"I first walked into Queens Community House around 1998, when I was a teenager growing up in Queens. A friend from my high school dance club told me there might be space at the Evening Teen Center for us to practice. We didn’t have anywhere else to go, so we asked if we could use a classroom.
"My father, Larry Matloff, was one of the original signatories who helped incorporate the Community House in 1975. He was drawn to the mission of economic and racial justice through providing opportunities for all neighborhood residents in a multi-age, diverse community center.
Tamiru: I first learned about Queens Community House through Ben, the Executive Director. I’ve worked in health and social services, including homelessness and aging, and he thought my background might be helpful to the organization.
"In 1983, I was a teacher at Halsey JHS, close to the Forest Hills Community Center. I started volunteering with the Community House with the Meals On Wheels Program and then I was offered a job as a Youth Worker. It was a new position with no job description.
Rev. Dr. Timothy P. Mitchell (1930–2012) was a lifelong New Yorker whose legacy bridged local community building and the national civil rights movement.
"In 2018, I started and ran the Gender and Sexuality Alliance at JHS 157. While researching local LGBTQ+ resources, I found Generation Q, QCH’s LGBTQ+ youth center just 10 minutes away. Soon after, my peers and I took a field trip there. The timing was perfect.
“I came to the Community House in September 1979 as part of my second-year field placement for social work school. One of our assignments was to write a funding proposal. I submitted a proposal for a Neighborhood Stabilization Project—and it got funded!
Queens Community House's six Older Adult Centers are vibrant spaces designed to foster lifelong learning, discovery, and community. Beyond providing opportunities for socialization and exercise, our centers allow older adults to explore new interests and develop new skills.
