Community Corner

Good Teens Recognized

Chabad of East Brunswick and other groups have recognized 20 New Jersey teens for their great work.

When it comes to New Jersey teens and their commitment to helping those in need, it’s anything but a recession. While it may seem that everyone around them is busy worrying about the economy and their own nest eggs, these brave and caring young people have made the decision to dedicate themselves to others in need.

This year, 18 awards were not enough. Our judges chose 20 talented and giving teenagers throughout the state of New Jersey who have stepped forward with great personal sacrifice and devotion to their fellow citizens. These teenagers are being recognized for one thing they all have in common: their contribution to the greatest stimulus-package known to humankind: community service.

A unique community service milestone took place Thursday, May 26, at the East Brunswick Township Courthouse – the statewide recognition of 20 award-winning teenagers for their community service and good deeds. This non-sectarian program and finale event, coordinated between The Good Deed Awards Program for NJ Teenagers, and the greater New Jersey High School community, brought together state and local politicians, business executives, social service agency directors, and state police, to celebrate the accomplishments of our area's teens with their families.

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Among the award-presenters was Middlesex County Sheriff Mildred Scott, East Brunswick Mayor David Stahl, Acting Deputy Commissioner of Education, Office of Governor Chris Christie-Rochelle Hendricks, as well as Scholarship sponsors Gold Medal Plumbing and Heating, Minuteman Press of East Brunswick and Upscale Photography.

Through their community service, these teens have taken aim at the pain of loneliness, despair, and sickness by stimulating and engendering compassion, friendship and happiness through hospital patient and nursing home resident visitations, friendship with special needs children and volunteering in children’s hospitals and animal shelters, just to name a few.

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Taran Sayal is an outstanding student from East Brunswick High School. Among her many accomplishments in community outreach, too many to mention in one awards ceremony, she has collected over 1,100 items to donate to several Children’s Hospitals, including St. Peter’s University Hospital, The Bristol Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. In addition, Taran coordinated and participated in environmental clean-up projects in the area, and raised funds towards both of these projects that are so close to her heart. These projects earned Taran her Girl Scout Gold Award in 2010.

Kristin Kosch, another one of our amazing award winners, is a great student, a superb athlete and a wonderful role model at Mahwah High School. She is graduating within the third percentile of her class, while also being an active participant in Mahwah High School’s soccer program, which has gained recognition in the county and the state. But, even more pertinent to our Good Deed Awards program, Kristin has brought awareness of our wounded soldiers to the school community. She became involved in the organization entitled “Homes for our Troops,” a non-profit organization that builds specially adapted homes for our most severely wounded veterans at no cost to them. “Home for our Troops,” along with Kristin’s involvement, has built more than 50 homes, free of charge, to disabled soldiers.

Kristin is an athlete. Kristin is an excellent student. But more importantly, Kristin is devoted to helping those in need.

Jenna Tiberi is another outstanding student at East Brunswick High School. She has achieved so many hours of community service through a variety of activities, too many to count. Jenna volunteers with the Daisy Recreation Program, the Best Buddies Program and a monthly senior program at the Chelsea just to name a few. Jenna has dedicated herself to making a difference in someone’s life. Jenna has directly been involved in the Best Buddies program where she had an opportunity for one on one friendship with peers that have intellectual and/or developmental disabilities or at one of the M.C.F.O.O.D. food drives. If you ever need that extra hand, Jenna is always willing to lend hers.

These are just a few among the twenty amazing young men and women who received awards this year.

“They’ve brought about a kind of inner global-warming,” stated Good Deed Awards Director Rabbi Aryeh Goodman of the East Brunswick Chabad, “where through their compassion for the plight of others, these teens literally bring warmth, light and love to so many needy people in our community.”

The winning students will be awarded college scholarships and award plaques, which will be presented to them at the ceremony by the respected companies who have sponsored that award as well as honorable guests.

Rabbi Goodman, Director of Chabad of East Brunswick, a social welfare, cultural and educational outreach organization, came up with the idea as a way to reward young people who volunteer and encourage others to do so for their community.

"Sometimes parents would say to me, 'How do I get my kids involved in community service?' and as a rabbi, I have to ask, 'How do I get parents to want to get their kids involved in community service?' ” he said. The Good Deed Awards were created in response to those questions.

"We want to reward and recognize students who are giving their time and talents to the community," Rabbi Goodman said of the program, which is open to students in grades nine through 12 of all races, religions and backgrounds. "Our program is easy – we're merely spotlighting the kind deeds that our youth are doing. The real work is being done by caring youngsters who feel the obligation to help those less fortunate than they. We feel this needs to be promoted in order to encourage more of this kind of activism and community service from our children."

An advisory board that includes East Brunswick Director of Public Safety, Barry Roberson, Fire Marshal Bill Johnson and East Brunswick Division of Recreation Director Michael Reissner continue to support the program and the outstanding achievements of these young men and women. Honorable Judge Todd Mayo and Honorable Judge Ed Herman selected the winners.

Nomination forms and information about the Good Deeds Awards for next year's event are available at www.gooddeedawards.com. Goodman said that the response over last year’s initiative has been phenomenal.

“We looked and we've found young people all over New Jersey who have demonstrated an outstanding model of good deeds, kindness and leadership. How does the old saying go? Look for strength in people, not weakness. Look for good, not evil. Most of us find what we look for."

For more information and for future nominations and sponsorships, visit www.gooddeedawards.com or call Rabbi Goodman at 732-333-3220. Sponsorships received will be printed in this year’s statewide community service program.


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