The Kidsbridge Children’s Museum, located at the College of New Jersey, has cited several West Windsor-Plainsboro students and staff as winners of its community service competition for elementary and middle schools in Mercer County.
The honorees include Michelle Crilly, a school nurse at Grover Middle School, who instituted several school-wide initiatives at the school to raise money for the sunshine kids — Grover students who need financial assistance. “Michelle corralled others to help, and then single-handedly did all publicity for her project,” says Linda D’Orlando, who nominated Crilly. Thousands of dollars in gift cards were donated and distributed.
At holiday time, Crilly got several churches and agencies to help the sunshine kids, and she ran a raffle to raise money for the needy children. As a result of her efforts, every sunshine kid in eighth grade will get a free yearbook, a ticket to the eighth-grade dance, and a trip to Hershey Park. “Most of these kids would not be able to participate in these very special graduation activities without Michelle’s efforts,” D’Orlando points out.##M:[more]##
Another honoree was MacCallum Robertson, 12, who was inspired by a flier he saw about Locks of Love. Last summer, Robertson’s long hair reached halfway down his back and counted as two donations when he cut it. Now MacCallum’s younger brother is also growing his hair for LOL, and MacCallum is growing his second donation. “MacCallum is a wonderful all-around boy who is a great student, sensitive to his peers, and respectful to adults,” says Helen Tyson, who nominated MacCallum.
Cambridge School received a humanitarian award for the group, SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions). West Windsor residents Olivia Carey and Victoria Armstrong are in the group that raised money for Heifer International. They have also worked on educating those around them on the issues of smoking, drugs, alcohol, and car safety.
Just A Chance, a network of student volunteers at Community Middle School, was founded by eighth-grader Katie Amigo in spring, 2006. It raises awareness of volunteerism while supporting local charitable organizations. The other members of the group are Claude Richardson, Kristin Troianello, Meg Orita, Charlotte Wonnell, Doug Doherty, Kevin Nowak, Emily Davis, Emily Straley, Brian Rivas, Kelly Girandola, Alex DeSimine, and Amanda Stubelt. They formed a band and last June performed at a benefit concert and raised $2,”000 for Special Olympics. Last October they performed a variety show to benefit the March of Dimes, resulting in proceeds of $1,”300. “This group is comprised of students from many social groups at Community Middle School, and they work together by using their talents in music, choir, and dance — as well as their creative and organizational skills,” says Lynn Fisher, who nominated the group. “These dedicated students have learned the secret of working together and having fun while volunteering to help others.”
Lynne Azarchi, the executive director of Kidsbridge, is also a West Windsor resident.
