SCS News

On Tuesday, June 20, guests gathered at M. Wells on Crescent Street in Long Island City for Sunnyside Community Service’s Annual Celebration. 

The annual benefit celebrates the organization’s achievements and raises much-needed funds for its community work. The nonprofit serves more than 16,000 people each year with a variety of programs including pre-K, college and career readiness, community centers for youth and families, ESOL classes, immigrant services, home care, home health aide training, a vibrant center for older adults, services for individuals with Alzheimer’s, and supports for caregivers.

The event honored two individuals who have supported the Queens-based organization and the community with their time and talents: 

M. Joseph Levin was honored posthumously with the Neighborhood Visionary Award for his work as a member of the Board of Directors for Sunnyside Community Services. Born and raised in Vermont, Mr. Levin’s connection to Queens began as a teenager when he would visit his aunt and uncle in Sunnyside. Mr. Levin had a distinguished law career, attending Cornell Law School, working with the Legal Aid Society where he specialized in immigration law, and joining a private practice in Elmhurst, Queens where he remained for more than four decades. He specialized in estate planning, elder law, and real estate administration. He also was active in the Queens Bar Association, serving as chair of the real estate committee for many years. He was a member of the Board of Trustees for Sunnyside Community Services for 25 years, serving as Secretary and as President for part of his tenure. Mr. Levin was married to his wife Mary Ellen for 53 years. They raised two sons and have four grandchildren. Mr. Levin passed away last December. 

Bertha Motta, a home health aide for Sunnyside Community Services, was presented with the Gert McDonald Advocate of the Year Award for her advocacy work on behalf of her fellow home health aides. Ms. Motta joined Sunnyside Community Services in 2015 and in 2017 became an 1199 SEIU union delegate representing close to 1,000 home health aides. Since then, she has been a strong advocate for her colleagues. Her recent advocacy work includes participating in the “Fair Pay for Home Care Workers” campaign, which resulted in the New York State Legislature passing a $2.00 an-hour increase in 2022, with an additional increase of $1.00 an hour scheduled for October 2023. Originally from Peru, Ms. Motta currently lives in Maspeth, Queens with her husband and two sons.

Sunnyside Community Services has offices in both Sunnyside and Long Island City, Queens. The organization also runs programs in other locations in western Queens, including community initiatives at Woodside Houses Community Center in Woodside; high school programs at Queens Technical High School and at Aviation High School in Long Island City; SCS Beacon Community Centers at I.S. 5 in Elmhurst and P.S. 343 in Sunnyside; after-school programs in Sunnyside, Elmhurst, and Woodside; and pre-K and 3-K classrooms in Sunnyside.

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Information for Members of the Media  
Interviews and images are available upon request. For info about the Annual Celebration or other stories, please contact Monica Guzman at 929-335-7849 or via email at info@scsny.org.

SCS Volunteer Marvin Ramirez is NY1’s New Yorker of the Week.

Marvin helps with events at our 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. We’re so lucky he is part of the SCS family!

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

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.