Flushing Bank Hosts Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at New Elmhurst Branch and Announces Community Scholarship for NYC Kids RISE and Grant for Neighborhood Housing Services of Queens
UNIONDALE, New York, June 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Flushing Financial Corporation (the “Company”) (Nasdaq: FFIC), the parent holding company for Flushing Bank (the “Bank”), hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at its new branch located at 85-15 Queens Boulevard, Elmhurst, NY and announced grants to support two New York City nonprofit organizations. The event was well attended by local government and school officials and community leaders. At the ceremony, the Bank’s President and CEO, John R. Buran, presented a check to the NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program. The community scholarship for the NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program will support the kindergarten students at P.S. 110Q. The Bank also presented a grant check to Neighborhood Housing Services of Queens that will help fund their First Time Home Buyer, Affordable Housing and Rental Assistance Programs.
John R. Buran, President and CEO of Flushing Bank, stated “We are excited to expand our presence in the diverse, multicultural markets of Queens, further developing relationships with the residents and businesses that comprise this vibrant community. These are notable examples of how we, as a community bank, demonstrate our commitment to the communities through sponsorship of local and cultural organizations with financial and volunteer support. The NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program is designed to drive neighborhood-level changes in economic opportunity and mobility by promoting asset building and reinforcing college and career building expectations. We have been active in the affordable housing for many years supporting a number of projects throughout the area. Our grant to Neighborhood Housing Services of Queens will provide support to those individuals and families looking for their first home or for an affordable place to call home. We look forward to working with NYC Kids RISE and Neighborhood Housing Services of Queens to support their missions to assist families in building college savings funds, and to ensure access to safe, affordable housing, respectively.”
“Nearly every public-school kindergartener in New York City is stepping up to first grade with a college and career savings account for the first time in history. This was made possible because families, schools, public, private, philanthropic, nonprofit, and community partners came together to reimagine what it means to support our youngest New Yorkers from their earliest days in school,” said Debra-Ellen Glickstein, Founding Executive Director of NYC Kids RISE. “Today, we’re happy to be partnering with Flushing Bank to invest in the scholarship accounts of the 139 P.S. 110Q kindergarteners in the Program. Flushing Bank’s Community Scholarship will not only allow these students to build more financial resources for college and career training, but it can serve as a reminder that their neighborhood institutions believe in their potential.”
“Through this community scholarship, our kindergarten students are finishing the 2021-2022 school year with meaningful investments in their future from both NYC Kids RISE and Flushing Bank,” said Elisa Gomez, Principal of P.S. 110Q, The Tiffany School. “What a way to celebrate their achievements and demonstrate the community’s support for their dreams! We are so excited and incredibly proud to be part of the Save for College Program, and to be able to work with kindergarten families each year to take the first foundational step -- activating and viewing their NYC Scholarship Accounts for the very first time -- so that we can save for our children’s future, together!”
“Having a place to call home is the foundation for a great start for any family or individual. Having a home bring families together and gives them a sense of place and pride. Thanks to Flushing Bank’s grant; Neighborhood Housing Services of Queens, will be able to help the people and families of Queens, not only to walk them through of complex process of buying their first house, but to make the dream of owning a home a reality.” Said Yoselin Genao Estrella, Executive Director of Neighborhood Housing Services of Queens CDC Inc.
Estrella continued “We commend the leadership of Flushing Bank for their commitment and for their investment in our communities by opening a much needed branch in this convenient and highly visible location. As our communities continue to recover from the economic devastation cost of the Covid-19 pandemic, we hope this Flushing branch will be a cornerstone of the inclusive growth that our communities need so our families and local small businesses are able to thrive.”
“Through the Save for College Program’s pilot in Queens, and now citywide expansion, NYC Kids RISE has brought together institutions and individuals that make up a neighborhood around a common purpose: to support all of our children to succeed,” said Deputy Queens Borough President Ebony Young. “Today, as we celebrate the grand opening of Flushing Bank’s new Elmhurst branch, we applaud their efforts to actively build on that foundation of community support with grants to support the college and career dreams of our youngest community members, and critical affordable housing and rental assistance services.”
“The best way to get our children to believe in themselves and their future is to show them that we believe in them. Each investment made through Community Scholarships does just that. I have been proud to work with NYC Kids RISE specifically helping the students of Corona and East Elmhurst know just how much we believe in them,” said New York City Council Member Francisco Moya. “I thank Flushing Bank for their generous donation to the students of PS110 through the Save for College Program and to the Neighborhood Housing Services of Queens as we celebrate the bank's new Elmhurst branch.”
“We cannot expect our students to succeed unless our community is behind them. To that end, we welcome Flushing Bank to Elmhurst, and applaud their announcement of introducing a scholarship for local kindergartners participating in NYC Kids RISE, along with a grant to fund first time home buyer, affordable housing and rental assistance programs at Neighborhood Housing Services of Queens. I commend Flushing Bank for their direct investment in our communities,” said New York City Council Member Shekar Krishnan.
About Flushing Financial Corporation
Flushing Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: FFIC) is the holding company for Flushing Bank®, an FDIC insured, New York State—chartered commercial bank that operates banking offices in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and on Long Island. The Bank has been building relationships with families, business owners, and communities since 1929. Today, it offers the products, services, and conveniences associated with large commercial banks, including a full complement of deposit, loan, equipment finance, and cash management services. Rewarding customers with personalized attention and bankers who can communicate in the languages prevalent within these multicultural markets is what makes the Bank uniquely different. As an Equal Housing Lender and leader in real estate lending, the Bank’s experienced lending teams create mortgage solutions for real estate owners and property managers both within and outside the New York City metropolitan area. The Bank also fosters relationships with consumers nationwide through its online banking division with the iGObanking® and BankPurely® brands.
Additional information on Flushing Bank and Flushing Financial Corporation may be obtained by visiting the Company’s website at FlushingBank.com.
About NYC Kids RISE
NYC Kids RISE is a nonprofit organization that provides families, schools, and communities with a way to work together to invest in and save for their children’s futures. In partnership with the NYC Department of Education and the City of New York, NYC Kids RISE manages the Save for College Program, a scholarship and savings program designed to make college and career training more accessible and achievable for all NYC public school students, starting with all kindergartners across the five boroughs—regardless of their family’s income or immigration status.
The Save for College Program is a tool that families, along with their schools and neighbors, can use and customize in the way that best fits into their lives and best supports their dreams for their children. Learn more at nyckidsrise.org.
About Neighborhood Housing Services of Queens CDC
Neighborhood Housing Services of Queens CDC, Inc. (NHSQ CDC) has been serving Queens Neighborhoods for over 20 years. NHSQ CDC is a non-profit organization that helps low-to-moderate income families continue to live in Queens by sustainably achieving or preserving homeownership. We focus our work in six community districts that have more than one million residents—of whom
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Contact:
Maria A. Grasso
Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer
Flushing Bank
718-961-5400
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