Monday, March 11, 2013

District Attorney Hynes Honors Brooklyn’s Finest Women

Kings County DA Charles Hynes

Kings County District Attorney Charles Hynes honored 33 women of Brooklyn for their extraordinary service to their communities at the seventh annual “Extraordinary Women” event held on March 5, 2013.

Hynes declared that these women worked hard for years to improve the lives of those around them. They should be, and are, considered great role models for others, displaying a large degree of selflessness, dedication and compassion for their communities.

Among those extra-special women was June Rodrigues of Ditmas Park. In 2008 Rodrigues began to volunteer for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI.) Back then East Flatbush’s branch of NAMI had only two support groups. From the beginning Rodgrigues was dedicated to improving the lives of people with mental illness. It was one of her most cherished goals to improve the services available for them through education and advocacy.

Rodrigues is largely responsible for many of the most basic programs available through NAMI at the Kings County Hospital. Those include NAMI’s Peer-To-Peer, Family-to-Family, and NAMI Conexion, a support group for mentally ill Spanish speaking adults.

"It is an honor for me to recognize these women for their outstanding work, which benefits all the people of Brooklyn," Hynes exclaimed.

The 33 women were also given the special designation of “Special Ambassador” in their communities.

 "The women come from neighborhoods throughout Brooklyn.  The honorees all have one thing in common," Hynes said. "They make Brooklyn a better place to live.”

Monday, March 4, 2013

Special Programing at Brooklyn Museum Every First Saturday


Known as “Target First Saturdays,” the Brooklyn Museum opens its doors every first Saturday of the month from 5pm until 11pm. (The regular Saturday hours are 11am-6pm.)

Visitors to the Museum on the first Saturday of each month (excluding September) can expect to enjoy free programs including both art and entertainment. There are crafts projects for visitors to participate in, artist talks, tours of the galleries and other exciting activities.

Check the Brooklyn Museum’s website for details of upcoming programs. As implied in the name of the program, the popular department store “Target” is a sponsor, along with the Wallace Foundation Community Programs Fund,DLA Piper US LLP, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The Ellis A. Gimbel Trust, National Grid, and more.