & LAW

Mia Sultana Ball Signature Bank nsultana@signatureny.com

John Renda

Edward Jones

John.Renda@EdwardJones.com

COMMUNICATIONS

Jake Oliver Anat Gerstein jake@anatgerstein.com

Henry Ramos Dedline AV henry@dedlineav.com

HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS

Bert Lurch E Central Medical Management bertl@ecmmgt.com

Prabhleen S. Virk

Citrin Cooperman pvirk@citrincooperman.com

ENERGY

Marshall Haimson E-Capital Development

marshall@e-capitaldevelopment.com

Jay Solly Sol Strategies jaypsolly@gmail.com

ENTREPRENEURSHIP & INNOVATION

Bill Staniford Rentigo bill@staniford.com

Ryan Letts Cleonmaye Corporation rletts@cleonmaye.com

FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESSES

Chad Callahan Plaza College cec4@plazacollege.edu

Michael Shoule

JW Hampton mikes@jwhampton.com

FOOD, BEVERAGE & HOSPITALITY

Jim Quent Statewide Public Affairs jquent@statewidepublicaffairs.com

Rachel Kellner

Aigner Chocolates rachel@aignerchocolates.com

MANUFACTURING

Lina DeLaCruz

Control Electropolishing Corp. lina@controlpublishing.com

NOT FOR PROFIT

Larry Grubler Transitional Services of NY lgrubler@tsiny.org

Christine Deska BellesBoard/Nonprofit Sector Strategies christine@nonprofitsectorstrategies.org

REAL ESTATE

Martin Cottingham Avison Young martin.cottingham@avisonyoung.com

Kevin Louie RIPCO klouie@ripcony.com

Michael Wang Project Queens michael@projectqueens.com

TECHNOLOGY

Sean C. O’Rourke Combs & Company sorourke@combsandco.com

TRANSPORTATION

Phil Jones LIME philip@li.me

Joseph M. Mattone, Sr

Vincent L. Petraro, Esq.

George Rozansky

Gerard Thornton

Juan Santiago

Thomas Santucci

Mark Scheinberg

Caryn Schwab

Sher Sparano

Michelle Stoddart

Gil-Bar Industries, Inc.

GOLDEN AGE HOME CARE INC

Goodwill Industries NYNJ

Graf & Lewent Architects

Greater NY Automobiles Dealers

Association

Grubb Properties

HANAC, Inc.

HE2PD, Inc.

Healthy Corner Pharmacy

Heatherwood Communities

Himmel + Meringoff Properties

Holt Construction Corp

HQUS DBA Hydro Quebec

Hugh O’Kane Electric Co., Inc.

IKEA Queens

INDA, Association of Nonwoven

Fabric Industry

Inggroups

Innovo Property Group

J Strategies, Inc

J.W. Hampton Jr. & Co., Inc.

Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas / Showcase Cinemas

James E Fitzgerald

Janney Montgomery Scott

Jason Office Products

JGM Construction Development, LLC

Kasirer, LLC

Kaufman Astoria Studios, Inc.

KMN Builders, Inc.

Krispy Kreme

Lenoblelumber Co

Levine Builders

Liberty Ashes Inc.

Littler Mendelson, P.C.

Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc.

M&J Commissary Inc.

Macerich

Madison International Realty

MediSys Health Network

Mega Contracting Group LLC

Mesirow Financial

Molloy College

Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens

Mr. T Carting Corp.

NBCUniversal

Nelson + Pope

New York + Atlantic Railway

New York Crystal Cleaning

New York Life Insurance Company

New York State Energy Coalition, Inc.

NOLA CONSTRUCTION INC

Nonprofit Sector Strategies, PBC

Northwell Go Health Urgent Care

NYEEQASC, LLC

Omni Funding Corp. of America

Onegroup

Patrick B. Jenkins & Associates

PGA Mechanical Contractors, Inc.

Ponce Bank

Praxis Public Relations

Priority 1 Security LLC

ProCleanings Co

Prospect Cleaning Service, Inc.

Terri Thomson

Henry Wan

Mark Weprin

Patrick Yu

Daniel Zausner

QSIDE Federal Credit Union

Queens College CUNY

Queens Community House

R.A.M.S. Mechanical Inc.

RBH Restaurant LLC.

Red Eye Group LLC

Regal Heights

REIL Capital

Renaissance New York Flushing

Hotel At Tangram

Ripco Investment Sales

Ronald Fatoullah & Associates

Rosco Inc.

Royal Waste Services

Russo’s on the Bay

RXR Realty

Samaritan Daytop Village

Securitech Group, Inc.

Signature Bank

Silvercup Studios

SkyTrac Access Group, LLC

SL Green Realty Corp.

SourceBlue

Spectrum Reach

Spoton

Squad Security Inc.

St. Francis Preparatory School

St. John’s Episcopal Hospital

St. John’s University

Standard Group

Starbucks Corporation

Stellar Global Trading Inc

Structural Engineering Technologies, P.C.

Sullivan Engineering LLC

SUNation Solar Systems

Target

The Durst Organization

The L Grp

The Liquidity Source

The Sandhu Group

Triumvirate Environmental

Tully Environmental Inc.

Ultrasound Solutions Corp.

United Airlines

United Public Adjusters & Appraisers, Inc.

Universal Healthcare

US Bank

Valley National Bank

Vassilaros & Sons Coffee

Vista LIC Hotel, Best Western

Premier Collection

VOREA

W & M Fire Protection Services

Waste Management of New York LLC

Watch Guard 24/7

Waymo

Webster Bank

WellLife Network

White Coffee Corp

Wisselman, Harounian & Associates, P.C.

YMCA of Greater New York / Queens Branches

Zara Realty

“Science in a Box” kits delivered to District 29 NY SUN WORKS

By Alicia Venter aventer@queensledger.com

600 STEM Hydroponic Kits, also known as “science in a box” kits, were distributed to three elementary schools in Southeast Queens on Friday, Jan. 13.

The schools that received the kits include PS 54, The Hillside School; PS 99, The Kew Gardens School; and PS 144, The Col. Jeromus Remsen School in Forest Hills.

The hydroponic kits were provided by NY Sun Works — a non-profit organization that builds innovative science labs in urban schools — in partnership with local council member Lynn Schulman.

The kits came equipped with a 10-lesson climate and science curriculum meant to enable students, with a teacher’s guidance, to grow, study and run investigations with plants.

They are designed to expose stu-

dents to hydroponic farming technology on a miniature, hands-on level.

“Our kids only get one chance at a good education. That is why I am thrilled to partner with New York Sun Works to deliver 600 hydroponic STEM kits to local schools throughout Council District 29,” said Schulman in a press release. “These kits will be paired with a 10-lesson curriculum that teaches students the importance of sustainability and urban agriculture while enhancing their observation and data collection skills. I look forward to seeing the final results from this unique and vital life lesson program.”

The schools also received the Discovering Sustainability Science curriculum, and teachers are provided the tools to tailor the curriculum to address the needs of the students.

The program will reach more than 1000 elementary-age students at the three schools, all located in the

29th Council District that Schulman represents.

“We are excited to engage young learners in plant biology by delivering hundreds of interactive and innovative STEM kits in Queens with Council Member Lynn Schulman,” said Manuela Zamora, NY Sun Works Executive Director in a press release. “We are fully committed to fostering the love for science to every New York City public school student and these kits are an incredible introduction to hydroponic farming that teach climate and the science of sustainability.”

NY Sun Works first introduced the ‘Science in a Box’ Hydroponic Kit program in September 2020. More than 5,000 kits were distributed last year, for both classroom and at-home learning.

In a 2021 study conducted by social science research organization Knology, the kits and curricu-

lum “embody innovation, flexibility, hands-on learning, and critical thinking.

For more information on NY Sun Works, visit nysunworks.org/.

MAJOR CORPORATE MEMBERS

Council Member Lynn Schulman Delivers STEM Materials to PS

54Photo Credit: Emil Cohen/ NYC Council Media Unit

MAJOR CORPORATE MEMBERS

We hope you are enjoying the newly designed, expanded Queensborough, the monthly publication of the Queens Chamber of Commerce. We, the Chamber, direct and approve all content deciding what stories are covered in each issue, editing all copy and forwarding information that is contained in the publication. BQE Media produces it for the Chamber. We look forward to continuing to highlight the outstanding business persons, services and activities that make our borough unique. We welcome all your letters, manuscripts, etc. Please send all materials to the Queens Chamber of Commerce at 75-20 Astoria Boulevard, Suite 140, Jackson Heights, NY 11370 or call 718.898.8500 for more information. We reserve the right to edit for space limitations. Your support of the magazine is critical to its success. We encourage you to include Queensborough in your advertising plans. To place your ad, please call BQE Media at 718.426.7200.

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