STANDING Brooklyn’s Biggest Booster
Welcome to new board member
COBBLE HILL
Three cheers for the newest member
of Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy’s
Board of Directors!
Brooklyn-born-and-bred attorney
Michele Mirman, who was elected
to the green space’s board of directors
on Dec. 12, said she can’t wait to hit the
ground running to make the beautiful
sprawling waterfront park even better.
“I am deeply honored to be selected
by the Directors of the Conservancy to
join the Board in its amazing work on
behalf of Brooklyn Bridge Park, and
thrilled to become part of this incredible
undertaking which has completely
changed the Brooklyn waterfront
into a world-class
destination,” said
Mirman, who was
born in East Flatbush,
graduated
from James Madison
High School
in 1970, and now
lives in Cobble Hill.
“Having grown up
and lived in Brooklyn
virtually all my life, I know fi rsthand
what an enormous difference
the park has made in our lives here in
Brooklyn.”
Mirman — who founded her 30-
person Manhattan-based law fi rm,
Mirman, Markovits and Landau,
P.C., which represents the victims
of accidents, medical malpractice,
and construction accidents — is also
committed to making a difference
in the community as a member of
Allinbklyn, a group of women who
make grants to organizations that
strengthen Kings County, and a supporter
of the Brooklyn Kindergarten
Society and the Making Headway
Foundation.
Mirman, who is the President-Elect
of the New York State Trial Lawyers
Association and was recently named
one of the 100 Power Women of New
York City and State, also spearheaded
a fund-raiser with the Brooklyn Women’s
Bar Association to raise money
for the Safe Homes Project of Brooklyn.
She is a dedicated and thoughtful
leader, and will be a great addition to the
conservancy board, said its chairman.
“With her impressive legal career,
and as a longtime advocate for the
Conservancy and the Brooklyn community,
she will be a signifi cant addition
to the Board of Directors,” said
Mark Baker. — Julianne Cuba
GRAVESEND
He’s the giving pol
Standing O congratulates Assemblyman
Bill Colton (D–Gravesend)
and his staffers and constituents, who
donated more than 400 toys to kids in
need during the pol’s annual monthlong
Toys for Tots drive, according to
spokeswoman Larisa Magali.
Colton and his staffers donated
more than 100 toys, and locals supplied
the rest, which included stuffed animals
and puzzles, Magali said, adding
COURIER L 20 IFE, JAN. 4–10, 2019 M B G
that the pol’s offi ce donated the toys to
multiple organizations, including the
U.S. Marine Corps, Shorefront Toys
for Tots, the Marlboro Houses Residence
Association, and other community
groups.
The pol said he was thriled that so
many locals were willing to help out
youngsters in need during the holidays.
“I’m very happy that my offi ce was
able to collect a number of Toys for
Tots,” Colton said. “A Toys for Tots
program is very important and precious
for many kids. I am extremely
pleased that so many people responded
and donated the toys where a
dream became a reality for so many
needy children.”
— Julianne McShane
GREENPOINT
Hip, hip, hooray for these local
superheroes!
Leaders of the Greenpoint Y on
Dec. 5 honored local do-gooders for
their extraordinary efforts and involvement
in the community during
its third annual Spirit of Community
Service Awards Dinner.
The fi ve honorees — including
Donald Minerva, Martha Holstein,
Greenpoint Assemblyman
Joseph Lentol, and Gina and Tony
Argento of Broadway Stages —
all exemplify what it means to give
back, and are more like superheroes
for the ways in which they help children
and families, according to the
head of the Greenpoint Y, which provides
programs and classes, such as
swimming, daycare, adult sports,
and other health and wellness programs.
“The Greenpoint Y is so lucky to
have supportive and special individuals
that advocate for our neighborhood.
We are so proud to honor
them today,” said executive director
Kendall Charter.
Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello,
pastor of Williamsburg’s Shrine
Church of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel,
handed out the awards to the
fi ve heroes during the superhero
themed dinner, which Y board
member Frank Carbone emceed.
Youngsters from the Y’s SACC after
school program sang and danced
to “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Holding
Out for A Hero” during the awards
dinner, which raised cash to support
Y programs, like after-school
swim and camp. — Julianne Cuba
BOROUGH WIDE
She’s a true trailblazer
New York State Bar Association
will honor Barbadian-born
Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix
with its 14th annual Diversity
Trailblazer Award on Jan. 14.
The Committee on Diversity
and Inclusion will present the
award during the association’s
142nd-annual meeting in Manhattan.
“Associate Justice Hinds-Radix
of the Appellate Division, Second
Department, will be honored
for her extraordinary efforts to
create opportunities for students
from diverse backgrounds, mentor
other lawyers, and promote
equality and diversity in the
workplace,” the Association said
in a statement.
“All those who enter her courtroom
are shown courtesy and respect,”
the statement read. “And
she has made it her mission to
mentor law students and to foster
the leadership development
of colleagues and those she meets
through her bar activities.”
Justice Hinds-Radix was the
fi rst administrative judge of Caribbean
descent in Brooklyn’s Supreme
Court.
During her tenure, she developed
a summer-internship program
for law students at the Supreme
Court, which still serves
120 students from diverse backgrounds
annually.
She is also the co-chair of the
Commercial and Federal Litigation
Section’s yearly program
on career strategies for attorneys
of color.
“Justice Hinds-Radix is a
leader and a role model with a
heartfelt interest in the well-being
of others,” the Association
said in its statement. “She truly
is a trailblazer.”
Hinds-Radix was elected to
Kings County’s Supreme Court
in 2004, and reelected to another
14-year term in November.
The justice said she has a passion
for interacting with children
and young adults, which she incorporates
with her love of the
law by being “a mentor and advisor
to those who seek a career in
the legal profession.”
— Nelson King
HERE’S TO THE HEROES: The Greenpoint Y on Dec. 5 honored locals during the 3rd
Annual Spirit of Community Service Awards Dinner. Greenpoint Y
They’re real-life superheroes!