#GivingTuesday Donors Touched by "A Day in the Life of Queens Community House."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

QUEENS, NEW YORK (December 5, 2017 ) – Many nonprofits in Queens took to their tablets, phones, and laptops on November 28 to encourage their supporters to break from the holiday shopping and make a donation on #GivingTuesday, a world-wide day of giving fueled by social media.

In the weeks leading up to #GivingTuesday, Queens nonprofits generated buzz on their social media channels by creating unique marketing campaigns. This year, Queens Community House (QCH) engaged a new audience by “taking over” a popular Queens Instagram account, @heart_of_queens, to show 13K+ followers “A Day in the Life of QCH,” a project aimed to offer a more intimate perspective on the work done by the organization in just a single day. The organization raised over $5,500.

The Project, led by QCH Communications Coordinator, Jennifer Weil, took followers to eight of the agency’s 29 sites, travelling through Forest Hills, Rego Park, Flushing, Corona, and Jamaica – just five of the 14 neighborhoods in which QCH offers services. Followers were moved by the intimate experience. Christine Gibson, a small business owner in Astoria commented to her followers, “The @qchnyc takeover of @heart_of_queens has me crying into my lunch right now. Watch the stories and give to @qchnyc today!” Connie Murray, a local blogger and photographer said, “These stories made me cry with happiness and gratitude, so meaningful to raise awareness, so beautiful to see the positive effect on our gorgeous and deserving Queens community.” The effect rippled through the vibrant Queens Instagram community, resulting in new donors, new supporters, and a new look into an agency that has provided services and support for Queens residents for more than 40 years.

Viewers followed along from the early morning, when ten QCH vans were packed with hundreds of hot meals for home-bound seniors, to a Tai Chi class where older adults concentrated on the perfect arm position, to an ESOL class where 20 adult students listened intently to their teacher. The day included a visit to QCH’s Pomonok Center where seniors enjoyed a hot lunch and friendly conversation, to Jamaica where participants at The Young Women’s Leadership School prepared for an important dance competition. Just across the street, viewers visited QCH’s afterschool program at P.S. 86 where third graders built towers out of index cards in STEM class, to M.S. 358 where exhausted 6th graders enjoyed a spirited soccer game. The tour concluded with a visit to one of the agency’s two Young Adult Borough Center (YABC) schools, where high school students were seen working towards earning a high school diploma by taking evening classes, and finally at the Forest Hills Community Center where teens played basketball and break dancers took over the gym with music, battles and cheers.

Viewers engaged, commented, and donated, raising awareness and support for the organization’s 20,000 participants served every year.

Watch "A Day in the Life of QCH" by clicking here.

CONTACT:

Jennifer Weil, Communications