Queens Community House is facing obstacles while working toward the kickoff of the Summer Youth
Employment Program. Courtesy QCH
TIMESLEDGER | Q 2 NS.COM | JULY 16-JULY 22, 2021
BY JENNA BAGCAL
A Bayside 5K event is
back in person for its 20th
year and organizers are
inviting participants to
get their running shoes
and costumes ready.
The Bayside Historical
Society announced early
registration from now
through midnight on Aug.
14 for its annual Totten
Trot 5K run/walk on Oct.
31, 2021. As in the past,
runners are encouraged to
don their best Halloween
costumes as they traverse
EliteFeats’ USATF Certified
Course.
Open to both kids and
adults, the 5K passes
through Little Bay Path
to the Throgs Neck Bridge
and Fort Totten Park’s
Historic District, giving
runners a view of preserved
buildings dating
back to the late 1800s. The
start and finish is at the
landmarked Officers’ Club
building home to the BHS
since 1984.
The 5K kicks off with
a 7:30 a.m. check in, followed
by the 9 a.m. race.
Children ages 12 and under
will be broken up into
age groups and are invited
to participate in the kids’
fun run at 10 a.m. All
kids will receive a cookie
“medal” for participation.
Following the race, the
BHS will host an award
ceremony and reception
at the “Castle’s” historic
ballroom. The top three
overall male and female
5K winners will be awarded
cash prizes and trophies:
$100 for first-place
finishers, $75 for second
place and $50 for third
place. Trophies will be
awarded to first-, second-
and third-place winners in
nine separate age groups:
14 and under, 15-19, 20-29,
30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69,
70-79 and 80 and over.
This year’s special
guest is the 501st Legion’s
Empire City Garrison, a
worldwide “Star Wars”
costuming organization
based in New York. Since
1999, volunteers from the
organization have attended
various events as “Star
Wars” villains to promote
people’s love for the
franchise.
All proceeds from the
event will support BHS
programming.
Early registration costs
$25 through midnight
on Aug. 14 and then $30
through midnight on Oct.
16, $35 through Oct. 30 and
$40 on race day. The first
150 who register are guaranteed
a free T-shirt. Register
at events.elitefeats.
com/tottentrot21.
BY BILL PARRY
Although COVID-19 restrictions
are being lifted throughout
the borough, continued concerns
have presented obstacles
for Queens Community House
(QCH) as they work toward the
kickoff of their Summer Youth
Employment Program (SYEP).
As one of the largest social
service organizations in
Queens, QCH provides youth
between the ages of 14 and 24
with career opportunities and
paid work experiences through
SYEP. Participants explore
their interests and career pathways,
develop workplace skills
and engage in learning experiences
that help to develop their
social, civic and leadership
skills.
In the months leading up to
each summer, QCH looks for
businesses to partner with and
recruit worksites for SYEP. One
of the major hurdles this year
has been the amount of participants
businesses are willing to
accept. Many are accepting only
half the number of SYEP participants
that they would normally
welcome.
“Businesses are factoring in
maintaining social distancing
while accounting for their existing
staff to avoid having too
many people in person at one
time,” QCH Workforce Program
Manager Carlene Asphall said.
The reopening of the city
has also resulted in a limited
number of virtual worksites
available for QCH’s SYEP, as
businesses transition back to inperson
operations.
“We have a lot of in-person
worksites, but some parents and
their children are hesitant to go
back to in-person settings and
would rather participate virtually,”
Asphall said.
Alexandria Sumpter-Delves,
division director of Youth
Workforce at QCH, said that
the initial struggle to confirm
worksites for SYEP was due to
COVID concerns and the uncertainty
of the city reopening.
“When we were reaching
out to businesses in February,
many were hesitant to be
a SYEP worksite because they
were unsure about how they’d
be operating during the summer,
but now we’re hearing
yeses from them as the city reopens,”
Sumpter-Delves said.
Despite the obstacles that
have come with this year’s
SYEP launch, QCH looks forward
to seeing young people
engaged in a program that provides
work experience and readiness
opportunities.
“This has been a challenging
time for young people looking
for opportunities to grow, so
we need to reinforce the importance
of helping the youth develop
social, civic and leadership
skills to prepare them for the
future, and SYEP is a great way
to do that, Sumpter-Delves said.
Participants will have the
opportunity to work in a variety
of jobs at government agencies,
nonprofit organizations,
hospitals, law firms, retail businesses
and more. Some of the
confirmed QCH SYEP worksites
for this year include the
Office of the Queens Borough
President, New York Health +
Hospitals/Elmhurst, Fairview
Nursing Care Center, Buffalo
Wild Wings, the Office of Assemblywoman
Jenifer Rajkumar,
Astoria Film Festival and
the city Department of Design
and Construction.
Through a broad network
of programs operating out of 32
sites in 14 neighborhoods, QCH
serves more than 25,000 Queens
residents of all ages with a
needed support system at every
stage of life, helping them to develop
the knowledge, confidence
and skills to change their lives
for the better and become active
participants in their larger
community.
Bayside Historical Society’s Totten Trot is scheduled to return
in October. Photo courtesy of BHS
Early registration
begins for Bayside
Historical Society’s
annual Totten Trot 5K
Queens Community House navigates
through COVID-related hurdles for
Summer Youth Employment Program
BAYSIDE TIMES (USPS#025088) is published weekly by Queens CNG LLC, 38-15 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY.11361, (718) 229-0300. The entire contents of this publication are copyright 2021. All rights reserved. The newspaper will
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