Forest Hills Nonprofits: Check Out These Organizations Near You

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Nonprofits can be the buildings blocks of a self-organizing — and self-correcting — community.

Hundreds of nonprofit organizations are located right in Forest Hills, providing educational, cultural and economic goods to the neighborhood.

Here are just a few of them:

Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce

Address: P.O. BOX 751123

The Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce is committed to helping business owners and other residents of the Forest Hills community, per the Chamber’s Facebook page. The Chamber promotes commerce, community and cultural arts in what the organization calls “the three Cs.”

According to the Chamber, the group’s events draw upward of 60,000 attendees. Some of the Chamber’s events include weekly jazz concerts and seasonal festivals.

Queens Community House

Address: 108-25 62nd Dr.

Queens Community House offers a network of programs and services to help people at every stage of life, according to the non-profit’s Facebook page.

These programs include after-school programs for children ages 5 to 12, gender-specific youth leadership development, development activities for LGBTQ youth, workforce readiness and employment counseling, drop-out prevention programs, programs geared toward success in obtaining an associate’s degree, adult day services programs, meal delivery for homebound elderly persons and much more.

Songs of Love Foundation

Address: 73-26 Yellowstone Blvd.

The Songs of Love Foundation is devoted to providing personalized, uplifting songs — free of charge — for children and teens facing tough medical, physical or emotional challenges, according to the foundation’s website.

A tracker on the website indicates that, as of July 19, almost 30,000 children have received a song from the non-profit since its inception.

Central Queens Y

Address: 67-09 108th St.

According to the Central Queens Y’s website, Y staff is dedicated to bringing to the central Queens community life-enhancing services, cultural and educational experiences and a diverse array of programs that meet Forest Hills residents’ needs.

The Y is equipped with a parenting center, a nursery school with more than 300 children, an after-school program, travel and day camps, teen leadership programs, health and fitness classes, senior wellness programs, emergency food assistance capability and much more.

Vita Center

Address: 110-45 Queens Blvd., Suite 104

“Bars? We raise them. Lives? We change them.”

These are the words that headline the Vita Center’s website, a resource that then further describes the organization’s singular mission: ignite women of all generations and cultures to higher levels of opportunities and skills. More specifically, the nonprofit works to achieve value and justice through education, business initiatives and survival services for the women of Forest Hills and beyond.

Some of the center’s work includes early childhood education, immigrant services, social services, women’s safety, entrepreneurship and workforce development.

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