MAY 13 - MAY 19, 2016 • BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP 45 Kiwanis Club honors NYPD at annual celebration BY CHRISTOPHER MALONE [email protected] Heroes were in the spotlight as the Kiwanis Club hosted its St. Patrick’s/St. Joseph’s Day Party that not only raised funds for volunteer work all over the world but also stood up for New York’s finest, the NYPD. On March 22, the Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge chapter of the Kiwanis Club held the annual celebration at El Caribe Country Club, 5945 Strickland Avenue. For $50, people were able to attend and for another $50 were able to “Adopt-a-Cop” for NYPD Appreciation Day. About 50 police officers were present representing the commanders of Brooklyn South precincts and commands in Brooklyn, up from the club’s normal police turnout of 10- 12 that can be attributed to a turnout of 200 people. “It’s a nice way for us to say thank you. And it’s nice for them to come out and not be bothered with anything,” says organizer Brian Long. Normally, the club hosts an NYPD appreciation day on a separate occasion but decided this year to hold it during the annual St. Patrick’s/St. Joseph’s day party. This may be what led them to such a fantastic turnout and increased support. Contributing to the effort, said Long, were the Verrazano Rotary Club, the Howard Beach Kiwanis Club and Maimonides Medical Center. While the club runs fundraisers throughout the year, its biggest, he added, is the golf outing coming up on June 6. The Kiwanis Club was founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan and a year later became an international organization. Originally focused on business networking, it quickly became a community service-driven club that today has chapters in 80 countries. Kiwanis projects include the Eliminate Project, an initiative to fight maternal/neonatal tetanus; the Worldwide Service Project, which works towards eliminating iodine deficiency disorders to prevent mental retardation; and Kiwanis One Day, an annual community service event. Counting all Kiwanis affiliated programs, members rack up over 18 million hours of community service on 150,000 projects and raise nearly $100 million every year for different communities. For more information, visit ben-bay.kiwanisone.org. BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photos by SB News Ralph Succar, Captain Joseph Hayward, Deputy Inspector Ray Festino, Miss New York, Jamie Lynn Macchia and Deputy Inspector Richard DiBlasio. Miss New York, Jamie Lynn Macchia, with Deputy Chief Charles Scholl of Patrol Borough Brooklyn South. John DiMarco and James Deboer were given certificates as honorary Kiwanis members. Brooklyn and Greenpoint Chambers announce partnership BY JAIME DEJESUS [email protected] It takes two! The Greenpoint Chamber (GPC) and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce have struck up a partnership that will make the full array of BCC programs and services available to GPC members. In addition, all members of the GPC will also become members of the BCC. The partnership was announced during GPC’s annual meeting, held on Tuesday, March 29 at the Knitting Factory, 361 Metropolitan Avenue. “One of the most exciting events of the past year is our partnership with the BCC which has changed the way we operate and has given all our members many exciting advantages to their current GPC membership,” said GPC Chair Elaine Brodsky. “We retain our hyper-local identity and benefit plus all their administrative and technical assistance. All our current members now have dual membership in the BCC with full exposure to all the programs and events the BCC presents. The BCC now has additional exposure to the communities of Bushwick, Williamsburg, and Greenpoint where their membership is not as formidable.” The partnership is part of an organizational grassroots effort by the BCC to work with local business organizations and community groups to provide assistance to more businesses and entrepreneurs across the borough. Brooklyn Chamber President and CEO Carlo Scissura was equally excited by the partnership. “The Brooklyn Chamber is a direct service organization, and this partnership with the Greenpoint Chamber will make it even easier for North Brooklyn businesses to access and take advantage of everything we have to offer,” he said. “Members in Greenpoint, Williamsburg and Bushwick will now have all the support their businesses need to foster expansion and success.” The evening included guest speaker Pat Kiernan, television host and NY1 new anchor, and the presentation of the 2015 Community Anchor Award to NY Waterway’s East River Ferry. BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photos by SB News Artur Dybanowski, Tom Graboweic and Robert Young at the meeting. Nicky Guiland, Lakey Evans Pena and Rebecca Pridmore at the meeting.
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