Commonpoint Queens to Bolster Volunteer Services through acquisition of Invisible Hands
Queens, NY – Commonpoint Queens, the human services organization, has acquired non-profit Invisible Hands to bolster and reimagine its volunteer services, and increase its capacity to meet the evolving needs of community members. The acquisition complements news announced this summer that Commonpoint has become an affiliate of HIAS, and will provide urgent support to refugees and asylum seekers, with resettlement and integration services transitioning from HIAS NY to Commonpoint this Fall.
Invisible Hands was founded at the height of the pandemic by Liam Elkind, a Yale student, with several peers to engage volunteers in helping neighbors in need of grocery delivery. As the CEO, Elkind and his team, supported by an innovative app, engaged over 10,000 volunteers in delivering over $1,000,000 in groceries, medicine, and other necessities. Elkind will become a Rhodes Scholar this Fall; he and the Invisible Hands’ Board of Directors identified Commonpoint Queens as an ideal fit to continue to develop the app and grow the organization’s impact.
“I couldn’t be prouder of this incredible community of volunteers who stepped up when the world needed them most, and are continuing to serve each other more than two years later,” said Elkind, who will join the Commonpoint Queens board through this transition. “I’m so excited to work with Commonpoint Queens to increase Invisible Hands’ impact, reach more community members in need, and keep pulling together to pull through.”
“We are excited about the opportunity to merge with Commonpoint Queens as a way to scale and grow the Invisible Hands community,” added Scott Goodstein, Board Chair of Invisible Hands. “Their mission of sustaining and enhancing the quality of life while meeting the community’s evolving needs is what we were looking for in a long-term partner to help grow the Invisible Hands model of volunteer service delivery during the pandemic and beyond.”
Commonpoint Queens provides programs across 60 sites in Queens for over 60,000 participants a year. Services include early childhood programs, summer camp, older adult programs, mental health resources, youth and adult workforce programs, support during crisis, wellness, and everything in between.
“One of the true blessings of the pandemic is that the crisis has united our community members to want to help those in need,” said Danielle Ellman, CEO of Commonpoint Queens. “We feel so fortunate to be able to not only extend our vital services to a greater population, but support the volunteer resettlement work that HIAS facilitates, thanks to this model that the Invisible Hands team has created.”
Commonpoint Queens is in the process of refining the Invisible Hands app to be relaunched in the coming months.
For more information visit www.commonpointqueens.org, or to volunteer, contact Judy Vladimir, Vice President of Development, at 718-225-6750 ext. 345 or by emailing jvladimir@commonpointqueens.
