QBP RICHARDS WRAPS SUCCESSFUL “BOROUGH HALL ON YOUR BLOCK: NORTHWEST QUEENS”

  • $4.5 million announced to support Elmhurst Hospital, Travers Park
  • Hundreds reached at employment, immigrant and nonprofit resource fairs
  • Empowered local civic, faith and small business leaders with roundtable talks
  • Fostered open community dialogue with a Northwest Queens town hall

(August 28, 2023 at 10am)

QUEENS, NY – The summer season went out with a bang in Northwest Queens, as Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr.’s third iteration of “Borough Hall on Your Block” saw countless highlights made and new partnerships forged across Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights.

Over the course of the six-day initiative, Borough President Richards hosted one town hall, two press conferences announcing millions of dollars in capital funding across the district, three separate job and resource fairs, four different roundtables with local community leaders and a multitude of other community-centered events.

“What a week it was in Northwest Queens! Thank you to all our neighbors, community organizations and city agencies for coming out and making this our most successful Borough Hall on Your Block initiative yet,” said Borough President RICHARDS. “All 2.4 million Queens residents deserve a government that sees them, hears them and stops at nothing to serve them. That is the goal of my administration and I can’t wait to take Borough Hall back on the road once again in a few months.”

Borough Hall on Your Block: Northwest Queens began on Monday, August 21 with a press conference at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, announcing Borough President Richards’ $3 million allocation to support the medical facility’s centralization of its maternal and neo-natal services on one floor. That evening in Jackson Heights, the Borough President hosted the latest in his series of Self-Defense and Bystander Training workshops in partnership with Artemis Self Defense, providing area residents with the tools they need to keep themselves and those around them safe from violence, bias incidents and other negative interactions.

Also on Monday, Borough President Richards embarked on a walking tour of the Flushing Bay Promenade in East Elmhurst with officials from NYC Parks, Community Board 3 and Community Board 4 to discuss ways to improve the public space. Prior to the Self-Defense and Bystander Training, he also hosted a roundtable of community leaders in Jackson Heights to discuss issues they’re seeing on the ground.

Hundreds of Northwest Queens job seekers descended on the Queens Public Library’s Elmhurst branch on Tuesday, August 22 as Borough President Richards hosted a Job Recruitment Fair, featuring more than a dozen employers across a wide array of industries. Bookending that successful event were a pair of afternoon roundtables — one specifically with local Muslim leaders and one with local civic organizations — to connect the community with city agencies.

Wednesday, August 23 saw the Borough President head to Flushing Meadows Corona Park to participate in a thrilling “Remnants of the World’s Fair Tour,” hosted by Untapped New York, before holding his fourth roundtable discussion of the week, this time in Corona with area small business leaders to discuss ways to best grow the local economy.

The busiest day of Borough Hall on Your Block: Northwest Queens was Thursday, August 24, which Borough President Richards kicked off with a press conference announcing $1 million in capital funding to renovate the Travers Park basketball courts in Jackson Heights — with the Borough President beating Council Member Shekar Krishnan in a pickup game after the announcement. A few minutes away in Corona Plaza, the Borough President’s Immigrant Resource Fair and Pop-Up Food Pantry was packed with hundreds of area residents looking to put food on their family’s table and secure services in the realms of healthcare, legal assistance and more.

Across the street, Borough President Richards received a tour of Make the Road New York’s new community center, which he allocated $1.8 million toward and is currently under construction. Capping off the day was his Northwest Queens Town Hall in Corona, which drew dozens of residents and included conversations around public safety, street vending, transportation and more.

On Friday, August 25, the Queens Borough President’s Office partnered with the New York Hall of Science in Corona to host a Youth and Young Adult Summit, aimed at empowering local young people through leadership training, financial literacy, career guidance and more. Borough President Richards’ Nonprofit Network got into the mix that evening, as the office held a Nonprofit Resource Fair on the 34th Avenue Open Street in Jackson Heights. More than 20 local nonprofits set up shop to inform families of the resources they offer.

The 34th Avenue Open Street was where Borough Hall on Your Block: Northwest Queens concluded in style on Saturday, August 26, as Borough President Richards hosted a thrilling Street Fair. From bike riding and children’s games to immigration resources and health screenings, there was truly something for everyone.

Borough President Richards first announced the Borough Hall on Your Block initiative during his June 2022 State of the Borough address. He successfully hosted the inaugural iteration of Borough Hall on Your Block in Southeast Queens in August 2022, followed by Borough Hall on Your Block: Western Queens in February 2023.

The date and location of the fourth Borough Hall on Your Block series will be announced in the coming months.

Follow the Office of the Queens Borough President via @QnsBPRichards on Twitter and @QueensBPRichards on Facebook and Instagram

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