QUEENS CHILD GUIDANCE CENTER PARTNERS WITH ASTORIA FEDERAL SAVINGS FOR THE SECOND YEAR TO KICK OFF ITS ANNUAL BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES DRIVE The Drive Benefits More Than 700 Local Clients

On August 1st, Queens Child Guidance Center (QCGC) kicked off its annual “Back to School Supplies Drive” for local students. Partnering with Astoria Federal Savings, the drive will benefit more than 700 clients throughout the Queens area. While Astoria Federal’s drive will end on August 31st, QCGC’s drive is on-going.

Supplies, including new backpacks, calculators, crayons, markers, pencils, ballpoint pens, round-edge scissors, glue, rulers, notebooks, memo pads, pencil sharpeners, loose-leaf paper, tissues and erasers – may be dropped off at any Astoria Federal branch or directly at QCGC, located at 60-02 Queens Boulevard, Lower Level, Woodside, NY 11377.

“You can’t imagine how wonderful it is to see the smile on a child’s face when he/she has a new backpack and school supplies on their first day of school, especially when they have never had these things before,” Hank Auffarth, President, Queens Child Guidance Center. “It gives them such self-confidence and a look of pride. It’s a great pathway for them to want to learn.”

Donations which will be used to purchase new school supplies, will also be accepted at either Astoria Federal branches or at QCGC. A contribution of $35 fills a new backpack for one student. In addition, Astoria Federal will match all donations up to $10,000.

Backpacks for QCGC’s clients will also be provided by High Water Women, an organization that generously donated to QCGC last year. QCGC is a grantee of the Robin Hood Foundation.

About Queens Child Guidance Center
The Queens Child Guidance Center was established in 1953. Our mission is to promote the emotional well-being of children and their families. The Center supports children and families at community and school-based sites so that they grow to feel loved, secure and self confident; be successful in school and/or later work; and have empathy for others. We counsel children, adolescents and parents with problems such as adjusting to life in a new country, depression, acting out behavior and substance use. We intervene to protect children from abuse and neglect. We visit homes to safeguard children and youth who have thoughts of harming themselves or others. We enhance the development of children and youth through tutoring, after-school programs and day care. Our bilingual and bicultural staff, who collectively speak more than 30 languages, serve 12,000 children and their families annually.
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www.qcgc.org