Eric Adams's Constituent stories

Rabbi Moishe Feiglin is the founder and Executive Director of A.L.I.Y.A (Alternative Learning Institute for Young Adults) Institute in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

Mary Beth Artz is a singer, actress and lifelong resident of Brooklyn, NY, with a passion for the city's urban wildlife. To her there is nothing more inspiring than to see the “V Formation” of the Canada Geese flying over her home in Windsor Terrace.

One of her passions is helping people connect to the wildlife that share our city and our world. She is a part-time educational instructor with the Wildlife Conservation Society, and that passion led her to study Conservation Biology at The Center for Environmental Research and Conservation at Columbia University.

Jay “Rocket” Ruiz is the president and founder of The Brooklyn Bike Patrol, a group of volunteers who are dedicated to making the women of Brooklyn feel safe as they travel from train stations to their homes in the evening hours.

Last fall, Ruiz was watching a newscast about the spree of sexual assaults in the Park Slope area when he got an idea. “What if every woman was safely escorted home?” Ruiz said to his wife that night in their Prospect Heights home.

“I can do this. I can hop on my bike, bring women home and then they wouldn’t be attacked,” Ruiz said, who rides his bike about 26 miles every day – 11 miles round-trip to work and about 15 miles each night while escorting women for the Brooklyn Bike Patrol.

Siobhan O’Neill always dreamed of pursuing a career in theater. Born in Dublin, Ireland, livingin Hong Kong and moving to Kansas in the 5th grade, she attended Walnut Hill School for Performing Arts in Natick, Massachusetts and then Oberlin College in Ohio where she studied theatre, history, cello and voice. 

Carl and Shelley moved to Prospect Lefferts Gardens in 2006. They are the parents of Gabrielle (age 4) and William (age 2).

Shelly worked for Jewelry Designer until she left the fashion industry in 2007 to become a Stay At Home Mom. While staying at home with her children, Shelley realized the need for more family friendly based resources in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, this put in motion the idea of Play Kids.

It has always been Carl’s dream to own and operate his own business. After the birth of his two kids, he quickly realized the need for a quality toy store in the neighborhood. Play Kids is a reflection of the value Shelley and Carl place on having quality, smart, eco-friendly, educational and family oriented toys.

Philip Hawkins is a long-time resident of North Crown Heights and president of The Block at Prospect Place. He is best known as the President of The Friends of Brower Park.

Brower Park is located adjacent to the Brooklyn Children's Museum. A few years ago, Brower Park began to exhibit signs of neglect and Mr. Hawkins sought to form a group of volunteers to clean up the park, which at that time was filled with trash.

In 2009, Hawkins and other neighborhood residents formed The Friends of Brower Park with the mission to ensure that the park would be a clean and safe environment for the residents of North Crown Heights.

Abu Naser Khaliquzzaman, a native of Bangladesh, is the President of World Trade Promotion Center, Inc., a Brooklyn based producer and distributor of American Food and Agriculture commodities.  The company markets their products under the New Market Foods, American Halal, American Grain Products and Soya America brands.Known to his friends as Zaman, Mr. Khaliquzzaman and his family migrated to the United States in 1997.  Zaman earned a B.S. and M.S. in Pharmacy, and he is married to Saiveda Akhter (also holds a B.S. and M.S. in Pharmacy), and they have one child, Istiak Zaman, a 9th grade National Honor student.

Dr. Susan Fox is a tireless community organizer and mother of two. Her ­ first child was due September 12, 2001, and after the events of September 11, she decided to focus on quality of life and community issues. Since that time, Dr. Fox has championed efforts to create online and offine networks of people who can support each other in and around the community.

In July 2002, Dr. Fox founded Park Slope Parents (PSP), which now includes 4,000 families in the Brooklyn area who support each other online by sharing information about parenting and urban living. PSP partners with non-pro­ t organizations to provide child-related items (e.g., clothing, cribs, and blankets) for needy families.