In January, the students and staff of The GoodWorx MTC/SMS After-School Program had the opportunity to attend Elijah’s Promise Soup Kitchen in New Brunswick, NJ, on three separate occasions.  On our visits, we contributed by preparing for the evening meal, preparing meals to go, cleaning the chairs, tables, and kitchen area, sweeping, mopping, and organizing the food stock.  It was a fantastic opportunity for our students to get acquainted with community service since most of our program’s participants had never volunteered their time for anyone prior to these trips.  It was a general consensus among the students that the experience was unforgettable and the satisfying feeling of benevolence was empowering!  We had an unbelievable time, made great friends, and can’t wait for our next visit!

        On April 19th, the students of The GoodWorx MTC/SMS After-School Program participated in a massive outdoor spring cleaning in recognition of Earth Day at the Ronald McDonald House in Long Branch, NJ.  The Ronald McDonald House, also known to many as “the house that love built,” provides housing for the families of children that are critically ill and are currently receiving medical treatment from local hospitals.  Not only does the Ronald McDonald House provide a home for the parents and family, but it also provides incredible emotional support since the families are surrounded by others who can understand their difficult situations.  Students had tons of fun doing all the things parents struggle to get them to do at home!  Among these tasks were organizing, dusting, washing down the playground area and outdoor furniture, and loads and loads of weeding and tilling the soil.  Needless to say, it was a first-time learning experience for many of them, and we look forward to many more opportunities to come.

        For our final event of the year, we thought it might be time for GoodWorx to bring community service in-house.  That was the idea behind the first blood drive ever to be held by The GoodWorx Foundation in conjunction with the American Red Cross.   Aware of the shortage of blood in the state of New Jersey, we decided to reach out and get our community involved. The students of The GoodWorx MTC/SMS After-School Program prepared posters, free give-a-ways, thank you blood drops, and helped put up posters for an entire week of their after-school program.  As for recruitment, The GoodWorx Foundation in addition to the Sayreville Education Association and the Parent Teacher Organization were able to round-up approximately 50 individuals to commit to donating. Then on May 30th the students hosted the entire event alongside the volunteers of the American Red Cross and the GoodWorx staff.  Under the supervision of trained staff, students instructed donors and distributed literature on donating blood at the Registration table.  They also attended to the donors by serving them refreshments at canteen.  Of our 50 initial sign-ups, 44 were in attendance and 37 were eligible to donate.  One pint of whole blood can save at least three lives since the whole blood is separated into plasma, platelets, and red blood cells.  Therefore, with each person donating one pint, we were able to impact the lives of over 100 hospital patients!  Overall, it was a fantastic learning experience for the youth of our community to be so involved in the blood drive.  With this knowledge, our students are now educated on the process of donating blood and will hopefully spread this information in order to get more members of the community to donate at other local blood drives.  We look forward to hosting our second blood drive in the fall of 2008!

         The New Jersey City University athletics department will continue its partnership with The GoodWorx Foundation on July 10 when it hosts an on-campus community service camp for students from the Sayreville (NJ) Middle School.

NJCU will bring 15-20 students from grades six thru eight to campus for a series of events. The Middlesex County students were selected because of their involvement in the GoodWorx MTC—mentoring, tutoring and life-coaching—afternoon program at Sayreville Middle School.

The students will focus on both athletics and academics as part of their visit, participating in a softball and soccer clinic at NJCU’s Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex, along with having an opportunity for an open swim in the 25-yard pool at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.

The student will also receive a tour of the NJCU campus, provided by the group of volunteers, led by Jeffrey Jordan, `91, the founder of the GoodWorx Foundation, and a former standout men’s basketball player for the Gothic Knights from 1987-91.

"The most important part to us is that these kids see a University campus," Jordan said. “These students will get to see that college is a tangible thing and something that’s achievable. It’s not just something they hear about. The University has been fantastic. It is providing roundtrip transportation for the kids from Sayreville, which is just a fantastic show of support.”

Jordan and his staff from the GoodWorx board will be assisted by retired NJCU men’s basketball coach Charles Brown, current head coach Marc Brown, head men’s soccer coach Cris da Silva, and aquatics coordinator Tom Lee.

In 2007, NJCU, which has participated in the NCAA/CHAMPS Life Skills Program since February 2005, formed a partnership with the The GoodWorx Foundation. The Foundation, founded in 2003 by Jeffrey Jordan, is based in New Jersey and Florida. Services currently provided include mentoring and life-skills training support. In conjunction with the program, GoodWorx provides individual or group mentoring programs. An Individual Student Success Plan (ISSP) is tailored to each participant, individually, and consists of a combination of tutoring and mentoring sessions with GoodWorx staff. The GoodWorx objective is to: build vision, set goals, establish plans and achieve success.

Look out for GoodWorx in these upcoming events!

June 28th- Sayreville Independence Day Celebration at Kennedy Park

July 10th- New Jersey City University Community Service Project: One Day Sports Clinic Camp plus campus tour!

July 12th- Paper Shred hosted by Sayreville Recycling Department at the Sayreville Senior Center