News from Assemblywoman Joan L. Millman - June 2010 Community Report

Tell the MTA to Keep Brooklyn Rolling!

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has approved budget cuts to our mass transit that are set to go into effect on June 27, 2010. The planned changes would eliminate the B37, B51, B71 and B75 buses. Assemblywoman Millman has been fighting hard to avert these disastrous service cuts. If you were unable to attend the rally she organized along the B71 bus route earlier this year, stop into her Brooklyn Office and sign a petition to the MTA. To find out more about legislation she has sponsored that would provide dedicated funding for the MTA (A.10345 and A. 3957), click here. Also on the web site, you can read testimony delivered to the MTA at a public hearing and watch video clips of Assemblywoman Millman questioning MTA Chairman and CEO Jay Walder at a hearing of the Assembly's Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions. It is not too late to share your concerns with the MTA. Please encourage your friends, neighbors and family to do the same.

At P.S. 39 in Park Slope, Brooklyn, Assemblywoman Millman was presented with "Big Books" created by local students. The Big Books project was funded by Assemblywoman Millman and coordinated by the Brooklyn Arts Council's Arts in Education Program. This year, three schools participated in the project, each hosting a resident artist that engaged the students in their communities and taught the students a variety of techniques. Assemblywoman Millman explained to the students that she will display the big books in her Albany office.

Attend the 2010 Senior Resource Fair

Organized by Assemblywoman Joan Millman and State Senator Daniel Squadron, the Senior Resource Fair will help seniors and their family members, caregivers and friends learn more about programs and services dedicated to senior citizens. Representatives from government agencies and non-profit organizations will attend and can provide information directly to senior fair attendees. Some of the attractions of this year's fair include: Tai Chi exercises; free blood pressure, hearing and vision tests; and a reduced fare MetroCard application station.

WHEN: Friday, June 25th from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm

WHERE: St. Francis College, 182 Remsen Street, between Court and Clinton Streets

WHAT: A Senior Resource Fair

To get to the Fair, you can take the B25, B26, B38, B41, B51, or B52 to Court Street; B37, B45, or B75 to Livingston Street; or B54, B57, B61, or B67 to Jay St., or the B103 to Adams Street.

Community Volunteer Fair Attracts Over 800 Local Residents

In May, the Community Volunteer Fair at the YMCA Sports Complex at the Park Slope Armory brought together over 800 local residents interested in volunteering with over 100 non-profit organizations seeking volunteers. The event was sponsored by a host of elected officials and local institutions - Assemblymembers Joan Millman and Jim Brennan, Brooklyn Community Boards Six and Seven, New York City Councilmember Brad Lander, District Attorney Charles J. Hynes, New York Methodist Hospital, Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID, Park Slope Civic Council, Park Slope Parents, Prospect Park YMCA, and State Senators Eric Adams and Velmanette Montgomery.

"Our goal was to foster the spirit of volunteerism in Brooklyn, and thanks to the hard work of all the sponsors, we achieved that goal," said Millman. "The organizations represented at this fair serve the unique needs of our community, and they depend on the service of volunteers. I encourage all of my constituents to devote a portion of their free time to volunteering."

The Community Volunteer Fair was an invaluable opportunity for potential volunteers to find out where and how they can help, whether they're a high school student, a retired person, or someone who wants to sharpen skills or develop new ones. Admission to the event was free and directories with information about the participating organizations were provided.

Get Ready for the Summer Reading Challenge

Every summer, Assemblywoman Millman holds the Summer Reading Challenge to keep students in the 52nd Assembly District reading. Local public schools will be distributing copies of the Summer Reading Challenge brochure to students (brochures are also available in Assemblywoman Millman's District Office). Children who read or are read to for 40 days over the summer can return the completed brochure for a New York State Assembly Excellence in Reading Certificate.

Watch Assemblywoman Millman Wednesdays this month on Brooklyn Community Access TV (BCAT) Channels 56 and 69 at 3:30 pm and 11:30 pm

Check out what's new on Assemblywoman Millman's web site at www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=52