Get The Scoop On Fun and Empowering Events in Southeast Queens the Weekend of October 3rd

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Fun and Empowering Events in
Southeast Queens the
Weekend of October 3rd

Get The Scoop On Where to Meet The Business Lenders

Help Us To continue to inform and empower our community please Donate. Get The Scoop Weekly On the Global Black Community and Southeast Queens, NY. Subscribe to Our Mailing List. Receive the Latest Events, News, Jobs, and Top Community Economic Development Stories Like this one Click Here | Reach up to 1.3 million people Promote

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 Queens Economic Development Corporation Presents

Access to Capital: Queens Lender Fair

Unlocking Growth: Queens Lender Fair
Connects Entrepreneurs with Crucial Capital

Small business owners and entrepreneurs in Southeast Queens will have a major opportunity to secure the financial resources they need to scale their enterprises on Tuesday, October 6, 2026. The Access to Capital: Queens Lender Fair, organized by the Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC), will take place from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center (JPAC), located at 153-10 Jamaica Avenue. [1, 2]

This high-impact, free networking and informational event is specifically tailored for seasoned business owners ready to transition to their next phase of growth. By bridging the gap between local entrepreneurs and mainstream financial systems, the fair addresses one of the most persistent hurdles in modern business development: obtaining reliable, sustainable financing. [1]

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| Event Attribute  | Details                                                     |
+------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+

| Event Name       | Access to Capital: Queens Lender Fair                       |
| Organizer        | Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC)              |
| Date & Time      | Tuesday, October 6, 2026 | 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM              |
| Location         | Jamaica Performing Arts Center (JPAC), Jamaica, Queens, NY  |
| Cost             | Free (Registration Required)                                |
| Target Audience  | Entrepreneurs, Startups, and Seasoned Business Owners       |
+------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+

Direct Access to Financial Ecosystems

For many minority, women, and immigrant-owned businesses in Jamaica and surrounding neighborhoods, traditional commercial loans can often feel out of reach due to strict underwriting metrics or institutional alienation. The Queens Lender Fair combats this by assembling a diverse array of institutional stakeholders under one roof. Attendees will be able to interface directly with representatives from: [1]

Commercial Banks: Traditional institutions offering standard credit facilities, commercial real estate financing, and business lines of credit.
Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs): Mission-driven lenders like Accompany Capital that focus on economic revitalization by extending credit to underserved markets. [1]
Microlenders & Alternative Funders: Entities specialized in smaller capital injections, alternative collateral rules, and highly flexible repayment models for early-stage or pivoting small businesses. [1]

Rather than navigating opaque online applications, business owners can pitch their business models directly to decision-makers, gaining immediate clarity on loan products, baseline eligibility criteria, and maximum funding amounts. [1]

Get The Scoop on The 192nd Anniversary of The Historic GAC Cathedral of Jamaica, NY

Help Us To continue to inform and empower our community please Donate. Get The Scoop Weekly On the Global Black Community and Southeast Queens, NY. Subscribe to Our Mailing List. Receive the Latest Events, News, Jobs, and Top Community Economic Development Stories Like this one Click Here | Reach up to 1.3 million people Promote

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The Gospel of Brick, Bread, and
Belief: Inside the Social Impact Empire of
Jamaica’s Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral

The Gospel of Brick, Bread, and Belief: Inside the Social Impact Empire of Jamaica’s Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral

For nearly two centuries, the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York (GAC) in Jamaica, Queens has stood as a monumental pillar of Black spiritual life. Yet, to view this historic institution—which recently celebrated its 192nd anniversary—strictly as a house of Sunday worship is to miss the entire scope of its mission. Under the transformative, five-decade leadership of Pastor Emeriti Rev. Dr. Floyd H. Flake and Rev. Dr. M. Elaine Flake, GAC pioneered a radical, holistic theology. Their core philosophy? True spiritual salvation must be paired with physical, social, and economic empowerment. Today, led by Pastor Rev. Stephen A. Green, GAC operates not just as a church, but as a multi-million dollar community development ecosystem that anchors Southeast Queens. [1, 2, 3, 4]

The Flake Legacy: A Partnership of Faith, Politics, and Community Care

The foundation of GAC’s modern empire lies in the dynamic partnership of the Flakes. Rev. Dr. Floyd H. Flake famously merged spiritual conviction with public service, serving as a U.S. Congressman from 1987 to 1997. In Washington, he continuously pushed the government to support community-based revitalization. “The only way to address the economic issues of our inner cities is to establish a level of parity by building infrastructure,” Flake once remarked during a congressional hearing on urban development. “We cannot ask people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps if they do not even have boots.”

Rev. Dr. Floyd Flake

Working hand-in-hand as an equal church leader and visionary minister, his wife, Rev. Dr. M. Elaine Flake, broke barriers within the A.M.E. church. She served as co-pastor and later became GAC's first female senior pastor. Her ministry focused on the vital human infrastructure of the community. In addition to co-founding the Allen Christian School, she spearheaded the Allen Women’s Resource Center, establishing a secure haven and housing pipeline specifically for survivors of domestic violence. Together, the Flakes modeled a dual-leadership approach where the pulpit, the halls of Congress, and local human services combined to fight systemic poverty.

Rev. Dr. Elaine Flake