Community Matters: Interns Experience Their First-Ever Advocacy Rally

INTERNS EXPERIENCE THEIR FIRST-EVER ADVOCACY RALLY

Showing our interns what the settlement house model is all about! This year, QCH College & Career Services launched The Settlement House Experience, a one-year intensive program that gives rising high school seniors a head-start by providing them with their first meaningful college course and internship experiences. Through this initiative, young adults get to earn college credits, gain college experience, learn about settlement houses and their emphasis on advocacy, and experience firsthand civic engagement within a settlement environment.

As you may know, QCH is a member of Queens Power, a coalition of faith communities, nonprofits, schools, and unions organizing to build power and demand the resources required so that all residents of Queens can live with dignity and have equal access to opportunity. Through The Settlement House Experience, two interns have been able to fully immerse themselves into the advocacy efforts of Queens Power's current campaign: demanding 100% affordable housing at the state-owned Creedmoor campus. On the first day of their internship, they went door-to-door in the Jamaica neighborhood, informing residents about the fight for affordable housing and encouraging them to participant in the campaign's rallies. Days later, the interns were excited to be at their first-ever rally, joining hundreds outside of Governor Kathy Hochul's Manhattan office. They were chanting "affordable Creedmoor now" next to some of the Queens neighbors they themselves were able to recruit. "The Settlement House Experience has been so fulfilling," said Elizabeth Vera, who interns with Queens Power. "From going door-to-door to marching at my first rally, it's been great having the opportunity to help address such an important issue impacting New York City."

QCH HOSTS 2ND HISPANIC HERITAGE FIESTA IN CORONA

Did you know that the Corona neighborhood has a multicultural population with a Hispanic majority? There you'll find neighbors from the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, Peru, and Chile, among many others, who have made Corona their second home. To kickoff Hispanic Heritage Month, we brought the celebration to them on September 16! As part of our ongoing commitment to community building in Corona, we partnered with Councilmember Francisco Moya to host our 2nd Hispanic Heritage Fiesta at William F. Moore Park, gathering families from the neighborhood and across the borough for a fun and festive time. The event included live cultural performances and music, delicious empanadas, fun games, free school supplies and backpacks for children, and an exciting raffle with great prizes. We look forward to bringing the Hispanic celebration back to Corona again next year.

POMONOK PARTICIPANT PROVIDES FREE HAIRSTYLING FOR YOUTH

QCH's Pomonok Community Center is where families, immigrants, older adults, teens, and children from Pomonok go to improve their lives, to interact with their neighbors, and make a difference in their communities. Our staff at the Center always aims to meet the various needs of the individuals and families that come to us for support. Leading up to the new school year, parents in Pomonok expressed the need for affordable hairstyling services for their children. This presented an opportunity for one of our participants to help us meet a community need. On September 11 and 15, we hosted two pop-up hair styling shops for Pomonok youth led by program participant Victoria Lynch, a professional hairstylist. Known in the neighborhood as Vikkistylez, she provided our after-school youth with high-quality haircuts and hairstyling for free, just in time to start the school year off looking fresh and feeling confident.

SADS PROGRAM FULLY REOPENS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE PANDEMIC

It’s official! For the first time since 2020, our Social Adult Day Services (SADS) program has fully reopened in Forest Hills. As of September 6, SADS is now open at the Forest Hills Older Adult Center Monday to Friday every week for Queens adults 60 and older who are physically frail, socially isolated and/or memory impaired. The COVID-19 pandemic was especially devastating for the older adults of our SADS program because they need more hands-on support with essential daily tasks like eating and mobility. We are excited to be able to provide vital assistance in not only these areas, but also in keeping them engaged through fun exercise, arts & crafts, conversation, and community events.

Benefits of the program include:

Transportation for participant and their escort
Lunch and snacks provided daily
Individual care plans
Variety of activities (exercise, art, music, special events, & more)
Caregiver support (including a bi-weekly support group)
Assistance with mobility, toileting and feeding

"Everyone deserves a caring community where they can feel safe and respected,” said Brooke Samuelson, QCH SADS Program Director. “We look forward to welcoming back both our participants and caregivers to the Center, where they know they have the support to navigate life's challenges."

Queens Community House provides individuals and families with the tools to enrich their lives and build healthy, inclusive communities.