1. Way to go Rosa Lander (Brad Lander's daughter) for organizing “Girls Read for Girls,” a read-a-thon fundraiser for girls education. This year, the group raised over $20,000 for the Malala Fund. Thanks also to Mairin Dowd, Sonia Chajet-Wides, and a team of young activists.
2. Our PSP Membership Perks program hit over 1,000 discounts from businesses to members this year. Thanks to all our PSP Discount Providers! If you’re doing anything in the area, ask if there’s a PSP discount! Are you a local business and want to offer PSP members a discount? Sign up here, it's free!
3. [ANONYMOUS] Special thanks to all the people who responded to someone who needed help through tough times and posted anonymously. Whether it was divorce, depression, bankruptcy, domestic violence, bereavement, or miscarriage, PSP members can be counted on to help out someone in need. This year we saw posts about raising trans teens, guilt over a second child, how to deal with sudden unemployment and spousal layoffs, ways to help a family member after a suicide attempt, strategies for dealing with an alcoholic mother, and how to help the housekeeper get citizenship.
4. The Park Slope Civic Council's Halloween Parade each year. Thanks to all the people who love Halloween and came out for the Park Slope Parents Costume Contest, including the Park Slope take out family and Mr. Mistoffelees. Another Favorite: The flowy car wash guy was pretty dang cool! Special thanks to the baby group who came as the SHIP!
5. Thanks Gerardo Blumenkrantz who, year after year, helps make the Halloween poster amazing! Who could forget this blast from the past...
6. The Park Slope Parents Dads’ Group—you ROCKED 2016 with happy hours, poker games and museum outings. Special thanks to George Davis, Michael Liss, Manuel Arteaga, Ryan Delorge, Andrew Bentley, and David Erikson who went above and beyond to make sure the Park Slope Parents dads got to have fun too! nd a special thanks PSP member David Erickson for helping out with Geek Dads’ Night and championing the newly forming PSP Dungeons & Dragons group. David's also been instrumental in organizing Prospect Park walks with fellow fathers. Way to go! Thanks Michael Liss for the in the New York Post - "These dads can’t wait to grab a beer and talk about diapers)"
7. The Park Slope Parents Cancer Goddesses - thanks for discussions and bonding over bras, donating wigs, and henna crowns. Even if we have to be in a club we don’t want to belong to, it’s great to share the ride with you!
8. In 2016, Park Slope welcomed Emily Blunt and John Krasinski to the neighborhood, the Hollywood power couple known for playing pranks on each other and friends. Who else is hoping for a 2017 Park Slope Parents prank?
9. And speaking of movie stars.... In 2016 we said goodbye to the Pavilion Theater, with years and years of stories to tell about broken seats, bad service, and (maybe) bed bugs. We love that Nitehawk is coming in next year - we’d love an 80s movies marathon for our adults and tweens group! If you need some movie ideas, check out this list PSP members came up with: Movies You Want Your Tween to Watch.
10. Special thanks to the Seleni Institute who helps us help mothers and fathers with their mental health. Happy parents make for happy kids!
11. Thanks to The Brooklyn Cyclones and Coney Island for hosting Park Slope Parents for baseball game! We had a blast. One of these days you’ll let Susan Fox be Sandy, right?
12. It wouldn’t be summer without a Celebrate Brooklyn concert in the Prospect Park Bandshell. The Ezra Jack Keats concert was a lot of fun. Dan Zanes—you’re always fun!
13. Thanks to Samantha, Sabrina, Kathleen, Eva, and Chelsea, Maria, Kaylin—who help keep PSP fresh. Whether it’s helping out at the Celebrate Brooklyn concert, dressing up as a princess, or helping make cupcakes, you are amazing individuals!
14. The Old Stone House, a gem in our community. Over the past 13 years we’ve held countless events in their space - personal favorites are our Mystic Meal and Princess Pancake breakfast. Take a second and donate to them today!
15. Thanks Bill de Blasio for your bill for lactation rooms for breastfeeding moms at work. PSP supported him in a joint statement with Senator Liz Krueger, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Joan Malin, President and CEO, Planned Parenthood of New York City, and other city and national leaders.
16. Thanks to all the PSP nannies that keep our kids happy, well-fed, entertained, and loved. They keep families sane and kids safe. They rock!
17. Many thanks also to Joyce Szuflita of NYC School Help, who guides us throughout the education process with advice and unfaltering perspective about schools, admissions, testing, and more.
18. Janna from 4 Wishes Cakery made us the cutest dang cupcakes for the LGBTQ Halloween Party, Kensington Shelter and Park Slope Library Book Fest.
19. BIG Thanks to our holiday toy donation drop-off locations: Shipwrecked, Gymboree, NY Kids Club, Investors Bank, NuNu Chocolates, South Slope Pediatrics, Windsor Shoes Too and World of Windsor Shoes.
20. Birth Day Presence and Jada Shapiro continue to be a force for good to PSP. They've been hosting our pregnant moms meetups for 3+ years which are instrumental to helping our new parents bond.
21. Thanks to Prospect Bar & Grill for hosting all our awesome baby group happy hours, Dads and Drinks events, and going above and beyond and getting a changing table in the bathroom!
22. Thanks also to KBH (Die Koelner Bierhalle) and their wide open space for meetups. They are a PSP-member favorite family-friendly spot to meet.
23. A big show of thanks to Good Neighbors of Park Slope, the local volunteer organization for the 50+ crowd. This year, we partnered with them on community outreach efforts including our December toy drive, a library bake sale, and a meetup for members dealing with an aging parent or family member.
24. ....And thanks to the Brooklyn Game Lab for hosting the Geek Dad's Night!
25. Thanks as always to Brad Lander and his continued fight for truth and justice. Whether it’s working for freelancers, helping #GetOrganizedBK during these trying times, planning projects through Participatory Budgeting, or expanding the Park Slope Historic District, we’re glad you’re in our corner!
26. Thanks to Tracy and Catherine and their help with the Kensington Shelter (and letting us help with the Holiday Party!). They take “Give Me Shelter” to a new level!
27. Thanks so much to Participatory Budgeting who helped fund some great projects that we'll enjoy for years to come like freeze-resistant fountains for Prospect Park, curb extensions, and B67/B69 clocks so we know when the 7th Ave bus is coming!
28. Heights and Hills helped us this year cope with our aging parents. They’ve led workshops for PSP members, offered valuable caregiving advice, and we look forward to hosting more!
29. PSP networking lunches helped parents who work locally get out of the house and connect with other PSP members, share ideas and make new friends over a great meal. Thanks especially to Hey Hey Canteen, Bricolage, and Namaste for hosting us!
30. Thanks to Mickey (aka Santa Claus) who helped us stay local when we wanted photos with Santa (at, of course, The Old Stone House).
31. Thanks to Kiti Kanjana Phillips and Kathryn Patullo and the April 2016 group who donated 3 carloads of baby clothes and gear to babies in need! Thanks also for leading the Kensington Family Shelter Party!
32. This September, we celebrated the restoration of Dog Beach, an off-leash dog swimming area near Prospect Park’s Long Meadow with the Prospect Park Alliance, Council Member Brad Lander, and FIDO. To mark the return of this community treasure, the local community were invited to an opening celebration at the monthly FIDO Coffee Bark.
33. A shout out to BejaB Photography who took amazing photos at the PSP annual Halloween Costume Contest and the Mythic Meal fundraiser for Old Stone House.
34. Thanks to everyone who sold things cheap at a Stoop Sale this year, recycling their unwanted things and helping us save some cash.
35. Thanks to our school crossing guards, who are out there in rain, show, and heat helping us stay safe. PSP loved meeting you all in May at Crossing Guard Appreciation Day.
36. The painted bunting, the rare rainbow colored finch, who made a home in Prospect Park and go us get excited to walk through the park on the chance of seeing him. Your appearance made us excited about birding!
37. The Food Allergy Group was amazing in 2016. They shared their struggles and tips on the advice group to help us all understand how to be more compassionate about food needs.
38. Thanks to Leopoldi's Hardware, a real Brooklyn institution, who celebrated their 50th anniversary and are always so very helpful when we needed that one screw we lost, that lightbulb we blew, that key we needed cut! Do you have any reviews you'd like to add about them? Find out about how to send us a review here.
39. A shout out to new member Nicole Dewey! Thanks for moving here from Cali and bringing the sunshine with you! Your help making the New to the Hood Meetups happen helped you find a new best friend but grow our community!
40. Many thanks to the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library for hosting our Estate Planning Workshop, "Planning Your Future: Estate & Gift Planning Seminar."
41 ...and many thanks to attorney Bill Cahill for leading it!
42. This year we launched oodles of new awesome groups, including a twins group! PSP got its own group for parents of twins! We’ve had a few meetups and more to come in 2017!
43. A shout out to Arthi and Payal who are organizing a South Asian Group to dovetail with the existing awesome Masala Mamas group!
44. PSP also launched our People of Color Affinity Group. YAY to LaToya Hamilton and Little Wing for your hard work, community building, and getting the meetups started!
45. We also started a Moms in Entertainment group. It's been fun getting to know so many savvy ladies making a difference through media and the arts. Special props to PSP member Vivian Chiu who is working on the Working Moms in Entertainment benefit concert post-Trump.
46. PSP members have been hiking and camping this summer, thanks to the PSP Hiking and Camping group. Make the great outdoors a 2017 resolution and test out one (or more) of these PSP member recommended family day hikes!
47. Way to go Little Essentials, the not-for-profit that helps us feel good about recycling our hand-me-downs to families in need in Brooklyn.
48. We love Goldy and Mac, who over the years has served as a hub for toy and toiletry drives for vulnerable families. This year they also helped our Working Moms with a special shopping and styling event in their store.
49. PSP launched a support group for parents with babies who are preemies and/ or in the NICU. Having a baby is hard enough; when it’s a preemie or in the NICU it adds an extra layer of worry and work. Thanks to the members of this group who made the road a little easier for other moms and dads.
50. Way to go for the Park Slope Library, for our Clothing Swaps and Music & Musicians jam, and for all their family programming that keeps us sane!
51. How amazing was the Park Slope Library Kid Bookfest?! Way to go Michael Hearst, Suzi Shelton, comedy duo Katie Goodman and Soren Kissel, and Katy Stone, and all the other performers/ writers/ readers who made an appaearance at the week-long festival. We're looking forward to the next one in September 2017!
52. Shout out to some more frequent meetup venues Berg'n, Elk, Parish, Black Horse Pub, Bar Henri, Brookvin and new venue Sir D's (thanks for taking over the Tea Lounge!).
53. ...And a special shout out to Lisanne at Parish for hosting so many meetups and making us feel so very welcome!
54. Thank you Frosty, our non-denominational snowman for showing up to various events this year.
55. Thanks to Marc Goldberg for all the memories you've help create with your beautiful photos (like this one of dear Frosty above, from the Photos of Santa event we held in December)
55. Thanks to the Park Slope Parents Cooking Group who swapped kitchen gadget ideas that led to instaPot purchases that led to an Crock Pot and InstaPot potluck meetup for members!
56. Thanks also to the Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District (BID), led by Mark Caserta and Joanna Tallantire, who throughout the year organize amazing community-building events like streets strolls, Brooklyn Pride parade, support the Halloween Parade, host tree lighting ceremony and remind us that shopping local helps the WHOLE community.
57. Thanks also to The Friends of Park Slope Library who helped, among other things, create a new outdoor children’s theatre opening 2017 (including a Knuffle Bunny statue by Mo Willems). Thanks especially Christopher and Megan!
58. A musical shout out to Rebecca Cherry who helped make the Kensington Homeless Shelter Party a success with her ability to make music and organize musical geniuses! Thanks also to Scott Tran for your support at the party!
59. Our Motherless Mothers Group has provided so much support. Thanks to Lindsay, Caroline, Melissa and all the other group members, who helped make living without a mother more bearable.
60. Thanks to Steve Paulikas and All Saints Church who hosted our Clothing Swaps, LGBTQ Halloween Party and is helping the community be stronger!
61. Thanks to health educator Ellen Friedrichs for hosting the workshop, "Everything Your Kids Want To Know About Sex…. And How To Tell Them." Ellen shared helpful recommendations about what to say to your middle schooler, what you can stop worrying about, and how you can make this communication as healthy, informative, and comfortable as possible.
62. Thanks to Michael Davidovits for leading the seminar, "Parenting Tweens--Peering into Adolescence." Davidovits really helped us gain an understanding of the cognitive, emotional and physical changes in early adolescence and gave us strategies about how to stay connected our kids as they become more independent
63. Thanks to divorce lawyer John Yacos, who lead an informational Q&A session about divorce. He gave a great overview of the legal aspects of divorce, custody, and child support.
64. Thanks to media studies expert Katherine Fry who led the PSP event, "Let's Talk Technology and Tweens/Teens." She helped PSP members gain perspective of the digital landscape, and how to best support kids (and yourself!) as we grow into an increasingly digitally-connected environment.
65. Career and Life Coach Anne Baker did an awesome job hosting the workshop, "Strategic Job Search" for members of the PSP Career Advice and Networking (PSP CAN) group - and thank you for all you do for the PSP CAN group, Anne!
66. Let's raise a glass to Brookvin and say, "cheers" for all your tasty food and drinks! Thank you for hosting so many of our groups and meet ups. If you get that Freedom Concert going Brian, we’ll be media sponsor!
67. Cheers to the Brooklyn Bavarian Beer Garden! The Fine Arts Group, the Working Moms group, and other PSP groups have been meeting up there and PSP members have been raving about their "kid friendly food and adult friendly alcohol."
68. Thanks to Dizzy's Back Room, who over the years hosted so many meetups for us. This year, they've been the go-to spot for our PSP Tech Group meet ups, as well as Kid/Baby Business lunches.
69. The PSP Working Moms are AWESOME! Whether it’s finding flanges near Union Square on a work day (30 responses in 2 hours) or dealing with mommy guilt, the Working Moms Group has been an amazing place of support for working moms.
70. We love Chris Catanese, aka the Bubble Dad, who, with 36 hours’ notice came to JJ Byrne and made it come alive with bubbles.
71. Thanks Lantern Community Services for your gift drive for teens and young adults. Thanks for reminding us that more than just little kids need to feel remembered at the holidays!
72. The Maimonides Cancer Center who diagnosed Founder Susan Fox's cancer with state of the art equipment that other places would not have found. Get your mammograms and sonograms people!
73. This summer we've loved Prospect Park and all the meetups at the Picnic House. Easy to find and right near bathrooms it was host to many a New to the Hood, Pregnancy, and Baby Group Meetups!
74. A special shout out to Dan Marques and his dedication to organizing Tech Group meetups, as well as all his amazing tech tips over the years on the PSP Advice Group. Look for more career related meetups in 2017!
75. Thanks Alice Bennahmias, Ashley Hammarth and Kate Rube who all hosted PSP SDS (Single, Divorced, Separated) Group gatherings
76. Eliza Gallo who runs the Single Parents by Choice (SPC) group with skill and grace. And gratitude to Jen Washburn who hosted an SPC brunch.
77. Thank you also Rachel Presa, Erin Mears and Kristen Morrissy hosted Law Group and Work-Life Balance meetups.
78. Thanks Irene Chae-Incarnacion and Dorothy Kogan for organizing and hosting a couple SDS gatherings in the spring.
79. Thanks to Nancy Cruz who was point person for the Pinot's Palette night. Such amazing art was created that night! Thank you!
80. Gratitude to Pinot's Palette, who opened this year and is going strong. Thanks for hosting our working moms!
81. It was a visual feast to watch kites soar above the Manhattan skyline at the 6th annual Brooklyn Kite Festival. Angie Chiat, we applaud you for your energy, dedication and follow through year after year!
82. Thanks also to Orit Jacoby-Carroll, Park Slope Parents, Volunteer Corps organizer. She keeps us abreast of any volunteer opportunities and shows us how to help give back to the community.
83. This summer was a scorcher!!! All our neighborhood trees say "THANKS" to all the people who watered their tree pits this summer in the heat.
84. Thanks to all you who checked in on their neighbors when it was freezing cold or brutally hot. These acts of kindness save lives.
85. And a big hug to people who shoveled someone else's sidewalk. Here's a warm fuzzy for you:
86. Bravo to Alice Eisenberg and Marina Reggiani Smith for wrangling the LGBTQ group, organizing meetups and posting about them!
87. The Green-Wood Cemetery, one of the hidden treasures in the neighborhood. It's truly beautiful all year long. Here it is after the first snow. Pure magic! Thank you!
88. The NYC Marathon which goes down 4th Avenue and gets us motivated to exercise (again), which bring us to....
89. Shout out to the PSP Being Fit group and the Buddy Spreadsheet which gives people the ability to find someone to help with their exercise routine.
90. RIP G&E variety store, our go-to place in the south slope for birthday decorations and party supplies (even if you didn't like us bringing in our strollers).
91. Thanks as always to Dr. Gordon, for being an awesome voice of reason and the bestest PSP Medical Liaison!
92. Big bravo to the residents of the Prospect Park Residence, the senior citizen home who stood up for themselves - and won. Read the story on the Legal Aid Society website here. Way to fight for your rights!
93. The Stop and Swap at the Old Stone House which helped us recycle our unwanted stuff. Clear closets, full wallets, can't lose!
94. And how a-meow-zing is Tiny the Usurper, the community bookstore cat who went missing this summer and was found because of a Park Slope Parents post! We are glad you're home!! (Tiny the Usurper's Instagram account rocks too!)
95. Thanks to all our local businesses. We know how hard it is to stay in business, and bravo to all our local stores making it work. Check out the PSP member reviews of local businesses and services the next time you shop!
96. Thanks to the 78th and 72nd Precincts for their help over the past year. Y’all took the time to give a security review to a Park Slope Parents member who was the victim of a break-in, helped us figure out the validity of different stories floating around, and helped us honor our local crossing guards.
97. The Advice Group—want to know what the going rate for the Tooth Fairy is? A photographer? Puppy obedience school? What to do about a nanny? The Advice Group can get you answers!
98. Lost and Found posts. We gotta love that we found and reunited many animals (real and stuffed), loveys, and even a wedding ring this year!
99. Shout out to Debbie Brukman’s awesome Holiday Sing Along where she raised money for CHiPS and collected toys for Little Essentials! and thanks to everyone who participated. See you there, next year!
100. And thanks to all our PSP members for looking out for each other and helping one another out!
Are you a parent in Brooklyn and would like to be a member? Join us at clubexpress.parkslopeparents.com!
