Kidsbridge Honored Outstanding Community Service at 7th Annual Humanitarian Award Celebration
Kidsbridge regales honorees in dedication to character education, tolerance and the celebration of human diversity
The Seventh Annual Kidsbridge Humanitarian Awards Celebration and Live Auction was held on Thursday, November 7th from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Trenton Country Club. The event honored business and educational leaders for their humanitarian efforts on behalf of our community.
Thank you to our major event sponsors, including: Wawa, Wells Fargo, PSE&G, Philadelphia Insurance and PNC Bank. Thank you to the 200 attendees for supporting Kidsbridge and our goal: to create empathetic individuals and caring citizens who live their lives without prejudice or discrimination. It was truly a very special evening!
The 2013 Honorees were:
Bill Baroni, Former NJ State Senator: Bill is the author of “Fat Kid Got Fit…And So Can You,” a biography detailing his weight loss journey and how he was bullied. The book is Bill’s first-person account of losing more than 130 pounds and his efforts to maintain that success. Bill works with Duke University’s Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, North Carolina where he regularly lectures on healthy living and weight loss.
Joseph and Jane Clementi, The Tyler Clementi Foundation: Joseph and Jane Clementi are Tyler’s parents and co-founders of the Tyler Clementi Foundation. A native of New Jersey as well as a father and husband, Joseph is sharing his story of loss in order to create change. Joseph believes that bystanders to bullying have an obligation to get involved and defend those who are targeted. By telling Tyler’s story and his experience, Joseph hopes to empower bystanders to become UPstanders. Jane speaks passionately to parents and community leaders about the need to embrace their LGBT children. Jane speaks to parents of LGBT children about coming out as families and being open about the love they have for their children in order to impact the world and create accepting environments. Joseph and Jane have spoken at businesses, universities, high schools and churches. They work to educate and connect diverse audiences around the importance of creating safe and inclusive spaces for the benefit of vulnerable and LGBT youth. Their son James works at the Foundation; the Foundation is led by Executive Director Steven Guy.
Scott Kent, Wawa Area Manager: For almost three decades, Scott Kent has volunteered for Eden Autism Services, a not-for-profit organization that helps children and adults with autism and their families. A member of Eden’s Development Committee and Business Advisory Council, Scott has served as a donor, advocate and fundraiser.
Scott’s earliest effort was recruiting a network of Wawa stores to hire adults with autism. He also helped lead a fundraising drive among Wawa employees and customers to improve an Eden group home. Scott’s first fundraising activities raised more than $25,000 for Eden in 1987.
Since then, Scott made it possible for Wawa to contribute another $3 million, including major start-up funding for Wawa House – the first facility to offer early diagnosis and intervention services focusing on children under age three. He also helped secure donations of food from local Wawa stores.
Bruce A. Boyd, Jr., Kidsbridge Life Skills Program Facilitator; Founder of Building Our Youth’s Development (or the B.O.Y.D. Program): As former President of the Trenton DADS for Education 2001-2006, Bruce has coordinated family engagement and service activities within schools in the Trenton Public School District. He has passionately recruited and organized a corps of men dedicated to being actively involved in the academic and social lives of Trenton youth.
Based on his experiences within the Trenton Public School District, Bruce saw a great need to empower at-risk youth. To that end, he founded the non-profit ‘Building Our Youth’s Development.’ The first component implemented was the character education and mentoring program, ‘Boys of Distinction and Girls of Grace’. Through this unique initiative, he has developed various programs which include: mentoring, life skills development, gang prevention, college tours and various social and cultural activities. More importantly, Bruce was able to transfer his unique ability to engage parents to this initiative. Through the ‘Boys of Distinction and Girls of Grace’ Mentoring Program, Bruce has been able to establish a rapport of great trust and respect with youth participants.
This year’s honorees were truly exceptional individuals, and their speeches, in which they shared their own personal experiences, were heartfelt and reflective of Kidsbridge’s mission and programs. All attendees were moved and inspired by their stories and how each spoke from the heart about the importance of anti-bullying and character education. Additional information is available at www.kidsbridgeawards.org.
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