The TimesLedger Newspapers, a subsidiary of the Community News Group, is saluting the unsung heroes of Queens for another year.
These are the people who work behind the scenes to rescue the borough’s most vulnerable residents with programs that motivate at-risk children and keep guns off the meanest streets. Some of our honorees are volunteers who inspired their neighbors by launching projects to revitalize their communities, monitor Jamaica Bay and stage the first Queens Marathon. Still others include a doctor who has fought to end the stigma of mental illness, as well as cultural leaders and collaborators who have added another spark to the already lively arts scene in Queens.
We have chosen 25 people to receive our third round of Queens Impact Awards. This was no easy task. We had many nominations from across the borough and we were struck again by the selflessness shown by so many members of the Queens community who extend themselves to make a difference. The nominees were drawn from an intriguing list of doers and entrepreneurs: an Astoria humanitarian who helps victims of torture from around the world, a College Point restaurateur who fed the hungry on Christmas Eve and a determined civic leader who founded the Queens Farm Museum.
Members of this group have changed many lives on different fronts: gay rights, athletics, music, animal rescue work, academia, anti-crime campaigns, medicine, government, faith-based undertakings and youth programs.
We were reminded once more of why we decided to hold this event in the first place: to acknowledge the contributions to the borough from a remarkable group of nominees. And there are legions more waiting in the wings to be recognized for their work.
We have profiled all of the Impact winners. Do take time to read their stories. Many arrived at the point where they are today by indirect routes, stopping along the way to acquire the skills that are making Queens a far better and kinder place to live.
