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By Joanna DelBuono
Brooklyn Daily
Williamsburg
Give a big bag of treats to Stella, a dextrous Brussels Griffon who will be acing the paces of the agility course at the Master’s of Agility Championship at Westminster on Feb. 8, in that other borough across the East River.
The tournament is open for the first time to dogs of mixed breeds, and the nimble pooch’s owner Katrina Krings says Stella — hailing from a puppy mill in Maine — was born to be a star.
“I got her from a friend who couldn’t keep her, and have been training her ever since,” she says.
Standing O pal Katrina explained Stella has been competing for the past five years in various agility contests, and now qualifies for the masters’ level — the highest one of all.
Stella will be competing in the Standard Class division. That’s no surprise since Stella can leap with the greatest of ease. There are 16 to 20 activities that Stella will have to complete, including scaling the A frame, the dog walk, the teeter-totter, and traveling through tunnels, before she can hop away with top-dog honors.
Stella is more than a pretty face. She works with Krings, a personal trainer at Andrea Arden’s Dog Training school, teaching other pooches to sit, stay, and obey. No matter what the outcome, Stella is already a top dog for Standing O!
Sunset Park
Insuring success
Three cheers to the staff at the Lutheran Family Health Center for helping consumers obtain health insurance, get information on financial assistance, and navigate the quagmire that is the New York health marketplace.
The team also provided free blood pressure screenings and administered flu shots during a Jan. 24 health fair at Trinity Lutheran Church, sponsored by Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D–Sunset Park).
Lutheran Family Health Center [150 55th St. at First Avenue in Sunset Park, (718) 630–7155].
Coney Island
En Garde
It was parry, thrust, and win for fencing sisters Jaclyn and Caralina Khrol, who train at the New York Fencing Academy.
The dueling sibs aced medals galore at the Sword in the Snow Super Youth Circuit in New Hampshire. Ten-year old Jaclyn took home three medals — a gold and two bronzes — and younger sister Caralina, 7, nabbed a bronze medal of her own. The girls take after their mom Galyna Khrol, who is an accomplished fencer herself.
New York Fencing Academy [2896 W. 12th St. at Neptune Avenue in Coney Island (718) 996–0426].
Crown Heights
A STAR is born
The Special Treatment and Research Program at SUNY Downstate Medical Center has received five new awards totaling more than two million smackaroos for providing more than a quarter century of innovative HIV-Aids primary and special care.
Dr. Jack DeHovitz, director of the program and professor of medicine, explained how important this grant is to the continuation of treatment of HIV patients in the borough.
“Brooklyn continues to be at the center of the Aids epidemic, but the nature of the epidemic is changing, and these new grants reflect Downstate’s history of developing new means of reaching and treating the people most at risk,” he says.
SUNY Downstate Medical Center, [450 Clarkson Ave. at New York Avenue in Crown Heights, (718) 270–2696]
Borough Wide
Teddy Bears rule
Standing O hears that the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers organization is sponsoring the Teddy Bear Campaign to raise funds to build the Stephen’s House of the Maison d’Enfants par las Foi Orphanage in Haiti. The goal is to raise $250,000 in order to help out the hundreds of children who were left homeless after the 2010 earthquake that decimated the island nation.
The foundation is hosting a benefit dinner on May 2 at the LiGreci’s Staaten in Staten Island.
People interested in donating or attending the event should e-mail miracles@tunnel2towers.org.
Fort Greene
Satisfy the crave
Cheers to Justin Boshell on opening Hungry Ghost Coffee Bar. Our pal Justin was able to open the door and start the pot perking on the best coffee around, with a little help from his friends at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and its small business loan program. The high-end espresso served at the coffee bar is brewed from the finest roasted beans from by Red Hook’s Stumptown Coffee Roasters with a side of melt-in-your-mouth pastries and breads baked on-site. If you want a bit more than coffee, Justin also serves sandwiches.
Justin has been in the bean-brew business for the past 10 years, first as an employee and now as an owner.
“I love what I do and a coffee shop is a great environment. It’s nice to love what you do,” he says.
Standing O suggests if you’re jonesing for a cup of Joe, take a jog over to the Hungry Ghost and satisfy your craving with a double espresso and a side of baked goodness.
Hungry Ghost [781 Fulton St. between S. Portland Avenue and S. Oxford Street in Fort Greene, (718) 797–3595].