Queens Borough President Donovan Richards will make two major funding announcements next week in northwestern Queens as part of an initiative called Borough Hall on Your Block. Richards is pictured at a similar event in southeast Queens last year (Photo via Twitter/X)
Aug. 18, 2023 By Michael Dorgan
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards will make two major funding announcements next week in northwestern Queens, where he will also host public programming events as part of an initiative to engage with residents and connect them with public resources.
The week-long initiative, called Borough Hall on Your Block, will kick off on Aug. 21 and will run through Aug. 26 with events scheduled for the neighborhoods of Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights.
The event will also include two funding announcements totaling more than $4 million, town hall meetings, employment and resource fairs, youth programming, and a block party.
“My team and I can’t wait to spend next week in northwest Queens, creating connections with families directly where they live,” Richards said. “We look forward to seeing as many of our neighbors as possible throughout what should be a stellar week of programming and relationship building.”
Borough Hall on Your Block was established by Richards last year and next week’s series will mark the third edition of the initiative. The first Borough Hall on Your Block took place in southeast Queens in August 2022, and it was followed by a western Queens edition in February.
The leaders of two western Queens art organizations were presented with a $5 million check for capital funding on Tuesday, Feb. 22, as part of the Borough Hall on Your Block initiative (Photo by Paul Frangipane)
Richards said the aim of the initiative is to connect Queens families with the programs and services his office provides, regardless of ZIP code or socioeconomic status. He said it also gives residents a chance to interact with his office and it provides constituents with information on what type of government services they may need.
“You shouldn’t have to navigate the halls of government on your own when you have an issue,” Richards said. “True representative government brings its resources and services directly to the people, and that is at the heart of our Borough Hall on Your Block initiative.”
Borough Hall on Your Block will begin at 10 a.m. on Monday at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, located at 79-01 Broadway, where Richards will announce $3 million in capital funding toward improvements of maternal services units at the facility.
Later that day, between 3 and 5 p.m., he will host a self-defense workshop for residents at the Queens Center for Gay Seniors, located at 37-06 77th St. in Jackson Heights.
On Tuesday, Aug. 22, there will be a jobs recruitment fair at the Queens Public Library in Elmhurst, located at 86-07 Broadway, from 2:30 to 6 p.m.
Next, on Thursday, Aug. 24, Richards will be at Travers Park in Jackson Heights at 10 a.m. where he will announce $1.05 million in capital funding toward the reconstruction of the basketball courts at the park.
Travers Park in Jackson Heights (Photo: NYC Parks / Elizabeth Masella)
Borough Hall on the Block will continue an hour later at Corona Plaza on Roosevelt Avenue where an immigrant resource fair and pop-up pantry will take place, offering immigrant communities a wide array of services. Food and clothing will also be given to those in need. The fair runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
There will be a bystander intervention training — to teach people how to respond to bias incidents – later that day from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Apicha Community Health Center in Jackson Heights, located 82-11 37th Ave., followed by a town hall at Aliento de Vida Christian Church in Corona, located at 103-12 Roosevelt Ave., from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., where representatives from various city agencies will take part in a conversation about local quality-of-life issues.
On Friday, Aug. 25, there will be a youth and young adult leadership summit from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the New York Hall of Science in Corona, located at 47-01 111th St., while a nonprofit resource fair connecting residents to more than 20 local non-profits will take place in Jackson Heights from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the 34th Avenue Open Street, between 77th Street and 78th Street.
Borough Hall on Your Block will conclude on Saturday, Aug. 26, with a resource fair, bike jamboree, and block party from noon to 5 p.m. at the 34th Avenue Open Street, between Junction Boulevard and 91st Street in Jackson Heights. The event will feature free bike riding lessons, games for kids, giveaways, free health screenings, and immigration-related resources.
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