STANDING Brooklyn’s Biggest Booster
Help celebrate a life and legacy
MARINE PARK
The Brian Gewirtz Memorial
Foundation — which celebrates the
life of a late Brooklynite while carrying
out his legacy and donating to
the things he loved — is hosting its
fourth-annual fund-raiser on June 1
to build on its mission of supporting
those with mental or physical disabilities.
The public charity was established
by the family of Brian Gewirtz, a Marine
Park man who had special needs
and tragically passed away in 2015.
The do-gooder group has given back
to the Boy Scouts
of America, sponsored
pianos for
education, and sent
kids with disabilities
to camp — all
things Brian cared
deeply about.
“Brian accomplished
more than
most complete in a
lifetime, but Brian had much more to
give with both his talents and gifts,”
wrote his family and friends on the
website.
The Gewirtz family also dedicates
educational awards and scholarships
in Brian’s name at his alma mater,
James Madison High School.
Families living with special needs
in the Marine Park community have
felt the positive impact of Gewirtz’s
legacy.
“Thank you for having the courage
and strength to get up at graduation
and give out these awards,” Nancy
Vera wrote on the foundation’s website
about her children who live with
disabilities. “By giving the award to
James Vera last year, you helped give
confi dence to both of my children, on
multiple occasions. Your entire family
is inspirational.”
So save the date to contribute to
Brian’s legacy and celebrate his life
on June 1, which would have been his
25th birthday.
Brian Gewirtz Memorial Foundation
Fund-raiser Luncheon and Card
Party at Knights of Columbus Council
126 3051 Nostrand Ave. between Quentin
Road and Stuart Street in Marine
Park, (646) 239–1693, www.bgmfoundation.
org. June 1, 1–5 pm. $35.
— Natallie Rocha
MANHATTAN BEACH
A dream come true
Three cheers for Kingsborough
Community College, which earned
Achieving the Dream’s newest recognition
for achieving higher student
outcomes and narrowing equity
gaps: the designation Leader College
of Distinction. Kingsborough
was one of 11 community colleges
nationwide to earn the accolade, and
the only one in New York State. The
college earned Leader College distinction
in 2015.
Achieving the Dream leads a national
network of more than 220 community
colleges championing evidence
based improvements to help
COURIER L 44 IFE, MARCH 1–7, 2019 M BR B G
community-college students achieve
their goals, resulting in improved
skills, better employability, and economic
growth for families, communities,
and the nation as a whole.
Participating colleges focus on
seven essential areas: leadership and
vision; data and technology; equity;
teaching and learning; engagement
and communication; strategy and
BAY RIDGE
Hip, hip, hooray for Bay Ridge’s
newest pediatric speech-language
pathologists at Play and Say, which
recently moved to a new, larger
space on Third Avenue between
76th and 77th streets. The duo behind
the business moved their enterprise
to its new home on Feb. 1
with the hope of growing Play and
Say in more ways than one, according
to co-owner Marguerite Calvalcante,
who owns the operation
with Lisa Connors.
“We made the move because we
wanted to grow into a larger practice
and offer more services,” Calvalcante
said. “By moving we were
able to have more people on staff
and more space.”
The speech-language pathologists
opened for business at their
original location, on Bay Ridge
Parkway between Fourth and
Fifth avenues, last March, and
only offered speech therapy. But
at Play and Say’s new location,
the speech pathologists offer individual
and group speech, occupational,
and physical therapies
for youngsters of all ages who
have autism and sensory-processing
disorder, according to Calvalcante.
The space includes a sensory
gym complete with brightly
colored trampolines, ball pits,
and climbing walls to aid tykes in
their speech development, the coowner
added.
Standing O offers congratulations
Connors and Cavalcante on
their expansion and wishes them a
successful future!
Play and Say 7617 Third Ave.
between 76th and 77th streets in
Bay Ridge, (718) 921–7529, www.
playandsayspeechservices.com.
Open Monday through Friday, 9
am–7 pm. — Julianne McShane
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS
Offering insight
Finance gurus hosted a special
seminar for female legal eagles
at the request of Brooklyn
Women’s Bar Association President
Carrie Anne Cavallo on
Jan. 29, where they addressed fi scal
concerns specifi c to women.
“The bar association asked if
we could do a presentation specifi
cally geared to fi nancial planning
for women and things that
really affect them specifi cally,”
said fi nancial adviser Jacquelyn
Calandriello.
Certain challenges in planning
for retirement unique to
women — including their roll as
caregivers, longer lifespans, and
reduced pay in comparison to
men — led many females within
the bar to seek fi nancial advice
from Cavallo, who in response requested
the lecture from Calandriello
and fellow fi nance expert
Danielle Guarino.
“She wanted to do it for the
Brooklyn women’s bar,” said Calandriello.
“They never really
had someone in to talk overall
about the different ways to look
at their own retirement plans.”
— Colin Mixson
planning; and policies and practices.
“The college as a whole has embraced
ATD’s principles. Subcommittees
of faculty, staff, and students
have been gathering and analyzing
data to develop new strategies aimed
at strengthening and promoting more
equitable outcomes,” noted Kingsborough
Community College President
Claudia Schrader.
Kingsborough has focused on overcoming
opportunity gaps by identifying
barriers that are nearly always
outside the student’s control, including
race, English profi ciency, and family
or community wealth.
“The metrics ATD established
for Leader College of Distinction are
meant to encourage colleges to sustain
aggressive efforts that result in far
greater student success and equity,”
said Dr. Karen A. Stout, president
and chief executive offi cer of Achieving
the Dream. “The honor recognizes
Network colleges that have stayed focused
on the change process and seen
real improvements in student achievement
across the institution.” Only colleges
that have been Leader Colleges
for three or more years were invited
to apply.
NEW HOME: Kids’ therapy spot Play and Say moved to a bigger location on Third Avenue,
which features expanded services for youngsters and a sensory gym complete
with a trampoline, rock wall, and ball pits. Marguerite Cavalcante
Kids’ therapy practice expands
Photo by Caroline Ourso
/www.playandsayspeechservices.com
/www.bgmfoun-dation.org
/www.bgmfoun-dation.org
/www.bgmfoun-dation.org
/www.playandsayspeechservices.com
/playandsayspeechservices.com