{"id":304862,"date":"2026-07-24T16:44:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T16:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/304862\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T16:44:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T16:44:10","slug":"beloved-queens-center-for-progress-resident-celebrates-100th-birthday-qns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/304862\/","title":{"rendered":"Beloved Queens Center for Progress resident celebrates 100th birthday \u2013 QNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Very few people reach the milestone of celebrating their 100th birthday, so Queens Center for Progress <\/a>(QCP) was especially grateful to honor their adored resident Thomas \u201cTommy\u201d Carretta\u2019s centenarian status.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On July 23, QCP hosted a birthday celebration at Bourbon Street in Bayside<\/a>, where dozens of attendees commemorated his incredible life and influence at QCP.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

QCP is a Jamaica<\/a>-based nonprofit that supports children and adults with disabilities through a variety of programs, including senior and residential services.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Carretta is a Brooklyn native who has been involved in QCP since 1968 through their employment program, and began residing at the Groh Residence in Jamaica Estates in 1984. He has been a staple in the community for almost 60 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Carretta\u2019s father, one of his most profound role models, helped him receive employment opportunities through QCP, where he worked in various positions for many years. Following his retirement, he volunteered with seniors until 2020.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He was one of the first people to live in their residences, truly leaving an impact on all he encounters, executive director of QCP Terri Ross explained.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has really been one of the cornerstones of our residential program,\u201d she said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Carretta is most well-known for his love of music, especially piano. He grew up in a musically talented family, a passion that has stuck with him throughout his life. He was previously involved in a band at QCP, and frequently plays piano and listens to music on his tablet in his free time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is known to go into the community and play piano, which brings a lot of joy to a lot of people,\u201d Wendy Phaff Gennaro, director of development, explained.<\/p>\n

At the party, singers Susan Agin and Bobby Harden performed a variety of classic jazz hits, especially those of Frank Sinatra, one of Carretta\u2019s favorite artists. There was also a Sinatra photo and biography located on one of the tables, highlighting the profound and sustained influence music has had on Carretta\u2019s life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Table displaying some of Carretta\u2019s awards and a biography\/photo of his favorite artist, Frank Sinatra. Photo by Alexandra Prettitore<\/p>\n

Several state and city officials also joined the event, presenting him with many recognitions for his inspiring life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Carretta was awarded with citations from the offices of City Council Members James Gennaro and Linda Lee, as well as a citation from Borough President Donovan Richards.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He also received proclamations from the New York State Assembly and state Senators John Liu, Toby Ann Stavinsky and Leroy Comrie.\n<\/p>\n

Natalia Trapani, communications director for Council Member Gennaro, shared that the citation was issued to \u201ccelebrate his long life and legacy.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Assemblymembers Nily Rozic, Edward Braunstein and David Weprin presented the NYS Assembly proclamation to Carretta while he was surrounded by friends and supporters, praising his positive spirit and impressive longevity.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Assemblymembers Nily Rozic, Edward Braunstein and David Weprin present Carretta with a New York State Assembly proclamation. Photo by Alexandra Prettitore<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rozic pointed to his \u201cperseverance and compassion\u201d as some of Carretta\u2019s admirable traits, highlighting the warmth and inspiration he brings others.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to have this type of individual who\u2019s liked by everybody,\u201d Weprin emphasized.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Carretta\u2019s genuine likability was palpable throughout the event. Attendees gravitated towards his table, and it was evident that a true relationship between him and QCP staff and supporters has been cultivated over the years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Phaff Gennaro explained, \u201cHe\u2019s just a great person to live with. He\u2019s a kind, gentle man and he always has been.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Very few people reach the milestone of celebrating their 100th birthday, so Queens Center for Progress (QCP) was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":304863,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[22017,9,24,63,122,98577,124,123,115514],"class_list":["post-304862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-100th-birthday","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-center-for-progress","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-thomas-carretta"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304862"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304862\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/304863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}