At the May 4 meeting, the Park Slope Civic Council presented awards to the winners of this years Lovgren award.
Each year since 1979, the Park Slope Civic Council has honored people or organizations for their outstanding service to the Park Slope community. The awards are named for George Lovgren, the Park Slope activist who in the 1960s worked tirelessly to save the Union Street Firehouse from closure.
Traditionally, there have been two awards, one for someone whose service was in a voluntary capacity, and the other for service in a professional capacity, as a business owner or a nonprofit executive or a public employee.
Lauri Schindler ticks both boxes. Since 1992, she and her husband Ronny have operated the Park Slope Day Camp and have provided many thousands of kids, ages 4 through 15, with rich, rewarding, stimulating and FUN outdoor experiences in the summer and during school breaks. Park Slope Day Camp has been an anchor institution in Park Slope and has served kids and families from Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens, Gowanus, Windsor Terrace, and more.
And as a volunteer, Lauri’s been a member of the New York Presbyterian, Brooklyn Methodist Hospital Community Council for over a dozen years. During her two complete, nine-year terms as a Trustee of the Park Slope Civic Council, where she’s been Vice President and Executive Committee member for many years, Lauri has put her hand in the air to volunteer for just about every committee and event that came along.
Good Neighbors of Park Slope
Good Neighbors of Park Slope, a nonprofit organization that was founded in 2014, helps Park Slope residents age in place.
Several Good Neighbors members came came to one of PSCC’s monthly meetings in October to express concern about threats to pedestrian safety, particularly from e-bikes riding on sidewalks, riding against traffic, running red lights, and riding unsafely in other ways. Pedestrian safety is obviously an issue for everyone, particularly older adults.
The Executive Committee created an ad hoc pedestrian safety committee that included members from both the Civic Council and Good Neighbors. The committee decided to do a survey on bicycle safety in the neighborhood.
Good Neighbors is part of a national organization called the Village-to-Village Network whose purpose is to share best practices for enabling older adults to live independent, healthy, purposeful lives with connections to their communities.
Good Neighbors activities include social activities and events, advocacy and social activism, resource and information sharing, community resources for older people, and more. Their advocacy committee focuses on transportation and age-friendly streets, making Prospect Park age-friendly, voter suppression and Black Lives Matter, and more.
Joyce Jed, president of Good Neighbors of Park Slope, accepted the award on behalf of the organization.