Before I head out for Halloween activities today, I want to say a big thank you for what we did last Saturday – as 1400 of you ran, walked, strolled, and scooted through Prospect Park for the Brooklyn PTA Fun Run.

Yes it was chilly early on, and there was a bit of rain at the start, but the warmth and joy could not be diminished. I’m proud to say, with tremendous thanks to participants, donors and sponsors, we raised over $20K for Brooklyn’s public schools! The funds will go to participating “Title I” schools that serve predominantly low-income students. 

I cannot thank you enough for making my last Fun Run as your City Councilmember so special. I especially want to thank our PTAs and school communities for spreading the word, organizing teams, and showing up in such big numbers. It was great to see so many families and educators and all of the school spirit on display. 

Thank you to our fantastic crew of volunteers -- community members and students who showed up early in the morning and handed out bibs and medals, greeted participants, managed the bag check, and helped out along the route and with water and apple distribution. 

Three individuals were indispensible to making the race happen: Lara Lai, the Education Organizer in our City Council office, put this race on her shoulders and quite literally made it happen. Without her willingness to take the lead and do the lion’s share of the work, it simply would not have happened. Thank you Lara! Michael Ring and race manager David Halloran were also essential in the planning and execution of the return of the Fun Run, and their leadership helped make it a huge success. 

We also remain deeply grateful to Nick Bedell, who came up with the idea for the Brooklyn PTA 5K – as a way of bringing public schools together to fundraise rather than doing it alone, with a formula that includes participation and equity – way back in 2009, and who shepherded the fun runs for a decade.

Finally, thank you to our amazing sponsors: The PS 58 PTA for volunteering to serve as our non-profit fiscal sponsor, Asssemblymember Bobby Carroll for his long standing support, New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, Whole Foods Market Third and 3rd and The New York Apple Association, Park Slope Copy & Digital, Row House Williamsburg, The Chocolate Room, and The LeFrak Center at Lakeside. I am also grateful for Kids Rock for Kids-- the super talented young musicians from Tongue Tied and Control the Sound gave us the perfect musical backdrop for the morning.

As we emerge from the long months of isolation and trauma brought about by COVID and rediscover what it means to gather in community with one another, I cannot think of a better way to have spent a Saturday morning, to show up for our schools and really for each other. Public education represents what is best about our democracy, but it is up to all of us to keep our schools the vibrant, creative, nurturing, equitable spaces for learning and growth we want them to be for all our children.

Wishing you a safe, fun Halloween!

Brad