STANDING Brooklyn’s Biggest Booster
Brooklyn start-ups big winners
DOWNTOWN
Three cheers for the winners of
Downtown Brooklyn Partnership’s
fi rst-ever Make It in Brooklyn Innovation
Awards.
The guests of honor were selected
after locals cast more than 1,000 votes
to name the best Kings County startups,
whose leaders all took home shiny
trophies, a $1,000 check, and bragging
rights from the celebration at Downtown’s
Circa Brewery on Dec. 5.
Downtown Brooklyn Partnership
president Regina Myer handed the
head of Benefi t Kitchen, which helps
low-income families, The MaryAnne
Gilmartin Innovation Award.
It was
humbling to
take home an
honor dedicated
to female
founded
start-ups from
an organization
that continuosly
supports
women
in business, said its founder.
“I was honored to win the female
entrepreneurial award for our work
at Benefi t Kitchen. We are a Brooklynbased
start-up that helps low-income
families fi nd all the resources they
need to build paths out of poverty, and
delight in working to accomplish these
goals,” said Melanie Lavelle. “The
Downtown Brooklyn Partnership is
a great resource for female founders
as they support and spread the word
about all the good happening in our
community.”
Leaders of the Downtown businessbooster
group also named company
Hylas the Smart City Startup of the
Year, and company Nexloop the Innovator
of the Year. — Julianne Cuba
CROWN HEIGHTS
Trained for justice
New York’s top judge celebrated
the grand opening of a state-of-the-art
offi cer-training academy in Crown
Heights on Dec. 3, which she said will
ensure the state’s justice system stays
safe — and courteous.
“Court offi cers not only play a critical
role in safeguarding our courts,
but are also the public face of the
court system,” said Chief Judge Janet
DiFiore. “We now have a customized
facility that will enable our team
of top-notch instructors to pursue and
instill excellence in our court offi cers
through a broad range of training activities.”
The new training center, called
the Captain William H. Thompson,
Sergeant Thomas Jurgens and Sergeant
Mitchel Wallace Court Offi -
cers Academy, is named after court
offi cers who died heroically amid the
9-11 rescue effort at the World Trade
Center, and features top-of-the-line
facilities within the St. John’s Place
building between Classon and Franklin
avenues that was formerly home to
the St. Theresa School.
The remodeled schoolhouse features
new classrooms, a multi-purpose
gym, locker-room facilities, and
a training area with a retractable
wall.
There, offi cers will endure a rigorous,
four-month, basic-training program,
in which they’ll study criminal
law, civil law, family law, constitutional
law, and arrest procedures, in
addition to tactical training focusing
on weapons including the baton, pepper
spray, and fi rearms.
COURIER L 38 IFE, DEC. 21–27, 2018 M B G
But it’s not all about doing harm,
and court offi cers will also be versed
in fi rst aid and CPR before they graduate
the training program, along with
crowd-control tactics, and surveillance
skills.
BOROUGH WIDE
Big-hearted Brooklynites
Standing O gives two thumbs way
up to caring fund-raisers and donors,
who altogether raised $4,000 for the
March of Dimes organization and
prematurity awareness through several
borough events.
Art studio Pinot’s Palette hosted
two “Painting for Preemies” events
on Nov. 17 — which is offi cially recognized
as World Prematurity Day — at
its two locations in Dyker Heights and
Park Slope, raising more than $2,000.
BEDFORD-STUYVESANT
They were marching to their
own drum!
Musical youngsters got to entertain
a massive crowd during a New
York Giants game on Dec. 2. About
50 kids who play in the Brooklyn
United Marching Band ran out
onto the fi eld to pump up the football
fans and players during the
halftime show.
It was an incredible experience
to stand in the middle of the fi eld at
MetLife stadium in New Jersey and
help cheer on the famous athletes
with their tunes, said the executive
director of the Bedford-Stuyvesantbased
Brooklyn United Music
and Arts Program.
“As an after-school program
primary we strive to take our kids
to the biggest events in the biggest
arenas,” said Ty Brown. “It is our
way of making them work harder
in school and in practice to remain
eligible when the calls come. This
month tops it all, the New York Giants
came to us for halftime entertainment.”
The youngsters, many of whom
live in low-income areas or in public
housing complexes across the city,
tune up their instruments and practice
after school, which has helped
many of them improve their grades
in the classroom as well, said Brown.
“We are proud of the work of our
organization and want to continue
to attract the big shows,” he said.
“Our students have shown a major
improvement in academics and continue
to change attitudes and behaviors!
BU is truly making a difference
one beat at a time! Let’s play!”
— Julianne Cuba
SUNSET PARK
Archway to friendship
Standing O congratulates
the head honchos at the Sino-
America Archway Association
for raising more than two
million dollars on Dec. 6 to pay
for the shipping and installation
of a Chinese “friendship archway”
designating the entrance to
Sunset Park’s Chinatown neighborhood
sometime next year, according
to association president
Winnie Greco, who said association
bigwigs were grateful to everyone
who chipped in.
“The archway organization
appreciated the community who
sponsored the archway,” Greco
said.
The forthcoming 40-foot-tall
archway is a gift from the leaders
of Chaoyang, Beijing’s largest
district. Civic do-gooders raised
the funds for the archway’s installation
at the event at Park
Asia Restaurant on Eighth Avenue
between 65th and 66th streets
— just blocks from the entrance
to the neighborhood, where the
archway will stand, between 60th
and 61st streets.
Borough President Adams
donated the lion’s share of funds,
shelling out some two million
dollars in capital funding for
the planning, construction, and
installation of the in-the-works
archway structure, according
to his communications director
Stefan Ringel.
Other attendees and local pols
— including Councilman Mark
Treyger (D–Coney Island) and
Councilman Justin Brannan
(D–Bay Ridge) — helped raise
an additional $25,000 at the fundraising
event, according to Greco.
— Julianne McShane
Children and families who took part
painted a penguin-themed canvas, enjoyed
pizza, and tried to win a wide array
of donated prizes.
“During Prematurity Awareness
Month, Brooklyn families truly
stepped up to the plate to support
March of Dimes,” said John Quaglione,
co-chair of the March of Dimes
Brooklyn Committee.
Local schools — including PS 127,
PS 160, PS 186, and St. Anselm Catholic
Academy — also collected $2,000
through various activities.
— Courtney Donahue
THREE CHEERS: Brooklyn United members Sianna Davis, left, and Paris Leonce, right,
were all smiles with New York Giants’ punter Riley Dixon. Renita Leonce
Kids play halftime at Giants game
Photo by Caroline Ourso