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Flushing Town Hall to honor former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman at 40th Anniversary Gala

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File photo/QNS

Former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman will be honored for her leading role in supporting the arts at Flushing Town Hall’s 40th Anniversary Gala in June.

The annual benefit supports Flushing Town Hall’s year-round arts and cultural programs that serve 58,000 people annually, citywide, of which over 22,000 are students, families and seniors. The event will be held June 6, beginning at 6 p.m. with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, followed by dinner, awards and entertainment at 7 p.m. at 137-35 Northern Blvd. in Flushing.

“This annual event is an opportunity to showcase the value of culture and arts in our community and throughout the borough, and a chance to come together and celebrate remarkable honorees who exemplify the importance of supporting the arts,” said Ellen Kodadek, executive and artistic director at Flushing Town Hall.

Shulman, who served as Queen’s first female borough president from 1986 until 2002, will be presented with the first Jo-Ann Jones Award for Devoted Leadership. Jo-Ann Jones was the founder of the Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts.

As the highest-ranking elected official in Queens, Shulman focused on land use, development of the city’s expense and capital budgets, economic development and health care.

During her tenure, Shulman was pivotal in ensuring the development and growth of a number of Queens cultural institutions, including Flushing Town Hall, and shepherded the rezoning of dozens of neighborhoods to create appropriate zoning restrictions, the economic revitalization of communities, including downtown Jamaica and western Queens, expanded the borough’s infrastructure, and increased funding for senior citizen centers, cultural programs and libraries.

Today, Shulman currently serves as the president and CEO of the Flushing Willets Point Corona LDC, a nonprofit that focuses on development initiatives including the creation of housing and community open space, opportunities for health and wellness, and improvements to infrastructure and mass transit options.

“Flushing Town Hall is very close to my heart. We rescued it from the private market and turned it into a wonderful community center,” said Shulman. “It is very kind of Flushing Town Hall to honor me in this way, but the beauty of this facility is a result of many people and I would include them with me in this wonderful honor.”

Flushing Town Hall will also honor Emily Lin, principal of Lin + Associates Architects, PC, with its second annual Howard Graf for Creative Design and Architecture. The award is named after longtime former Board Chair Howard Graf located in Kew Gardens.

Lin founded her practice in 1995 which includes a wide range of condominium, residential, commercial, institutional, religious, retail, interior and multi-use projects throughout the tri-state area. She and her husband have developed and managed multiple real estate development in New York City.

Born in Taiwan in 1956, Lin immigrated to the U.S. in 1971 with her family, attended public high school, and received her architectural training and professional degree from Pratt Institute in 1979, as well as completing advanced studies at Harvard University Graduate School of Design in 1992.

Lin has served on the boards of the American Institute of Architects, Asian American Business Women Association, Garden of Hope, Queens Botanical Garden, and Queens Economic Development Corporation, and received numerous awards and recognitions, including a Lifetime Achievement Award and Business Person of the Year Award, both from Queens Chamber of Commerce, and an Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2012.

Tickets and sponsorship details for the event are available at www.flushingtownhall.org/gala. RSVP by May 31.

For more information visit www.flushingtownhall.org or call 718-463-7700, ext. 222.