January 31, 2006                                                   

RAHWAY STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN ‘HEROES AND COOL KIDS’ PROGRAM

RAHWAY – Students in Rahway’s Public Schools are participating in an innovative new program that mentors young people and helps them avoid many of the pitfalls of adolescence.

Titled “Heroes and Cool Kids,” the program matches select Rahway High school student-athletes with fifth graders in Rahway elementary schools. The high schoolers mentor the younger students in areas like academic skills and problems like bullying and drug and alcohol abuse.

Heroes and Cool Kids is a program that was started by former All-Pro running back Bruce Harper of the NY Jets in 1998. This unique program teaches high school athletes to be role models for the elementary school children in their neighborhood, who truly look up to them. The objective of this program is to educate our students in the area of drug and alcohol prevention. High schoolers apply for Heroes and Cool Kids in their sophomore year and if accepted, must maintain a high level of ethical and academic standards to maintain active in the club.

The program is funded through the support of United Water Rahway, which manages the City’s water utility and provides clean drinking water to some 8,000 customers in Rahway.

The mentors are trained by former NFL standouts like Harper and Keith Elias of the Giants. The high school students then meet with the fifth graders four times per year.

“United Water is pleased to sponsor the Heroes and Cool Kids program in Rahway as part of our outreach and education initiatives,” said United Water Chief Operating Officer Robert J. Iacullo. “This is a program that has been successful in helping kids throughout New Jersey understand the unique role that students and athletes can play in mentoring younger school-age children.”

“Young people have long looked up to athletes, and they can be effective teachers to keep our students on the right track to success in and out of the classroom,” said Mayor James Kennedy. “Heroes and Cool Kids is proving to be a productive partnership between athletes and students to help them resist peer pressure and navigate the stormy waters of growing up.”