JUNE 2019 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 21
For more than 60 years, Commonpoint
Queens has been providing programs
designed to sustain and enhance the quality
of individual, family and communal life
throughout Queens and Western Nassau
County by offering services to people of
all ages, ability levels, stages of life and
backgrounds.
We recently interviewed Danielle Ellman,
its CEO, about what makes the organization
– formed through the merger of Central
Queens Y and Samuel Field Y – and its
programs unique, as well as its mission and
how technology is helping it accomplish
that mission.
Q: What would you say makes
Commonpoint Queens unique when
compared to other organizations that
might offer similar programs?
A: When you come to Commonpoint
Queens – as a child, parent, or senior
– you will not only find programs that
meet your individual needs, but you will
be investing in a community that supports
people across the entire borough. We are one
of the few organizations where you can get
the highest-quality programs and services
for you and your family and know that
we also have a deeper mission to serve the
entire community. We strive to reflect and
embrace all of our neighbors, creating a true
“commonpoint” where people learn from
each other and gain a better understanding
of the world.
Q: What would you say is the mission of
your organization?
A: Commonpoint Queens is a social
services organization that addresses the
diverse and evolving needs in our borough
– a place where people of all ages and
backgrounds come together to find support,
access opportunities, and build connections
to community throughout their lives. For
more than six decades, we have created new
programs that address the emerging, often
underrepresented needs of our community
– and we’re continually evolving to offer
Spotlight Long Island
Commonpoint Queens CEO on the organization’s
programs and mission.
new opportunities that our participants
can’t find anywhere else in Queens.
Q: How does your organization use
technology to accomplish that mission?
A: For a community-based organization
like Commonpoint Queens, technology is
really all about making our services more
accessible to community members who
need us the most. Over the last two years,
our Emergency Food Pantry in Forest Hills
has grown tremendously as we integrated
a digital system, allowing community
members to place their food orders online,
allowing us to serve them more efficiently.
This has allowed us to almost triple the
amount of people we’ve been able to serve,
which ultimately means we’re helping to
feed more households, and we’re slowly
opening up access to the pantry to our
members in northeast Queens, Western
Nassau and beyond!
Q: How long have you been with
Commonpoint Queens and what
attracted you to the organization?
A: This year actually marks a decade with
the organization! It’s unbelievable how
fast the time has flown, but more so how
much the agency has grown in that time. I
was incredibly excited for the opportunity
to share not only my experience, but my
passion for building community in the
neighborhoods that I grew up in. I’m a
Queens girl, born and raised. My education
was in Jewish Communal Service/nonprofit
management and Public Policy
Administration, and to be able to lead one
of the most prominent Jewish Community
Centers in Queens, the most diverse
borough in New York City, was and still is
an opportunity that I’m beyond grateful to
have in my life.
Q: What is the biggest challenge of your
job and why?
A: We strive to create a warm and nurturing
environment, which as an organization
we’re committed to implementing at over
50 sites, and cultivating relationships with
more than 50,000 people. There just aren’t
enough hours in a day for me to be present
in all of our programs.
Custom Computer Specialists
Right People. Right Results.®
Caption: CEO Danielle Ellman chatting with
a member at Commonpoint Queens’ Forest
Hills location about the new Authors Series,
which is part of the center’s Cultural Arts
and Jewish Heritage program.
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