The 2015 SOURCE Scholarship winners from Red Bank Regional High School include (left to right) Lance Vanglahn, Leidy Fabiana Villegas, and Jorge Benevides, all of Red Bank. 

Press release from Red Bank Regional High School

Its mission is “to remove all obstacles that impede the success of young people in the community.”  At its recent 15-year anniversary awards reception, the SOURCE program at Red Bank Regional High School celebrated many of the ways in which it has done precisely that.

SOURCE Director Suzanne Keller welcomed the many community partners, RBR students and their parents to the 15th anniversary event, stating that over $40,000 of scholarship money was awarded to RBR students through these partnerships and the fundraising efforts of the dedicated SOURCE Foundation.  Ms. Keller also credited RBR’s Principal Risa Clay for having the vision in establishing The SOURCE, RBR’s School Based Youth Services Program 15 years ago.

One of the programs established by Mrs. Clay and the SOURCE five years ago was the Andrew Kroon Memorial Scholarship Award, which enables Hispanic students who have achieved academic success despite great obstacles, to attend Brookdale Community College.  Two of those students, Itzel Perez and Carlos Aparicio, who took advantage of the scholarship and graduated from Brookdale College, were also celebrated.  Both have distinguished themselves at Brookdale and are currently pursuing their baccalaureate degree at New Jersey City University in Jersey City.  They were gratified to learn that their benefactor, The Kroon family, would be extending their support toward their continuing education.

Carlos Aparicio brought tears to the collective eyes of the audience when he told Mr. Kroon, “Like Batman or Superman, you are my childhood hero; that is what you mean to me. I benefited from this wonderful, wonderful opportunity, and thank you for making my academic journey possible.”

The 2015 Andrew Kroon Memorial Scholarship winners are pictured with their benefactors. From left to right are Mary Jane Kroon, Daysi Arevalo Avalos, Brenda Codallos, Miguel Valdez Sanchez, Andrew Kroon Memorial Scholarship Committee Vice President Chris Rumph, and SOURCE Director Suzanne Keller. All the students are from Red Bank.

Also announced were the 2015 Kroon scholarship recipients, Daysi Arevalo Avalos, Brenda Codallos, Patricia Martinez and Miguel Valdez Sanchez, all RBR seniors who will be attending Brookdale College in September.

Mr. Kroon responded, “Mary Jane and I had six children. Most went on to graduate school; none have worked as hard as Carlos and Itzel or the kids in this program.  This country was made from immigrants and you are the future of this country. We are so happy to play a part in your education.”

He added, “This scholarship was named for our son, Andrew, who loved everything Hispanic. I know he is here with us this evening and he is even more proud of you than we are.”

Additional scholarships were awarded by the Latino American Association, and in memory of RBR students Riyadh’na Farrow and Albert Martin among others.

Claire Casey of 180 Turning Lives Around was honored with The SOURCE’s Community Partnership Award for the work she has done in partnership with The SOURCE’s Boys 2 Men program, which encourages responsibility and accountability in all areas of young men’s lives. Another successful community partnership, the nationally recognized Teen Outreach Program (TOP), is operated by The SOURCE in partnership with the Central Jersey Family Health Consortium.  RBR senior Jorge Benevides was honored with the SOURCE’s Outstanding Service Award for his volunteer group facilitation of the TOP program among his peers. The SOURCE Clinical Supervisor Stacy Liss and bi-lingual clinician Marisol Mondaca were honored with 15-year service awards.