{"id":328363,"date":"2026-08-24T13:34:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T13:34:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/328363\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T13:34:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T13:34:37","slug":"am-hooks-joins-ribbon-cutting-for-new-playground-at-east-elmhurst-homeless-shelter-qns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/328363\/","title":{"rendered":"AM Hooks joins ribbon-cutting for new playground at East Elmhurst homeless shelter \u2013 QNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Win<\/a> held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of a new playground for parents and children at one of its Queens shelters in East Elmhurst<\/a> on Wednesday afternoon, August 19.<\/p>\n

The event, held at 102-10 Ditmars Blvd., brought together Assemblymember Larinda Hooks, staff, and families staying at the shelter.\n<\/p>\n

The playground has been in development for approximately two years as part of a backyard transformation project. Overseen by Win<\/a>, a nonprofit organization that provides housing and services to homeless women and their children, the recreation area was created to support childhood development.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis new playground is a gateway to curiosity and community,\u201d said Christine Quinn, president and CEO of Win. \u201cAs these children head back to school, we\u2019re providing a brand-new recreation space for children experiencing homelessness to play, unwind, and just be kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The playground encourages physical activity using vibrant colors, as children play with the recreation space\u2019s multiple slides and tunnels, a xylophone, and playground balls.Photo courtesy of Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Incorporating vibrant colors and inviting imagery throughout, the space features multiple slides and tunnels, playground balls, a xylophone, and shaded areas for rest. They were all designed to nurture childhood development by fostering social connections, strengthening self-esteem, and encouraging physical activity.<\/p>\n

In a study<\/a> published by Child Psychiatry & Human Development<\/a>, there is a link between children engaging in active play and reduced levels of emotions such as stress and anxiety. Yet, as of 2025, only 54% of New Yorkers<\/a> had walking access to such recreational spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, the city doesn\u2019t require that there be a playground [in shelters that are built or rehabilitated],\u201d\u00a0 Quinn said. \u201cWhich is crazy, because children need to play, but also being homeless is a trauma for an adult and a trauma for a child, and we have endless psychological studies that prove play helps address and treat trauma<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before the ceremony, parents and children from the shelter had a first look at the playground and expressed enthusiasm about the space. To help beat the heat, they were also offered sunglasses, drinks,and chips.<\/p>\n

\"\"After two years, the Queens shelter converted its backyard into a children\u2019s playground, timed for the upcoming school year.Photo courtesy of Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

\u201cThey love it,\u201d Quinn said. \u201cWhen we came out here with the donors who paid for [the playground], there were tons of kids crawling all over the place.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the ceremony, Hooks delivered a brief speech, commending the staff members of the Queens shelter for their contributions to the community.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe work that you do doesn\u2019t go unnoticed and is very important,\u201d she said. \u201cYou guys are the first in line to speak with individuals who come in during tumultuous times, and I want to tell you that I recognize you and I understand what you guys go through, and that you have support here, because the work that you do is remarkable.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Win held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of a new playground for parents and children at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":328364,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[116129,27544,9,24,63,122,124,123458,123,123459,123460,16348],"class_list":["post-328363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-assemblymember-larinda-hooks","tag-homeless-shelter","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-homeless-shelter","tag-queens-news","tag-queens-playground-renovation","tag-queens-playgrounds","tag-win"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328363","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=328363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/328364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=328363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=328363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=328363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}