Photo Courtesy of QCRD
Addabbo and Rajkumar encourage anyone who has lost a loved one due to COVID-19, if they were from Queens or anywhere else, to submit their names to the QCRD organization so they can be included in the tribute. To submit a name, visit https://queenscovidremembranceday.com/submit-a-loved-one.
By Forum Staff
On Saturday, May 1, the Queens Covid Remembrance Day organization will be holding a remembrance vigil to honor all the residents of Queens that have died from COVID-19. During the ceremony, State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) and Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Woodhaven) will be presenting the group with a resolution from New York State, honoring them for their selfless work and dedication to the community during this difficult time.
More than 400 benches located at the Forest Park Bandshell will be adorned with the names and images of actual residents of Queens who passed away due to COVID-19. The images that will be on display are custom made by Faces of Covid Victims — an initiative started by a 16-year-old artist who creates artwork depicting the faces of COVID-19 victims — for free.
“The Queens Covid Remembrance Day will be a day of solemn reflection as well as a celebration of the lives that COVID has taken from us,” said Brian Walter, QCRD Organizer.
Additionally, there will be an original art installation from The Floral Heart Project on display, as well as the “Yellow Hearts Memorial,” where yellow hearts bearing the names of COVID-19 victims from across the world. There will also be an Essential Worker Tribute to honor all of Queens’ essential workers and those in the medical field.
At 1 p.m., there will also be an interfaith prayer ceremony and words of remembrance from Queens residents who lost loved ones to COVID-19.
“The work that the Queens Covid Remembrance Day group put into this event is extraordinary and heartfelt,” Addabbo said. “I am proud to be able to work with this amazing group to try and help bring some closure and peace to the loved ones of victims of the COVID-19 virus, while honoring the memories of those that we lost right here in our borough of Queens. It is a privilege to present the Queens Covid Remembrance Day with a resolution from New York State Senate, recognizing their commitment to the community and their efforts to help Queens heal.”
“It is a privilege to work with the Queens Covid Remembrance Day Organization. The people who are a part of this great organization exemplify resilience, strength and hope in the face of tragic loss,” Rajkumar said. “This day will recognize and honor all of those we loved, cherished and adored — our friends, neighbors and family members — whom we lost to this deadly disease.”
Addabbo and Rajkumar encourage anyone who has lost a loved one due to COVID-19, if they were from Queens or anywhere else, to submit their names to the QCRD organization so they can be included in the tribute. To submit a name, visit https://queenscovidremembranceday.com/submit-a-loved-one.
If you are an essential worker or know one who would want to be included in the Essential Worker Tribute, visit https://queenscovidremembranceday.com/essential-workers-tribute.
