24 THE QUEENS COURIER • JUNE 17, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Queens borough president’s offi ce allocates $5M
in funding for Astoria’s Variety Boys & Girls Club
BY GABRIELE HOLTERMANN
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Queens Borough President Donovan
Richards joined Costa Constantinides,
CEO of the Variety Boys & Girls Club of
Queens, for the Junior Home Run Derby
at Elmjack Little League baseball fi eld
to announce the allocation of $5 million
for the club’s redevelopment project on
Sunday, June 13.
Constantinides, who served as Astoria’s
City Councilman for more than seven
years and left the offi ce in April to become
the club’s CEO, was excited that the redevelopment
will include the fi rst planetarium
in Queens, an Olympic size swimming
pool, science and art labs, a 1,000-
seat arena and a brand-new theater.
“We provide opportunities for kids
to fi nd their spark and give the kids
an opportunity to fi nd who they are,”
Constantinides told the parents and
young people who were excited to dig it
out on the baseball fi elds.
Th e redevelopment of the 65-year-old
Queens facility of the national Variety
Boys & Girls Club, currently located at
located at 21-12 30th Rd. in Astoria,
is slated to break ground in two years,
and is projected to be fi nished by 2026
with an approximate price tag of $200
million. It also includes 200 aff ordable
housing units.
Constantinides called the project,
which will replace the current building
with a state-of-the-art facility, “a lighthouse
and a beacon for the young people
of Queens.” He then shared that he would
have dropped out of high school had it not
been for sports.
“I would go to school because I wanted
to play basketball with my friends. But
that kept me going to be able to go to college
and to get my law degree and be able
to stand here before you,” Constantinides
said. “Without that opportunity, without
that spark, I wouldn’t have stayed in
school.”
Richards said that his story was similar
to Constantinides’ and told the crowd
that he, too, might have dropped out of
high school if it weren’t for his love of basketball,
which required him to keep his
grades up, as well as mentoring programs.
“We may not listen right away — and
this goes to parents as well — we may
not listen right away, but we do hear you,”
Richards said. “It’s important that we
instill those values into our young people
and continue to encourage them, even
through their challenges.”
He announced that his offi ce “hit a
home run” by securing $5 million to
build out Constantinides’ dream and
vision, which drew cheers from
the crowd.
“Our children deserve quality
facilities. Your ZIP code
and your socioeconomic status
should not determine what your
access looks like,” Richards said.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards with Variety
Boys & Girls Club’s baseball players.
Variety Boys &
Girls Club is the largest
youth development
organization in western
Queens, serving more
than 4,000 young
people each year.
Nearly 60 percent
of club members
hail from
the nearby
Photos by Gabriele Holtermann
Ravenswood, Queensbridge and Astoria
Houses communities.
“Our families are excited about the new
club and all the amazing new programs
that we will have available to the community,”
said Andy Rodriguez, executive
director of the Variety Boys & Girls Club
of Queens. “With our new site, we plan
on serving many more families than we
serve today so we look forward to sharing
our bigger and better space when the
new facility is completed.”
Richards, who’s running for re-election
and was endorsed by Constantinides
prior to his departure from offi ce, shared
that he was also able to bring in $70 million
in capital for the “World’s Borough”
that will go to organizations like the
Variety Boys & Girls Club.
“Because we have to not just rebuild
back to normal, but we’re looking at
a new normal for Queens,” said
Richards.
Variety Boys & Girls Club
members step up
to the plate at
the Jr. Home Run
Derby at Elmjack
baseball fi elds.
Variety Boys & Girls Club members wait for their chance to field the ball at the Jr. Home Run
Derby. Tiff any Cabán coaches Queens Borough President Donovan Richards at the Jr. Home Run Derby.
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
