The Long Island City Partnership will host its annual awards gala Tuesday, Sept. 21 at the newly opened JACX building. For 32 years, the organization has celebrated individuals, businesses and organizations that support the community’s success.
This year, Plaxall and The Floating Hospital are being honored for their “historic commitment” to the growth and wellbeing of LIC over the decades, and especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“All of us at the Long Island City Partnership are thrilled to be able to host the 32nd Annual Awards Gala and to celebrate those, including our awardees, who continue to help us through this unprecedented era,” Long Island City Partnership President Elizabeth Lusskin said. “We are excited to highlight the important work of our honorees The Floating Hospital and Plaxall and look forward to celebrating in the new JACX building with familiar faces from across LIC and beyond.”
Business honoree Plaxall has shaped LIC for more than 75 years. The family-owned business has been a leader in fostering its mixed-use community, and this past year helped to keep the community strong through the pandemic.
Plaxall kept families fed through hosting multiple food relief efforts and kept the cultural scene alive through Culture Lab LIC. They also provided a housing vaccination clinic and helped keep tenants afloat.
“After a year where so many stepped up, my family and I are honored to receive this award that shines a light on the importance of giving back,” Plaxall Managing Director Matthew Quigley said. “Our family has been a part of this community for more than 75 years and we were proud to join our neighbors by providing food relief and access to vaccination clinics. We are grateful to the Partnership for their constant leadership and help in making sure LIC remains open for business.”
The Modell Community Service Honoree, The Floating Hospital, has provided first-rate medical services to New York City’s most vulnerable families for more than 150 years. Today, they provide healthcare, health education, social support and the delivery of necessities to the city’s families living in homeless shelters and domestic violence safe houses. They also serve LIC’s public housing and low-income residents.
This past year, The Floating Hospital played a heightened role with COVID testing, vaccinations and other services.
“The Floating Hospital is delighted to accept this year’s Modell Community Service Award,” TFH VP and Chief Marketing Officer Dr. Shani Andre said. “As long-standing and active members of both the LIC community and the Partnership, we were proud to bring critical resources like COVID testing and vaccination clinics to the neighborhood’s most vulnerable populations. We look forward to continuing our work with Liz and her team, and ensuring that everyone in Long Island City has access to quality medical, dental, and behavioral health services they need for generations to come.”
The Gala is from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the new JACX building, developed by Tishman Speyer — LIC’s first major ground-up commercial development in more than a decade. The venue is located at 28-17 Jackson Ave.
Tickets, along with COVID-19 policy details, can be found at LICQNS.com/gala2021.
Meanwhile, the Long Island City Partnership Board approved and funded a new endeavor with Hive Public Space, a LIC-based urban design firm, to commission and install art projects along Jackson Avenue. As part of the interactive installations, the Partnership collected “Love Notes to LIC” by completing a questionnaire. The installation will include several sculptures, fabricated by Court Square’s Boyce Technologies, Inc.
