Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens (VBGCQ) announced their new rooftop farm, Sky Farm LIC. VBGCQ recently acquired the farm, located at the Standard Motor building at 37-18 Northern Blvd in Queens. The rooftop has one acre of farmland, beehives and is a haven for migratory birds. Brooklyn Grange will assist with the management and maintenance of the property.
The farm will serve as a learning hub for kids and the community at large. VBGCQ will build educational programming surrounding agriculture, healthy meals, green spaces and sustainable living. Kids and adults alike will help start seedlings, plant crops, harvest vegetables and more. The beehives located at the farm will remain and also be used for educational programming. Pollinators are an integral part of our ecosystems and the beehives will help raise awareness of their importance. Sky Farm LIC serves as a learning center for the community and will also produce organically grown vegetables and honey. Green roofs are such an important part of making New York City a more sustainable place to live.
"We are so excited to forge this new partnership here at Sky Farm LIC. Brooklyn Grange planted the seed more than ten years ago here at the farm, growing a strong educational foundation of learning around urban farming, healthy eating and growing. Now we will continue to nurture this soil to grow the next generation of youth here in Western Queens into stronger environmental activists providing 4000 of them access to this oasis for sustainable growth and urban farming. The Sky Farm LIC will be a collaboration with Brooklyn Grange, our amazing elected partners, our local schools, our VBGCQ team and all of our young people. We are excited for what is to come for Sky Farm LIC and thank all of our good friends that will work with us to build a greener future here in Western Queens." - said CEO Costa Constantinides, Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens
"I'm glad to see the flowering partnership between the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens and Brooklyn Grange blossom in order to bring forth Sky Farm LIC," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "With this innovative new rooftop farm, our Western Queens community members will have more access to fresh produce and will learn more about how to take care of our ecosystem. Our collective mission to create a more sustainable and greener Queens becomes a reality with achievements like these!," said Donovan Richards, Queens Borough President.
“I'm excited by the announcement of NYC’s oldest rooftop farm and newest rooftop farm hub here in Long Island City. We have seen the great success of Brooklyn Grange's rooftop farming, which got its start here and spread to two other industrial roofs of my district in Brooklyn. Now the Grange passes the torch to Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens to take this to the next level as Sky Farm LIC, an urban agriculture learning hub that will educate youth and the community about crops, harvesting, nutrition and stewardship right here in the City. This rooftop farm is a great example of green infrastructure that yields local, organically grown food while also soaking up rainwater to help reduce flooding and helps to cool the area in the face of rising temperatures. That’s why I introduced a bill to expand green roofs and secured Community Project Funding for year-round farming programs for twenty more schools throughout my district in Queens and Brooklyn so these collaborations can flourish.”- said Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez
"I am thrilled to learn the Variety Boys and Girls Club has acquired the lease for the Brooklyn Grange and are announcing the creation of a new farm with a focus on serving kids to teach them about sustainability and urban farming. I cannot underscore how important it is that we are getting new green space in Western Queens given how little exists in the city. Sky Farm LIC will be a much needed and welcome addition to our community and an important partner is teaching the importance of sustainability to the next generation," said NYS Senator Kristen Gonzalez.
“Many congratulations to the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens on their new urban rooftop farm! This innovative initiative is planting seeds for young Astorians to engage deeply with sustainability, our climate, and where our food comes from. I look forward to hearing about all of the learning and growth that comes out of this space, and want to express my thanks to Costa and other leaders at Variety Boys and Girls in leading our community’s efforts to nurture our youth,” stated NYS Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani
“Sky Farm LIC embodies so many of the values we fight to advance everyday: ecological sustainability, food security, educational opportunity, racial and economic justice, and community-building,” said NYC Council Member Tiffany Cabán. “VBGC has long been a key pillar of Western Queens, bringing together families and neighborhoods across lines of difference toward the common goal of enriching the physical, intellectual, and emotional well being of our families and children. I couldn’t be more proud to help fund VBGC year over year and see projects like this through,” said NYC Council Member Tiffany Cabán.
"Brooklyn Grange is excited to transfer the lease of our flagship rooftop farm to the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens so they can continue the work of connecting this community with fresh, healthy food. We’re gratified that the farm will support programming that strives towards food equity and improves health outcomes among young New Yorkers, and we look forward to supporting VBGCQ with the maintenance of not only the farming operation atop the Standard Motor building, but the continued stewardship of a critical environmental resource that mitigates stormwater flooding, reduces urban heat island effect, and benefits even those in the surrounding neighborhoods who do not directly interact with the space," said Anastasia Cole Plakias, co-Founder & Chief Impact Officer, Brooklyn Grange.
The Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens is the largest youth development organization in Western Queens, serving more than 4,000 young people every year. An anchor in the Astoria/Long Island City community since 1955, VBGCQ offers children a safe haven to learn, play, and grow into tomorrow's leaders. The Club’s 30,000 square foot facility is open to the community seven days a week and includes an indoor swimming pool, makerspace lab, computer room, teaching kitchen, gym, auditorium, art studio, dance studio, film studio, and outdoor playground. While the Club has evolved over time to meet the changing needs of our community, its founding mission remains the same: to make a difference in the lives of young people, and enable all children -- especially those who need us most -- to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible New Yorkers.
Photos & Materials - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/i7dc1xtq586l0vn/AABUuA3RmHa0_pgxo9566nJ1a?dl=0
VBGCQ worked closely with NY Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, NY Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, and New York City Council Member Tiffany Cabán to start a COVID-19 testing site at the Club’s Astoria Clubhouse and Teen Center to provide much needed testing options to the Western Queens community.
The testing sites opened just before Christmas with the Teen Center location staying open through the end of January.
More information about the pop-up testing can be found below!
Variety worked with tons of members of our community to gather over 1,600 toys that were distributed this December! Over 1,000 gifts were given out to the kids served at all six of the Club’s locations with the remainder of the gifts distributed to VBGCQ’s partner schools in Queens.
Thank you to so many folks for supporting this campaign! Special thanks to the following:
JetBlue System Operations Center
9 Hugs
Vlad Paunic
Alex Paunic CEO and co-founder of PreCog Security, Inc.
Tamarra Jenkin
Amy Shelver, founder of BriefMapp
Soman Chainani
PreCog Security, Inc.
Executive Digital
Sasha Jovicic- CEO of Executive Digital
Sam Busic
Fernando Quintero
Vernon Tower
Astoria Heights Playground Tennis Community
Variety was selected, along with 27 other Queens organizations, to receive funding from the Queens District Attorney Katz’s office through the Youth Development and Crime Prevention Program! The funds will support our college and career readiness programming at the Club’s Teen Center in Astoria. The College and Career Readiness Program includes college and career counseling, SAT and ACT prep, and college visits! All of the Teen Center’s programs are completely free and open to the community. Teens and families can learn more about the program and register here.
Read more about the Queens DA Youth Development and Crime Prevention Program and the other awardees here!
On September 18th, VBCGQ held our annual Back to School Festival at the Astoria Clubhouse! Over 600 community members stopped by the Festival to get free school supplies, eat yummy food, dunk Costa in the dunk tank, and more!
Food was available from Chip City, Ample Hills Creamery, and San Antonio’s Wood Fired Pizza and back to school supplies were donated by Ashley Dean/Apartment 3R, NY State Senators Gianaris and Ramos, PreCog Security, Executive Digital, and Staples Store 841. Tons of local shops and organizations tabled at the event - including the The Noguchi Museum, BioBus, and the Astoria Bookshop! The Club also did a free raffle with prizes including JetBlue flight vouchers, a goodie bag from Astoria Bookshop, Amazon gift cards, free yoga classes, and more.
VBGCQ also partnered with NY State of Health to do a COVID-19 Vaccine Pop Up in our gym. Every teen who got their first show received a FREE one day pass to Governor’s Ball! This partnership was so successful that NY State of Health is going to come back to the Club in October and do another pop up!
A special thank you TD Bank, Chip City, Heroes Basketball, and NYC Health and Hospitals Elmhurst Hospital for sponsoring the event! We can’t wait to see you all next year!!
This summer, New York Power Authority ran a STEM program for the summer campers at the Astoria Clubhouse.
Almost 40 middle school aged campers completed a six week program, culminating in a career day with folks from New York Power Authority, Con Edison, and 174 Power Global shared about their experiences working in renewable energy. At the career day, 174 Power Global announced a $15,000 donation to the Club to support Variety’s STEM programs!
Read more about the summer camp STEM program and see pictures here!
On a sunny Wednesday afternoon at Silver Lake Golf Course on Staten Island, over 100 golfers played 18 holes to raise money for the Club.
John Jastremski, a member of the Club’s Young Professionals Committee and host of the Ringer’s sports podcast New York, New York, organized the second annual event. Groups of golfers competed against each other before participating in a raffle with fun prizes including a Knicks jersey signed by Julius Randle, gift certificates to restaurants, and Mets and Yankees tickets.
Read more about the invitational and see pictures here!
On Sunday June 13th, Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens and Elmjack Little League hosted out first annual Jr. Home Run Derby at Elmjack fields! Over 50 kids came out to see how many balls they could hit out of the park. The winners of the two divisions will be invited to the Regional Championship with the chance of making it to the Home Run Derby World Series!
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards came out to hit a few balls as well as make the exciting announcement that the Queens Borough President’s Office is allocating $5 million dollars to the redevelopment of Variety’s Astoria Clubhouse. These funds will go towards the construction of a new Boys & Girls Club that will allow Variety to go from serving 4,000 to 15,000 kids every year!
Read more about the event and the funding announcement here!
This spring, Belief launched a second collaboration with Variety Boys & Girls Club including tees, sweats, duffle bags, and more!
Belief has been a partner of VBGCQ for a few years and this is the second collaboration that they have created with the Club. A percentage of all of the proceeds from the sale of the Belief x VBGCQ co-branded gear is donated to the Club to support our afterschool and summer camp programs!
The Board of Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens is excited to announce that Costa Constantinides will be joining the team at Variety Boys & Girls Club as the Chief Executive Officer on April 9th!
A native Astorian who attended P.S. 84 and P.S. 122, both in Astoria, before graduating from William Cullen Bryant High School, Costa has served as the City Council Member representing District 22 for the past eight years. Costa has always been committed to helping the kids of District 22 and has supported our community over the years through initiatives such as: securing $30 million to reimagine Astoria Park, working with the School Construction Authority and Department of Citywide Administrative Services to put solar panels on all solar-ready school in District 22, and allocating capital funding to put a hydroponic science lab in every school in our district.
As VBGCQ enters the next phase of our 200-million-dollar expansion project, we are excited for Costa’s leadership and skills to help build a new Boys & Girls Club in Astoria that will serve all of the families in our community for decades to come. Everyone at Variety knows that Costa’s passion for our mission and his years of leadership in our community make him the perfect fit to lead our amazing organization into the future!
The Executive Board and Staff at the Club are excited that Costa will be joining us and we look forward to welcoming him when he begins his journey with the Club in a early April!
Click here for a statement from Council Member Constantinides! And check out articles about the transition here and here!
Please reach out to info@bgcqueens.org with any questions.
JetBlue and the JetBlue Foundation have been longtime partners with VBGCQ, their neighborhood Boys & Girls Club!
Over the years, volunteers from JetBlue have painted classrooms at the Astoria Clubhouse, donated free flight vouchers to raffle off during fundraising events, installed a brand new playground at the Astoria Clubhouse, and made multiple grants to support the Club’s STEM programs.
As part of JetBlue Foundation’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, JetBlue awarded grants to a bunch of organizations that support STEM and education programs for youth, focusing on populations that are historically underrepresented in STEM and aviation. Variety was excited to be awarded a $15,000 grant to support our Teen Center! This funding will support the Teen Center’s STEM and college and career readiness programming for over 100 teen members at the Club!
Read more here!
Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens is excited to announce that we were awarded a $50,000 Love Takes Action grant by the New York Life Foundation, thanks to a designation by Jaime-Faye Bean! Bean is the executive director of Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District and co-founder of Queens Together and she secured the grant for the youth center after being named one of 35 individuals across the nation as “Love Takes Action” awardees.
Read more here!
National burger chain, Bareburger, announced a new burger in partnership with Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens.
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“Partnering with the Boys and Girls Club in our hometown of Astoria, the neighborhood in which Bareburger was born, is a no-brainer. In our newest collaboration, Bareburger x VBGCQ brings you a custom-made burger that we have dubbed ‘The Variety Burger’. Bareburger Culinary Director, Chef Lemon created this vegetarian beauty. On a vrioche (vegan brioche) bun delicately smeared with garlic aioli, we have stacked a sweet potato patty, tempeh bacon, tomato, red onion, alfalfa sprouts and pickled jalapeños. A quick drizzle of sriracha honey dressing finishes this baby off. For each Variety Burger you buy (a worthwhile $13.95), we’ll donate a dollar to the VBGCQ.”
Read more here!
Over 100 volunteers from JetBlue’s Finance Team and the JetBlue Foundation came to Variety Boys & Girls Club on Friday, September 20th to beautify the Club! They painted the lobby and the main hallway downstairs and bright shade of blue and added new plants to the living wall in the Club’s lobby.
JetBlue’s CFO Steve Priest and the President of the JetBlue Foundation Ursula Hurley joined in the fun as well.
Thank you so much, JetBlue for brightening up our space just in time for the start of the school year! Check out the gallery below for before, during, and after pictures.
Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens alumni and actress talks about her time on the hit show Euphoria and growing as a model and actress over the years. Barbie grew up coming to Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens. She began doing theater at the Club at age 7 and by age 10 she knew she wanted to be an actress. Everyone at Variety is so excited for Barbie’s continued success and we can’t wait to see what she does next!!
Read more about Barbie and her career here!
Over a dozen teenagers came to the newly opened Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens Teen Center last Friday for a Pizza and Paint Night! Following along with a video online, each teen painted a sunset landscape while chowing down on pizza. We have so many talented artists in our midst!
Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens was excited to soft-launch the Teen Center this summer and we can’t wait to officially open our doors at the start of the school year! Visit bgcqueens.org/teencenter for more information and to learn how to sign up for the program!
On Friday June 14th, VBGCQ’s young artists showed off their creations in the first Art Gallery Show. Paintings, drawings, and pastel art were features on the walls of the black box studio while African inspired drums and other sculptures were displayed on tables.
Families and friends sipped on juice and ate hors d’ouervres prepared by the Cooking Club while watching live spoken word art by local artists, drawing demonstrations by Art Club members, and viewing the artwork on display.
During the 2018-2019 school year, VBGCQ focused its afterschool arts program on multicultural visual arts inspired by artists and artistic genres from around the world
Queens Salah M. Hassanein, Founder and longtime Board Member of Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens passed away on Friday June 7th at age 98.
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“Salah M. Hassanein, the former president of Warner Bros. International Theaters who was a tireless philanthropist in Hollywood, died Friday at his home in Del Mar, California, his family announced. He was 98. He served for many years as a member of the board of the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens (renamed the Salah M. Hassanein Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens in his honor) and was board chairman and president of Variety International. He also was president and honorary chairman of the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation and instrumental in creating the Will Rogers Institute on the grounds of Burke Rehabilitation Hospital after the closure of the Will Rogers Hospital in 1975. The Pioneers Assistance Fund's Salah Hassanein Medical Grant provides temporary financial aid for film industry members in need.”
Read more here
A profile on Renée Edwards, long time volunteer at the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens.
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“What with her degree and interest in youngsters, it was inevitable that Renée would opt for a career that kept her close to them. For 31 years, she has worked for the New York City Department of Education’s LYFE program, which provides child care for student parents. A para, she’s stationed at Long Island City High School. “I’m responsible for four infants whose ages are two months to 12 months,” she says, proudly calling up their photos on her smartphone and cooing. When she gets off from work, Renée starts her volunteer duties. She heads over to the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens in Long Island City, where she teaches sewing, knitting and crocheting a couple of times a week.”
Read more here!