News + Events/June 11, 2026
A very big celebration
On June 2, The Floating Hospital celebrated our 160th anniversary with a joyous and purposeful summer gala befitting such a milestone, as well as our mission. We are beyond grateful to our sponsors, guests, benefit committee, hospital and foundation boards, staff, and volunteers for making the benefit a resounding success. It could not have happened without them!
As always, a special thanks is due to Monica Morales, an eight-time Emmy award-winning journalist and PIX-11 News host, who served as our MC, and our auctioneer extraordinaire Harry Santa-Olalla, who ignited the room with promise and hope during our paddle raise to fund relief for families who’ve lost everything so they can begin again.
Guests enjoyed live jazz from the Ellington Legacy as they sipped cocktails in the sleek Art Deco interior of the Edison Ballroom. During a sumptuous dinner, our new video was premiered, vacations in Tuscany and Mexico were auctioned, and the generosity of our supporters exceeded our wildest dreams.
View the slide show (above) of moments from the evening for those who were there and those who could not make it. There is also still time to donate by using the button below.
Can’t stop, won’t stop
The Floating Hospital staff joined the Queens Pride Parade and Multicultural Festival on Sunday, June 7, for a day of “Unstoppable Pride” in Jackson Heights. The NY LGBT Network chose that theme for its annual day of celebration, visibility, and vibrant dance and music performances, now in its 34th year.
Over the past few years, we have been honored to participate in the day’s events. Our message is always: “Everyone is Welcome” in our clinics, and we declare it on banners, paddles, and t-shirts to show support for all the community members in Queens. Our staff also hosts a table at the afternoon multicultural festival every year to share vital health information and details of our programs.
The second oldest and largest pride parade in New York City, Queens Pride was founded by Daniel Dromm, a former NYC Council finance chair and school teacher, whose vision was to counter anti-gay sentiment in the borough with “a family-friendly celebratory parade that would promote LGBT visibility and pride… in a neighborhood where many closeted gay people lived.”
Paddles for equity
On June 5, the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association’s Women in Healthcare Give Back dedicated a day of pickleball to benefit The Floating Hospital at Centercourt Sports in Chatham, New Jersey. The event offered sport, fun, and networking in support of our camps and services that expand healthcare access in underserved communities, particularly families in temporary and public housing or domestic violence safe houses.
Every summer, more than 100 children in temporary housing attend our intensive weeklong health education camps—Journey, SOAR, and Camp Rise Up—where they build resilience as they learn about themselves in classrooms and outdoor adventures. The camps are part of our health education programs, one of three pillars of assistance we offer that also include family medical care and essential relief services.
Staffers Linda You and Kevin Douglas, and hospital board chair Dominick DeLorenzo represented The Floating Hospital in the round robin play on the courts and had a lovely day connecting with the HBA affinity group and their guests. We wish to thank the HBA’s WIH Give Back, which sponsored the Pickleball for Health Equity event, and everyone who picked up a paddle for our cause.