BY: Betina Crione Guest Writer for World Liberty TV

Queens Centers for Progress is dedicated to the goal of providing children and adults who have developmental disabilities the opportunities to make choices which will maximize their skill development, independence, and integration into community life.

At the core of all the agency’s services is the deeply held belief in the development of the individual. QCP believes that all people can learn and that all people – in spite of any developmental disability – can make meaningful choices about their lives.

Queens Centers for Progress is committed to providing person-centered services and supports to children and adults who have developmental disabilities.  The goal of these services and supports is to promote independence, community involvement, and quality of life.

Queens Centers for Progress was founded in 1950 as United Cerebral Palsy of Queens, by a group of parents who needed services for their children with cerebral palsy. The not-for-profit organization’s first services were delivered from the basement of a wood-frame house in Queens, now affectionately referred to as the “haunted house.” At the time, it was run in consultation with local hospitals.

Construction began on our first fully dedicated building, at 82-25 164th Street, in 1958.  Initially, United Cerebral Palsy of Queens offered therapy and educational programs for children with cerebral palsy. As the children grew, we began offering vocational services, including facility-based training workshops.

The children’s program grew in size, and as the children themselves became older, they needed services designed for adults. The building at 82-25 164th Street was doubled in size in 1966 to accommodate the beginning of vocational services.

In the early 1970s, in response to the de-institutionalization movement that allowed many people who had been living in developmental centers to move into the community, agencies like UCP of Queens, founded to serve individuals with a specific disability, expanded their services.

QCP’s Natalie Katz Rogers Training and Treatment Center, at 81-15 164th St., was built in 1974, and reflected a great increase in the number of adults needing vocational, and life-skills training services. In the 1980s, as the people we served aged, we added services for seniors, emphasizing community-based recreation and health education for people of retirement age with developmental disabilities. Our program for seniors is now known as the “Community Connections Center.”

QCP began providing residential services in 1979 with the opening of the Robert T. Groh Residence in Jamaica Estates. That house in now home to eight seniors.

Evening of fine took place on Feb 26^th 2019, at the Terrace on the park at Flushing Meadows –Corona Park. Close to a thousand people in attendance including food vendors, exhibitors, entertainers and the general public who were there to support this wonderful cause.

The Following were honored as the Chefs of the year: Donna Furey Attorney at Law , Law office of Donna Furey, Thomas J Grech, President & CEO Queens chamber of commerce  and Dominick Totino , Photographer ,Dominick Totino Photography .All deserving honorees.

Other special guests included ; Rick Bedrosian , writer and host of I Could Eat, Joe DiStefano ,Queens favorite food writer ,Culinary tour guide and author , 111 places in Queens that you must not miss.Rev.Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello of our lady of mount carmel , John Luke Auctioneer, A&E’S Storage wars: New York and Jonathan Scinto , celebrity Guest Chef .

There were Casino Gaming tables, to win prizes, Selfie Booths, Silent Auction and 50/50 and Casino raffle  prize winners.

Many restaurants and food establishments from queens were attendance,  guests were able to taste the whole world in one night .Some of the food our World Liberty TV Team tasted was by the following restaurants and food establishments;  Allora Italian kitchen,  Caribbean Food Delights, JAVAMELTS, Isa’s Cake, La Cheesecake Bake Shop, Ben’s Kosher Deli Restaurant, London Lennies, ole Mexican Grille, New York Gourmet Coffee, VDKA 6100,ASMBrand .

Remarks were made by Michael Macaluso, President of Board of directors for QCP, and Wendy Phaff , director of development, for QCP  who did a great job of putting this fundraiser together with her professional staff, we take our hat off to her, job well done ,wendy.

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