SCS News

Members of our Center for Active Older Adults and SCS staff members gathered for a morning of advocacy at Queens Borough Hall on March 7. They joined other organizations in calling on elected officials to continue to support programs that make the lives of older adults better – programs like discounted transit fares, meal delivery, and lively community centers. Steven Raga, Assemblymember for District 30, stood alongside community members. Remarks were given by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards; SCS Head of Case Management, Jolene Boden; and Jenny Molina, a member of our Older Adult Center. 

Read the QNS article here.

 

On March 3rd, members of our Center for Active Older Adults and SCS staff marched in the 2023 St. Pat’s For All Parade. The parade, held every year along Skillman Avenue in Woodside and Sunnyside, Queens, celebrates Irish culture and identity with an inclusive event that welcomes everyone. See photos from this year’s event below.

 

Read an op-ed about elder abuse by Shyvonne Noboa, SCS’ Associate Executive Director for Older Adult Services. Learn how our new Elder Justice program will help prevent elder abuse in Queens. The op-ed can be found on the Sunnyside Post website here.

 

Read about a recent fundraiser event to benefit Sunnyside residents displaced by a devastating fire on December 20. The Queens Ledger spoke to SCS Executive Director Judy Zangwill, Councilmember Julie Won, one of the event organizers, Ty Sullivan, and other supporters about how the community came together to help the displaced residents. Read more.

Photo by Celia Bernhardt of the Queens Ledger.

 

A community fundraiser held at SCS in January raised $10,000 for residents displaced by a devastating fire in an apartment building in Sunnyside, Queens.

SCS Executive Director Judy Zangwill was interviewed for the article: “We want to do everything we can to ease the burden when something like this happens and we’re just happy that we have the ability to provide space. This is a community that always rallies. Unfortunately, we’ve had a few crises in this community during my time here and it always comes together and really just supported their neighbors in whatever way they could.”

Read the full article here.

NY1 spoke to Judy Zangwill, SCS Executive Director, and Brian Murray, co-organizer of the fundraiser event held at SCS to benefit residents displaced by devastating fire in Sunnyside, Queens. Watch the NY1 clip here.

 

The Sunnyside Post talked to Sunnyside community leader Ty Sullivan and SCS Executive Director Judy Zangwill about a fundraiser to benefit residents who were impacted by an apartment building fire on December 20. Read more.

 

The Queens Ledger spoke with SCS Executive Director Judy Zangwill about efforts to assist the residents of an apartment building that caught fire in December, forcing hundreds of people out of their homes just days before Christmas. Read the article here.

Photo from the Queens Ledger.

 

On December 20, a massive fire In Sunnyside, Queens displaced hundreds of residents. NBC New York spoke to residents and to SCS Executive Director Judy Zangwill. See the video here.

 

Sunnyside Community Services (SCS) has renamed its Adult and Immigrant Services division the Judy Steele Center for Adult and Immigrant Services, in memory of Judy Steele, a former SCS Board Member. Family, friends, and SCS staff gathered on November 27 at SCS’ Sunnyside location for the dedication ceremony. 

“I am extremely grateful for having been able to call Judy Steele a friend and supporter, both personally and professionally,” said Judy Zangwill, Executive Director of SCS. “She wanted to help her neighbors and make our community stronger, so it is fitting that we name our Adult and Immigrant Services division after her. I am so pleased that her commitment to education and service will live on in the Judy Steele Center for Adult and Immigrant Services.” 

As a teenager, Judy Steele created, obtained funding for, and ran a summer camp program for children in East Harlem. In college, she volunteered for programs for impoverished children, and student-taught in the South Bronx. She became a teacher in that same community and taught ill and home-bound children, before embarking on a successful career educating and training adults in the business world.  

Judy Steele was a Sunnyside resident for three decades and a Queens resident for nearly her entire life. Her involvement with SCS arose when her love for Sunnyside merged with her lifelong commitment to serving others. She served on the SCS Board of Directors for 14 years, from 1996 – 2010, and as vice president of the Board from 2006 – 2008. 

The naming of the center after Judy Steele honors her passion for education and her commitment to SCS and is made possible thanks to a significant contribution to SCS by the family and friends of Judy Steele. 

“Judy cherished the energy and spirit of Sunnyside and wanted the best for its residents,” said Ned Steele, SCS Board Member who was married to Judy Steele until her death in 2010. “With its mission to enrich lives and strengthen the community, she found a perfect ally in SCS. I am proud that her name is now intertwined with the organization that she held in such high regard. I hope this connection will inspire others to support the vital work of SCS.” 

To learn more about SCS and its programs, call 718-784-6173 or email info@scsny.org.