I was honored to have served on the board of Directors for over 5 years! I had a front row seat to the resilience and determination from the committed & loving staff ❤️. From the inception of the unique corporate partnership with Starbucks Jamaica, Queens to the program development that took place, I am a better leader than I was before I joined QCH. Cheers to the future of this amazing non profit and the lives that will be changed because of the continued support from generous donors and supporters!
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Queens Community has been a part of my professional journey for the past 6 + years in various capacities. First as a community embassador for the company I work for Starbucks Coffee & subsequently as a dedicated volunteer in support of building leadership skills for the youth. My experience as a board member over these last year has truly marked my life because I feel that I can influence and truly make a difference from a different capacity. Queens Community House is a gem in our community and I am proud to serve!
Rosa Grajeda
Board of Directors
I have now learned how to speak English a little more. I understand more words and now at work I am able to exchange a couple of more words with my boss. Now, I can go somewhere and directly apply for a job because I feel comfortable. I have met a lot of different people with different nationalities. So far this year we have covered topics regarding the food we eat on a daily basis, the weekdays, the months of the year and I have also learned everyday terms to use when I am outside running errands. The teachers do try their very best and want nothing but to explain and make sure you have left class knowing to speak better than the day before.
It is a great program to study English. It is an accumulation of new friends and conversation with one another. The ESL program helps for talking and using outside in my everyday life. For example when I go to the bank or to the store. Teachers are great at QCH with an interest in their students and especially to teach English!
The program is great! I have made more friends because of this program! Different nationalities all coming together. The teachers here are helpful. The teacher challenges me and teaches me well. I am in the most advanced class and we are currently learning about grammar the past present and future tenses. This really helps me articulate what I want to say more when I speak English now.
The Queens Community House English school, is important for me. I have learned communication with different nationalities. I have met new friends and made great connections. The teachers want nothing but the best for me and have encouraged me to learn English. The teachers are making their students their number one priority without charge. I have found there is an unconditional amount of help being offered at this organization and I am very grateful. I know they will continue to help others as well in learning and sharing their skills, because they are nothing but exceptional in attending their students! Thank you!
The teachers are very attentive in helping the students with learning English, and this has helped me in meeting new people and in interacting with with other co-workers at my job. Also, this program has helped me to for example to read my email's or read news articles on the internet. This program works!
As a person who truly believes in sharing a common language with our community, I am truly blessed to work with such an amazing staff who shares my same ideologies. We are an organization that believes in bringing together all cultures and embracing all people here at the ESL program! Always a great spirit and energy from the teachers!
They are the best thing to happen to me. They are my favorite childhood memory and helped show me the good in the world. That everyone isn't a massive jerk.
Queens Community House was made for bringing a community together. They offer several different types of programs for everyone of age. From what I've seen, this organization really engages with young adults and helps them amazingly in continuing their education. I highly recommend for young adults being part of Queens Community House.
My kids had a great experience from the summer camp program. My dad enjoys spending time at the senior center. He thinks the programs are great. Staff is professional and courteous.
Queens Community House is a fixture in our community which continually makes an impact on a daily basis. From holding stimulating senior programs, work with after school initiatives, and even Meals On Wheels, Queens Community House is one of the best organizations around.
Queens Community House is a special place that makes an impact. The staff is caring and nurturing and over the years that I have worked with QCH and volunteered with the senior programs I feel the impact .
I joined the Kew Gardens Community Center last year, one month after retirement and was pleasantly surprised at the number of classes offered including exercise and lectures. The atmosphere is very cheerful with friendly people, good lighting, and large windows in the Piano Room and the Lounge. They also have a chorus, which I immediately joined, and am now the chorus director. We have about 20 dedicated singers and a wonderful pianist. We perform at local nursing homes and at the Center for holiday or birthday parties singing the standards, show tunes, music from the 50s/60s, etc. Our rehearsals are on Fridays at 11:00 AM. Its a joy.
For over three years I have served as a volunteer piano accompanist for the Kew Garden Community Chorus. It has been a truly rewarding and joyous experience in every way. Rachel Epstein has given her full participation and support to the chorus. She also expressed her appreciation to the group in substantial ways. The piano we use is the very best and the acoustics in the rehearsal room are ideal. You will see a lot of smiles there.
QCH offers programs from elementary school age to frail elderly throughout the Borough of Queens. But it is not the number or programs but the quality of the programming that make it so special. Most of the staff have been there for years, often giving up higher paying opportunities elsewhere to remain within this culture of caring and professionalism. As change agents, staff are charged with giving participants and the communities the tools to better themselves. When the communities and participants succeed, as they often do, they rightly get the credit. So QCH remains the best kept secret in Queens.
QCH has been a standout organization in Queens for many years. Being a lifetime resident of Queens I remember working with QCH on various housing advocacy initiatives and frequently seeing their Meal on Wheels Vans and cars.
I am truly blown away by the variety of programs and services that QCH provides and am eager to see where else we can plug in to continue to serve this great borough. As a Board member I take my responsibility very seriously and look forward to expanding the programming and reach of the work we do.
I have been a member of the Kew Gardens Community House since its beginning. My interest was in the center's approach to wellness and exercise. I joined a class which I attended regularly for years. After the untimely death of our last teacher I volunteered to take over the class and was trained by a representative of the Dept. of the Aged. I am now in my ninth year of leading that class. Our current director, Rachel Epstein, was instrumental in organizing some kind of exercise class for every day of the week. She also developed a lecture program, emphasizing health, wellness and nutrition. Most recently I attended a course with her called: A Matter of Balance, Managing Concerns about Falls, Volunteer Leader Model, MaineHealth's Partnership for Healthy Aging, Boston University. We just finished coaching a successful run of the 8 week session course together. Rachel is an inspiring and hard working director of the Kew Gardens Community House Center. It is a pleasure to work with her.
I've been a happy member of the Kew Gardens Community Center for about 10 years. I volunteer by teaching 2 levels of Tai Chi and by giving periodic workshops in Topics in Mathematics ("The Number Jungle"). I also attend Belle's Players, our Drama Group, and our Chorus. These groups perform at local residence facilities & at the Forest Hills Library. I enjoy all these activities immensely as well as the friendships I've developed with my fellow members & Tai Chi & Math students. The atmosphere at the Center is warm and friendly, fostered by the work of our wonderful director, Rachel Epstein, who sees to it that all runs smoothly and joyously. I retired from full time work as a university professor of Math & Phys Ed in 1999 and continued working part-time till last year. The Center has eased my way into continuing an active and useful and enjoyable life of community service. For this I am & will be eternally grateful.
I attended pre-school at the QCH, participated in their after school programs, and through my teen years it continued to be a safe place, a place to hang out or meet friends and be a part of.
Everyone there is helpful, commited and truly a part of the community they serve.
I hope the organization continues to thrive and serve generations of children and families to come.
As a child growing up in Queens, attending middle and high school here and having witnessed the Mets win the World Series in ’86 I have a strong affinity for this great borough. When I began my search last year for a non-profit board to join there were a few important things on my criteria. For one the organization had to be focused first and foremost on serving its community. At QCH their core mission is to serve the people of the community, from the children to the adults and seniors alike, through its rich programs and services. I had the opportunity to tour some of the facilities and see the programs in action. I was so impressed and moved by the impact these programs are having in the community. For example QCH offers free English for Speakers of Other Language (ESOL) classes at its Jackson Heights location which have afforded many the opportunity to move up the socio-economic ladder. I was also able to visit the Pomonok Senior Center in Flushing and witness how the many activities offered, eg Arts & Crafts, dancing, are enriching the lives of the seniors there. Another important criterion for me was the people of the organization. At QCH it is led by the Executive Director, Irma Rodriguez, who is committed, passionate and exudes energy for this organization. I see this love and passion in the staff and volunteers of QCH. Lastly it is an organization that serves over 20,000 people in the community that I call home in its approximately 20 locations by a committed staff of over 400. I am proud to be a board member of the Queens Community House.
My teen-age son has found a place where he can volunteer and give back. When he was younger, he went to the early childhood center and the summer camps. Now, by volunteering, he has discovered a talent and interest in working with younger children. The Queens Community House is a place where he has been able to learn and grow at all different ages.
I moved to the Borough of Queens several years ago and was really struck by Queens Community House (QCH) -- each of the staff takes on so much work and there isn't a lot of ego. Without trumpeting the fact that they serve such a broad diversity of races, ethnic and cultural groups, they maintain an open door to everyone in the community. I also like the way QCH infuses community organizing into every aspect of the work, transforming it from just run of the mill human services to all in the community from the very young to the very old to a very special organization that manages to stay close to the people it serves and true to its mission.