Reminder: Register for May 19 Spring Event!
Queens Community House's Annual Spring Event is happening Wednesday, May 19 at 6PM via Zoom! The evening will feature a live cooking demonstration with participants of our Young Adult Food Sector Employment Initiative.  

We'll be honoring Mike Luba of Forest Hills Stadium/Madison House Presents with the 2021 Community Champion Award and recognizing Kevin Montalvo as this year's recipient of the Irma Rodriguez Queens Community Builder Award! (Learn more about Kevin below.)

If you're interested and haven't registered yet, register for free here! https://www.qchnyc.org/events/2021-spring-event
Meet Your Neighbor: Kevin Montalvo, 2021 Queens Community Builder Award Recipient
"While many kids grew up going to theme parks on the weekends, I spent my time touring neighborhoods in Queens with my father. He’d take me to local landmarks, and I’d soak up everything I could. He also made a point to teach me how to use the subway at a very young age. That served me well as a runner later in life! In 2013, I co-founded Queens Distance Runners (QDR) with my wife Maria and good friend Edwin. We believed there was a void in the Queens’ running community, so we opened our doors to runners of all levels and made efforts to recruit people across the borough. Today QDR organizes annual events, such as the Queens Marathon, and is one of the largest running clubs in New York City. Things come full circle for me when my neighbors and friends join QDR not just to improve their technique and speed, but to also get involved with local issues. Through our volunteer projects and fundraisers, we give our members a chance to get informed and give back. To me, community can be as simple as standing up for the person next to you. Through QDR and on social media, I advocate that anyone can make a difference, and I try my best to lead by example."

Kevin will receive the 2021 Irma Rodriguez Queens Community Builder Award on May 19 at 6PM during the Annual Spring Event!
QCH's Access For Young Women (AFYW) Program Presented Its Annual Leadership Conference

Last weekend, our AFYW program presented its 22nd Annual Young Women's Leadership Conference. 70 young women-identifying folks presented the workshops they'd been working on for months to family, friends, and colleagues! Topics discussed included feminism, colorism within the AAPI community, homelessness awareness, “the daily fear women face”, and the struggles of LGBTQ identifying people. Our Keynote Speaker Beth Kobliner provided practical advice to our young people about everyday finance. In a conversation moderated by two program participants, Beth answered important questions from the audience about everyday savings, how to smash the gender wage gap, and finances for college.

AFYW participants thought the onference was great," said Ashika Bhatt, AFYW participant. "I loved that I was able to use my voice to speak on issues I care about and also learn from other girls in the program."

"I am inspired every day by the young people in the AFYW program," said Taylor Faiella, AFYW Program Coordinator. "Their acceptance of others and motivation to make the world a more inclusive place should be an example to others."
Ranked Choice Voting Registration Deadline for Primary is May 28

May 28 is the last day to postmark your mail registration application and the last day to register in-person to be eligible to vote in the June primary election. If you're eligible but have not yet registered, click here for more information.

On June 22, New Yorkers who are registered with a party affiliation will have the chance to vote on who will be the next NYC Mayor, as well as other city-wide offices including Public Advocate and Comptroller, plus local offices like Borough President and City Council.

For those choosing to vote by mail this year using an absentee ballot, the deadline to request an absentee ballot is June 15. Request a ballot online by clicking here! All absentee ballots must be postmarked by June 22. Early voting (in-person) in NYC will occur June 12 - June 21.

QCH will be hosting a community workshop on Ranked Choice Voting on June 3 at 5PM! Join us on Zoom!

This is a big election for the future of NYC and QCH, while strictly non-partisan, wants to encourage everyone in our community to help promote democracy and get out the vote!
Queens Community House provides individuals and families with the tools to enrich their lives and build healthy, inclusive communities.