Neighborhood Housing Services Of Queens 28th Anniversary Gala – Western Queens Gazette

Neighborhood Housing Serv­ices of Queens celebrated its 28th anniversary by presenting appre­ciation awards in recognition of organizations that have supported the work of empowering and so­lidifying the communities of Queens. The celebration was well-attended, with more than 170 of its closest partners, clients, and stakeholders

Social Communications expert of NY1 Yenniffer Martínez, act­ing as Mistress of Ceremony, opened the event welcoming the honorees, attendees, and special guests, among whom were Queens Borough President Dono­van Richards Jr., Assemblymem­bers Catalina Cruz, Jessica González-Rojas, and Jenifer Ra­jkumar. Councilmember Selvena Brooks, Assemblymembers Jef­frion L. Aubry, Assemblymem­bers Elect Juan Ardila and Steve Raga were also present.

In a formal ceremony, Execu­tive Director of NHS of Queens Yoselin Genao-Estrella, intro­duced the following honorees: Empire BlueCross BlueShield, the national organization Unidos US, and the 24th Avenue Associ­ation. The Director also thanked the audience for supporting and attending the annual event.

Maynel Moreno, representing the 24th Avenue Association ac­cepted the Resiliency Award on from NHS of Queens Board Member Shanel Thomas Henry for their work and advocacy after Hurricane Ida.

“Congratulations to NHS of Queens on their 28 years of serv­ice to the community and their hard work. We are grateful to NHS of Queens for all the work they have done for our organiza­tion, 24th Avenue Association. We hope we can return the gen­erosity they have always shown to us,” Moreno said.

In addition, Wendy Dominguez, Community Rela­tions Manager for Empire Blue­Cross BlueShield, said they were proud to be partners with NHS of Queens and work together for the benefit of the community.

“We congratulate NHS of Queens for the great job they do,” Dominguez said, after accepting the Community Service Award plaque of recognition.

Digital literacy student María D. Cabrera oversaw the presenta­tion of the awards given to Cyn­thia Guevara and Mauricio García, from Unidos US.

“I am very grateful for this recognition, and I also want to thank the Board of Directors and the entire NHS of Queens team for the substantial support they offer to the communities of Queens, in particular the Latino community. So, I thank you for the recognition. Thank you for your cooperation. Thank you for having us here today and may you continue to do the great work you do,” said Mauricio Garcia, repre­sentative of Unidos US.

Assemblymember González- Rojas presented a Proclamation to NHS of Queens and awarded each of the honorees a Certificate of Recognition.

“I am one of the recipients of the First Time Home Buyer pro­gram. In 2007 I wanted to buy a property, but I had no informa­tion. NHSQ provided me with the information, education, and re­sources. They supported me and I was able to buy my apartment. Thank you NHSQ for the great work you do in our community,” stated Assemblymember González-Rojas.

The dance gala was held at the Betty’s Catering Events Hall, where a charity auction was also held. The auction company GSM Auctions oversaw the auctions of vacation packages, jewelry, posters of famous baseball play­ers, basketball players, and ac­tresses such as Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn.

The more than 170 partici­pants danced and enjoyed the taste of Betty’s Catering cuisine. The attendees had fun taking pic­tures in a Photo Booth – courtesy of All Inclusive Productions. There was also live music, with the presence of the young jazz saxophonist and classical pianist Ashley Keiko Chambers who of­fered a mini concert. And the fun hour with Naty’s Show.

Genao-Estrella indicated that her organization will be continu­ing to fund the program for first- time homebuyers while highlighting the results of the graduation rate of the Digital Lit­eracy Program that exceeded 85%. The program is designed to give participants greater access to the workforce through a better understanding of new digital technologies. At the same time, it creates opportunities for work­shop participants to find work in new fields or advance in their own careers.

“NHSQ received its largest ever grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency – NYSERDA, to support clean energy solutions and build a more inclusive clean energy economy for the benefit of historically marginalized communi­ties,” stated Director Genao.

Genao-Estrella also mentioned Hurricane Ida, which affected many members of the community, reminding the audience that they could help those affected to access FEMA resources and make the necessary repairs so that they could stay in their homes.

Lastly, Genao-Estrella cited the great success of this year’s Housing Exhibition. In this exhibition, the agency was able to help more than 300 residents connect with experts in housing resources so that they could fulfill their dreams of having their own place to call home.

The gala was sponsored by Delta, Kinetic Com­munities, Valley National Bank, M&T Bank, Betty’s Catering, Urban Health Plan, Elmhurst Hos­pital, Con Edison, Lemle & Wolf, Empire Blue­Cross BlueShield, Citibank, Flushing Bank, Webster Bank, TD Bank, Porth Authority NY NJ, and Lyft.

For more information, visit at www.nhsofqueens.org.

Source: news.google.com