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LIC Partnership Gala Awards to Take Place This Month, Plaxall and Floating Hospital to be Honored

LIC Partnership during LIC Springs!

Sept. 8, 2021 By Ryan Songalia

The Long Island City Partnership will be hosting its annual awards gala later this month and a special tribute will be paid to two local organizations that have helped the community get through the worst of COVID-19.

The Floating Hospital and Plaxall will be honored at the LIC Partnership’s Annual Awards Gala, which will take place Tuesday, Sept. 21 at the JACX—a two-tower office building located at 28-33 Jackson Ave. that was completed in 2019.

The Floating Hospital, which will receive the William D. Modell Community Service Award, is being honored for its role in providing COVID-19 vaccinations and testing services at clinics in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx.

The Long Island City-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 in Queensbridge.

Plaxall manufacturing facility where the face shields were being produced (Photo: Plaxall)

Plaxall, the family-owned plastics and commercial real estate company, is being honored for hosting multiple food relief efforts as well as converting one of its Hunters Point properties into a vaccination center.

The company also played a role in keeping the neighborhood’s cultural scene alive through events at the Culture Lab LIC, which is housed in the Plaxall Gallery. For a time, the company was involved in manufacturing face shields for health workers. Furthermore, it helped some of its tenants stay afloat during the crisis.

“The two honorees this year have just made all the difference. This is the year where the sense of community and mutual support in Long Island City has meant more than ever, and people are really eager to celebrate that,” said Elizabeth Lusskin, President of the LIC Partnership.

Matthew Quigley, a Plaxall managing director whose family owns the company, said they were honored to receive the award.

Sign pointing to the vaccination site at the 5-17 46th Road in a Plaxall building in Long Island City (Photo: Plaxall)

“Our family has been a part of this community for more than 75 years and we were proud to join our neighbors by providing food relief and access to vaccination clinics. We are grateful to the Partnership for their constant leadership and help in making sure LIC remains open for business.”

The gala will run from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with the cocktail and hors d’oeuvres portion of the event to take place at the JACX & CO. food hall. The awards ceremony will take place at The Quad, an outdoor terrace located on the fifth floor.

“The venue is particularly notable because this is the first ground-up major new commercial development in decades in Long Island City,” Lusskin said. “It’s so important because this is Long Island City’s core central business district, and we need office space for bringing in great companies.”

Tickets for the event are $100 for LIC Partnership members and $175 for non-members. There will also be $75 tickets for those who are part of a non-profit organization.

All attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination and wear masks at indoor settings.

For more information and tickets click here.

 

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