Paula Kirby, of Plaxall, accepts an award at the LIC Partnership Annual Awards Gala Tuesday held at the JACX. Also in the photo is Franck Joseph, chief of staff for the Queens Borough President. (Photo: Courtesy of the LIC Partnership)
Sept. 24, 2021 By Allie Griffin and Christian Murray
The Long Island City Partnership hosted its 32nd annual awards gala Tuesday night honoring two local organizations that have helped the community get through the worst of the pandemic.
The partnership recognized Plaxall and The Floating Hospital at the gala inside the JACX, a two-tower office building located at 28-33 Jackson Ave. that was completed in 2019.
Both organizations were celebrated for their decades-long commitment to Long Island City and their efforts in helping the community during the pandemic.
Plaxall — a family-owned plastics and commercial real estate company that has been in the neighborhood for more than 75 years — was honored for hosting multiple food relief efforts as well as converting one of its Hunters Point properties into a vaccination center during the pandemic.
Early on in the pandemic, the company also manufactured face shields for first responders when the nation was facing a PPE shortage.
Plaxall also helped keep Long Island City’s cultural scene alive through the dark times by hosting events at the Culture Lab LIC, housed in the Plaxall Gallery.
Attendees at the LIC Partnership’s 32nd Annual Awards Gala at the JACX Tuesday (Photo Courtesy of the LIC Partnership)
Paula Kirby, Plaxall’s managing director and granddaughter of the company’s founder Louis Pfohl, accepted the award and told the attendees that it was awe-inspiring to watch the Long Island City community come together to help one another during the pandemic.
She added that Plaxall was glad to be a part of that effort.
“Looking out for the greater good – this happens all the time here in Long Island City,” Kirby said at the gala. “So we are proud and honored to receive this reward, but frankly, we share it with all of you who strive to make Long Island City a better community for everyone who lives and works here.”
The LIC Partnership awarded The Floating Hospital with the William D. Modell Community Service Award for its role in providing COVID-19 vaccinations and testing at clinics throughout Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx.
The LIC-based organization, which was established on a boat in 1866 and is not a hospital despite its name, provides healthcare, social support and other services to residents living in public housing such as Queensbridge.
“The Floating Hospital is delighted to accept this year’s Modell Community Service Award,” The Floating Hospital Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Dr. Shani Andre said.
“As long-standing and active members of both the Long Island City community and the Partnership, we were proud to bring critical resources like COVID testing and vaccination clinics to the neighborhood’s most vulnerable populations.”
Dr. Shani Andre, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of The Floating Hospital giving an acceptance speech on behalf of the organization. Cynthia Davis, Director of Community Outreach for The Floating Hospital, is behind her (Photo Courtesy of the LIC Partnership)
(L-R) Franck Joseph, Paula Kirby, Cynthia Davis, Lt. Governor Brian Benjamin, Dr. Shani Andre and Elizabeth Lusskin at the gala Tuesday (Photo courtesy of the LIC Partnership)
Elizabeth Lusskin, President of the LIC Partnership, and Matt Quigley of Plaxall at the gala Tuesday (Photo Courtesy of the LIC Partnership)
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