Long Island City‘s MoMA PS1 will host the third-annual gala for the Coalition for Queens (C4Q), a nonprofit which aims to increase economic opportunity by fostering a technology ecosystem.
Attendees will be able to party with entrepreneurs in the borough’s growing tech community and enjoy food and drink from Queens-based businesses.
“The event is to celebrate the growth of our community, the entrepreneurs and companies here, and to thank our supporters, volunteers and participants in the program,” said C4Q founder, Jukay Hsu.
The honorees for this year’s bash are NYC Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Bash, Blackstone Senior Managing Director Bill Murphy, Director of New York Engineering at Google Craig Nevill-Manning, along with C4Q volunteers Gregory Gundersen, a programmer at Mount Sinai Hospital, and Alex Samuel, an engineer and data scientist at Action IQ.
Tickets can be purchased online and are priced starting at $150.
C4Q is based in Long Island City and works to increase participation and opportunities in the tech industry for diverse and low-income communities.
The nonprofit offers classes and intensive programs in mobile app development along with events meant to foster collaboration, networking, and knowledge exchange. Additionally, C4Q aims to provide platforms for Queens tech entrepreneurs and companies to showcase their innovations and create new products.
According to its website, C4Q has helped increase the average income of graduates from $26,000 to $73,000.
While it is only entering its fourth year of operation, the organization raised over $100,000 at its previous bash and a total of $1.6 million in funds in 2014.
“From winning hackathons to working at leading tech companies to being accepted into one of the most prestigious accelerators in the U.S., our students represent the immense potential and talent within our community,” states the “Year in Review” address from C4Q.
Hsu is a Harvard graduate who was raised in Flushing. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army and served for a year in Iraq, where he founded the first private provincial radio station with Iraqi reporters.
