BY HILLARY VIDERS
SPECIAL TO NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
ENGLEWOOD, N.J.—There was lots of fun, food and fundraising on March 20 at the Bergen Family Center in Englewood.
Dozens of teenagers manned the kitchen to cook a community dinner for a great cause—raising awareness about the BFC’s Teen Center Middle School After-School Program and its need for funding.
There are currently up to 60 Englewood youths ages 11 to 13 who attend the After-School program every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 2:45 until 7 p.m. It is the only program of its kind in the community and it provides a variety of educational, social and fun activities.
“The Teen Center is vital to the community because without a safe place to go, young people have nothing to do and they put themselves at risk for unhealthy activities,” said BFC Vice President Liz Corsini, who is the director of the ZONE program.
The Teen Center is currently soliciting support from local residents to keep the center’s doors open and extend their operating hours to five days a week, beginning in September.
That was the purpose of the event that featured Chef Aaron Morrisey, an Englewood resident and counselor at the Teen Center. Morrisey, a graduate of Dwight Morrow High School, was a contestant on “Chopped” and is a culinary instructor at Bergen Community College.
Assisting Morrisey and Corsini in the evening’s program were other BFC staff members: BFC Director of Adolescent Services Mariam Gerges, Englewood Public School District’s Head of Security and Program Supervisor Barry Harris and three interns.
Morrisey said, “I love being with these young people who are really dedicated to the community. It’s not about any ward; it’s about all of Englewood.”
Members of the Middle School After School program and many community leaders filled the event. The evening’s program began with a welcome by teen hosts, Jaylee, Anthony and Kirshany followed by remarks by Gerges, Morrisey and Harris.
Gerges spoke about the many activities that the teens have at the center, such as help with homework, game play, arts and crafts, boy’s talk, girl’s talk, music, knitting, meditation and mindfulness, karate, sports and cooking dinner.
“It all about building relationships and about everybody getting along,” she said.
One teenager added, “What’s great is that if the group doesn’t like an activity, we can discuss it in community circle and we can decide whether we want a different activity.”
During the evening, a video was shown that illustrated some of these activities and emphasized the advancement of academic, social and emotional gains that the Teen Center achieves.
Harris began his talk by saying, “I think the young people who come here every day are awesome, awesome people!”
Harris continued with an uplifting speech about how the center lets kids know that they are in a safe place and it instills in them respect for one another regardless of their ethnic or religious backgrounds.
“We don’t talk about race or religion, we just talk about how we’re going to change the world, starting with Englewood,” Harris said.
Harris then introduced the center’s assistant counselors from the Dwight Morrow High School who volunteer their time and urged the younger teens to look to them as their role models and the community leaders that they themselves will be in the future. He also urged all the adults in the room to volunteer their time, talent and mentorship at the center.
“When we give back, we are going to be rich. This is our future,” he said.
Corsini delivered an appeal for donations and emphasized how expensive it is to run this program.
“For the first year, we received a generous grant, but we need more additional funding to continue and expand to five days per week,” she said.
Before the meal began, Harris went around the room and asked people to express what they were thankful for, something he explained they do before every meal at the center.
A highlight of the evening was the scrumptious food prepared by Morrisey and several of the center’s teenagers. Assisting Chef Aaron was another noted chef, Dion Cucuta Jr. The two impresarios guided their young proteges through preparing and serving a delicious dinner for close to 100 people.
Besides the food that was served, the program left people with food for thought. A number of the adults present discussed ways to fund the Middle School After School Program so it can operate five days a week.