STANDING Brooklyn’s Biggest Booster
Mom creates products for all needs
DUMBO
Three cheers for Dumbo company
PunkinFutz, which makes innovative
therapeutic play products for children
with adaptive needs.
The company launched in 2016
and the organization manufactures
products that address either physical,
emotional, developmental, or sensory
needs, such as anxiety, and attention
and body awareness. The company
started when the founder was trying
to fi nd creative solutions for her own
kids’ adaptive needs.
“As a mom of two thriving children
with adaptive needs, I am so inspired
every day to make a positive difference
for them and others
who can benefi t
from our products’
mission-driven production.”
said Lisa
Radcliffe.
The company
has made some
nifty creations that
kids of all abilities
can use and express
themselves with,
such as an accessible
bag for wheelchairs that allows
young ’uns to keep valuables — such
as inhalers, school identifi cation, wallet,
and cellphones — close at hand.
It has also made several sensory
play products and a deep compression
vest that stays cool, adjusts for a good
fi t, and playfully helps kids stay calm
and focused.
The products are manufactured in
the United States by adults in adaptive
and supportive workplaces, which also
provides employment for people with
special needs in the future, according
to Radcliffe.
“By hiring from the community we
serve, we not only develop excellent
products for children today, but also
create meaningful employment for our
children tomorrow,” she said.
— Kevin Duggan
BOROUGH WIDE
In the Navy
Standing O salutes Petty Offi cer
2nd Class Zhiwei Tan, a native of
Brooklyn serving in the Navy.
Tan joined the Navy because of
the opportunities it provided. Now,
six years later and half a world away,
he serves with Commander, Naval
Forces Japan, supporting the Navy’s
mission in one of the world’s busiest
maritime regions and supporting U.S.
7th Fleet.
“I like being stationed in Japan,
it’s a wonderland place,” said Tan.
“There’s rich history, the people are
polite, it’s just a beautiful country.”
Tan, a 2007 graduate of William
E. Grady High School, is a mass
52 COURIER LIFE, MAY 24–30, 2019 PS
communication
specialist forward
deployed at
a Navy installation
in Yokosuka,
Japan, 43 miles
south of Tokyo.
“We help coordinate
with all
shore installations
to make sure they
have all equipment
they need,”
said Tan.
He credits success to lessons learned
in Brooklyn.
“Growing up in New York, and because
it is so diverse, prepared me
to enter into the Navy with an open
mind,” said Tan.
Commander, Naval Forces Japan,
Navy Region Japan acts as the Navy
representative and coordinator in the
area of responsibility stretching from
the southern tip of the Kamchatka peninsula
to the northern tip of Taiwan
and promotes operability and liaises
with the Japan Maritime Self Defense
Force. CNFJ/CNRJ delivers vital
shore readiness capabilities to the
fl eet, fi ghter and family throughout
the western Pacifi c and Indian Ocean
by optimizing available resources.
“What we do here is vastly different
than other parts of the world,” said
Tan. “We respect the Japanese country
and have a great amount of understanding
of each other.”
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s
most relied upon assets, Tan and
other sailors know they are part of a
legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes
contributing to the Navy the nation
needs.
“Serving in the Navy means that
I’m able to provide for my family and
FORT GREENE
Hip, hip, hooray for New York
City Parks’ Urban Park Rangers,
who have been connecting New
Yorkers to the natural world since
1979.
To celebrate 40 years of service,
the Urban Park Rangers joined community
members for a special presentation
to offi cially name May 15
“Urban Park Ranger Day.”
The rangers led families in a
fi re-making station, birdwatching,
and an adventure in Fort Greene
Park.
The rangers connect New Yorkers
to the natural world through
environmental education, outdoor
recreation, wildlife management,
and active conservation. They lead
free, public events and activities in
parks throughout New York City.
Initially intended to administer
fi rst aid, provide public information,
and exhibit a uniformed presence in
city parks, the Urban Park Rangers
have evolved tremendously. Today,
they are environmental experts
with a wealth of knowledge about
natural elements, wildlife, and crucial
outdoor skills. Their primary
responsibility is to provide environmental
education, interpretation,
and outdoor adventure programs to
New Yorkers.
GREENPOINT
Hurray for health!
It was a fi t-ting event.
A Greenpoint elementary
school hosted a health fair on
May 5, where kids and parents
learned the ABCs of keeping fi t.
The event, which was hosted
by PS 31, Samuel F. DuPont
Elementary School, located on
Meserole Avenue between Guernsey
and Lorimer streets, included
taste testings featuring healthy
foods, and phsyical activities
such as yoga, dance, martial arts,
Zumba, games, and gardening.
The fair was made possible by
a grant provided by Action for
Healthy Kids to the Greenpoint
elementary school earlier this
year, and coincides with Every
Kid Healthy Week, which the
group created as an annual event
to highlight efforts by schools to
promote nutrition, physical activity,
and wellness amongst students.
PS 31 was one of 30 schools
throughout the city to host events
in observance of Every Kid
Healthy Week, which occurs during
the last week of April, and
has been celebrated by more than
7,000 schools. — Colin Mixson
I’m able to do something I immensely
enjoy,” said Tan.
. . .
Brooklyn proud
Standing O couldn’t be prouder of
three Brooklyn students who were inducted
into a prestigious honor society.
Dorothy Grasso, Raizel Reider
and Noah Solano are the newest
members of The Honor Society of
Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest
and most selective all-discipline collegiate
honor society.
Grasso and Reider were was initiated
at The Sage Colleges, while Solano
was initiated at University of
Delaware.
These residents are among approximately
30,000 students, faculty, professional
staff and alumni to be initiated
into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership
is by invitation only and requires
nomination and approval by a chapter.
Only the top 10 percent of seniors and
7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for
membership.
HAPPY DAY: Uban Park Rangers have served in city parks since 1979.
Photo by Caroline Ourso
Thanks for 40 years of service