Bed-Stuy man develops new app
BEDFORD-STUYVESANT
He’s m-app-ing Brooklyn!
Standing O salutes Bedford-
Stuyvesant resident Mark Macias,
who developed a new app that will
help people find all the best happenings
around some of Kings County’s
busiest neighborhoods.
The business owner released the
free app, called Brooklyn Bound,
in late July. The program collects
some of the best restaurants, bars,
and venues to seek out in five neighborhoods
and will make it easier for
Brooklynites to find good spots beyond
their usual haunts, according
to Macias.
“You can’t Google every single
place, so we thought it would be
good to have one single spot for everything,”
he said.
Macias and his wife moved to
the brownstone neighborhood three
years ago and soon discovered that
finding the ideal hangout within the
vastness of Brooklyn took a lot of
hustle. So he started collecting some
of his favorite restaurants, bars, and
businesses with good Yelp reviews
in his neighborhood, along with Williamsburg,
Dumbo, Bushwick, and
Bay Ridge.
He also found places that bring together
people with similar interests,
such as Brooklyn Brainery, which
hosts classes for all sorts of activities
for adults in Prospect Heights,
Yoga to the People, which hosts flex
sessions in Williamsburg, or free
cultural events at Bric House in Fort
COURIER L 36 IFE, AUG. 23-29, 2019
Greene.
“We thought, ‘let’s help out our
neighborhood,’” Macias said.
The app already has hundreds
of downloads, according to Macias,
and he would like to see it grow to
more areas around the borough.
“I think it would be great to expand
with more stuff to do in Brooklyn,”
he said.
Brooklyn Bound is available for
download at the Apple Store and
Google Play . — Kevin Duggan
STANDING Brooklyn’s Biggest Booster
MILL BASIN
Three cheers for the Kings Plaza
Shopping Center, which gave away
school supplies to hundreds of children
in need on Aug. 15.
The shopping conglomerate provided
2,000 backpacks fi lled with
notebooks, writing utensils, and
other back-to-school essentials to local
elected leaders, who distributed
them among needy communities
across Brooklyn, according to a rep
with the mall.
“Kings Plaza is doing its part
by helping economically disadvantaged
school aged children get
prepared for the upcoming school
year by providing essential back-toschool
supplies,” said Dawn Simon.
As students gear up for the new
school year, it is important for them
to get started on the right foot, said
Dawn.
“Starting the school year off
right helps minimize academic
stress, lessen anxieties, and empowers
youth with a strong sense of selfworth,”
she said.
Among the local leaders who
were given supplies for distribution
were Congressman Hakeem
Jeffries, State Sen. Roxanne Persaud,
Public Advocate Jumaane
Williams, Councilman Alan Maisel,
and Assemblywoman Jamie
Williams — who took to Facebook
to publicly thank the organization.
“Much thanks and appreciation
to Kings Plaza on their Backpack
giveaway for the kids and students
in our community,” said Williams.
“Thank you for always being a cornerstone
of Brooklyn!”
Here’s to Kings Plaza Shopping
Center for their generosity, and for
their successful giveaway!
— Aidan Graham
BOROUGHWIDE
A do-gooder group dedicated
to fighting Chron’s disease announced
a Kings County legal
eagle as its man of the year!
The Chron’s and Colitis
Foundation will honor lawyer
Frank Carone at its annual
gala on Sept. 27, when the
group hopes to raise a whopping
$500,000 to promote the
foundation’s focus on research
and patient support for inf
lammatory bowel diseases,
with the ultimate goal of curing
Chron’s disease, while improving
the quality of life of
the estimated 3 million Americans
who suffer from this disease.
This years gala, dubbed “A
Cure is in our Stars” will
be at The Garden City Hotel,
where attendees will enjoy
cocktails and performances, a
dinner prepared by celebrity
chef David Burke, followed by
the main act courtesy of Emmy
Award-winning illusionist Oz
Pearlman.
Carone is a notable Brooklyn
lawyer, businessman, and
longtime patron of the Chron’s
foundation, which he’s supported
financially alongside
partner Howard Fensterman
for the past 20 years, according
to the executive director
of Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s
Long Island Chapter.
“We are proud to honor
Frank V. Carone at this prestigious
event and grateful for
the opportunity to publicly acknowledge
his many accomplishments
and generous support
of the foundation,” said
Sherry Perlman.
— Chandler Kidd
CHEERS: Councilwoman Farah Louis, Council Member Alan Maisel, Kings Plaza rep
Dawn Simon, and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams pose at the backpack giveaway
on Aug. 15. Kings Plaza Shopping Center
Kings Plaza Shopping Center
hosts back-to-school giveaway
GIVEAWAY: Kings Plaza Shopping Center
gave away 2,000 backpacks with school
supplies to needy children on Aug. 15.
Kings Plaza Shopping Center
MAPPER: Bedford-Stuyvesant resident Mark
Macias made the app Brooklyn Bound, which
makes it easer to fi nd some of the best spots
across fi ve Kings County nabes. Mark Macias