SCS News

Staff and supporters of Sunnyside Community Services joined thousands of other marchers in the annual Queens Pride Parade. For more photos, visit our Facebook post.

Members of our Center for Active Older Adults joined New York City Mayor Eric Adams and peers across the city for a day of pickleball. The games were a fitting way to celebrate National Older Adult Health and Fitness Day, which is celebrated every year on the last Wednesday of May. The pickleball event was organized by NYC Aging and was held at CityPickle at Wollman Rink in Central Park.

Are you an older adult looking to be more active? Every week, SCS offers free exercise activities for older adults. Click here to view our event schedule.

SCS staff members joined colleagues from nonprofit organizations throughout the city to rally at City Hall for livable wages for human services workers. The City budget that will be finalized in June does not currently include a cost-of-living adjustment for human services workers. Human services workers provide crucial services to City residents, and include social workers, educators, administrative staff, and ESOL instructors, among others. In solidarity with the main event at City Hall, a smaller contingent of SCS staff marched along Queens Boulevard with participants of our Center for Active Older Adults.

You can help support us by emailing the Mayor and City Council. Click here to send an email voicing your support for a 6.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for human services workers. Thank you for your support!

SCS volunteer Afnan Faiza is NY1’s New Yorker of the Week.

Afnan is a high school student from Queens who created our Pen Pals program, which connects high schoolers with older adults in our Center for Active Older Adults. She delivers the letters between the pen pals and creates weekly writing prompts for the participants.

Watch the NY1 piece here. When prompted, click “Ask Later” to view the video immediately.

We honored five of our volunteers for their selfless service with a special event that will include dinner, music, and an award ceremony.

Volunteers honored at the Volunteer Recognition Celebration included: 

• Afnan Faiza – Afnan is a high school student who volunteers with SCS’ Center for Active Older Adults where she assists with special events, engages older adults in activities, and helps develop intergenerational programs, including helping to coordinate the Chess Club program between older adults and local high school students. Afnan lives in Sunnyside, Queens. Afnan was chosen as NY1’s New Yorker of the Week for the week of May 8, 2023. Watch the NY1 story here.
• Scott Krikawa – Scott has been volunteering with SCS since 2015. He helps escort participants with Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive impairments from the SCS bus to the program space. Scott lives in Woodside, Queens. 
• Michael Prager – Michael has volunteered with SCS for seven years, visiting a homebound older adult each week to provide friendship and help with his dog. Michael lives in Woodside, Queens.  
• Marvin Ramirez – Marvin helps with events at the Center for Active Older Adults, where he is known to Center members as the resident DJ. He is a strong champion for older adults and has visited City Hall to advocate for budget increases to senior services. Marvin lives in Sunnyside, Queens. Marvin was chosen as NY1’s New Yorker of the Week for the week of June 19, 2023. Watch the NY1 segment here.
• Susan Keren Sheim – Susan works closely with SCS’ Volunteer Services team performing a range of administrative work including database management, tracking hours for volunteers, and general paperwork. Susan lives in Sunnyside, Queens.

The Volunteer Recognition Celebration coincided with National Volunteer Week, which honors volunteers and their service to help better their communities. National Volunteer Week was celebrated by the White House and organizations around the country.

We offer a number of volunteer opportunities including tutoring, assisting with older adult programs, visiting homebound older adults, and administrative support. If you would like to volunteer with us, please contact us at 718-784-6173 or at volunteering@scsny.org.  

On March 7, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez held a meeting at SCS for community leaders in Queens. The event offered participants an opportunity to discuss priorities in Congress and the neighborhood.​

Photo above (left to right): State Senator Kristen Gonzalez; Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez; Council Member Julie Won; Chris Hanway, Executive Director of Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement; Judy Zangwill, Executive Director of Sunnyside Community Services

Members of our Center for Active Older Adults and SCS staff joined the 2023 St. Pat’s For All Parade that was held on March 5 along the Skillman Avenue parade route. The parade, Sunnyside and Woodside’s largest annual event, celebrates Irish culture and identity with an inclusive event that welcomes everyone. See photos from this year’s event below. Read more about the parade on Sunnyside Post.

In this issue of the News and Views newsletter, you can read about recent news regarding SCS. Stories in this issue include: a new SCS program space in Long Island City; new Saturday ESOL classes; the NYC Mayor, NY Governor, and NYCHA Chair visit Woodside Houses; the Sunnyside Post Mile race raised $27,000 for SCS; SCS’s Bertha Motta honored for her advocacy work; Halloween fun at our pre-K and our Center for Active Older Adults; and more.

Click here to read a pdf of the newsletter.

On Thanksgiving Day, staff, volunteers, and Board Members of SCS prepared, cooked, and served a traditional Thanksgiving meal for more than 150 older adults at our main building in Sunnyside, NY. The Thanksgiving celebration is an annual tradition at SCS and this year marked the return of the in-person event. Due to Covid-19 restrictions and safety concerns, meals were delivered for the previous two years. Participants enjoyed a number of activities before and after the meal, including singing, dancing, games, music, and a raffle with prizes. State Senator Michael Gianaris stopped by to visit with participants. The event was funded by NYC Aging and CityMeals.  

The Thanksgiving Day event is just one of many programs throughout the year that we offer free for adults aged 60 and older. To join SCS’ Center for Active Older Adults, contact info@scsny.org or 877-577-9337.