Students
Dance to Raise Money for Children in Need
Marisa
Canova
The Signal
October 11, 2006
Roscoe's
Rock-A-Thon 2006, held on Oct. 7 in the Recreation
Center, brought members of the College community
together for a night of dancing in support of a
common cause - to help needy children.
The
College's Golden Key International Honor Society
sponsored its first ever Rock-A-Thon to raise money
for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer County
(BBBS) mentoring program. Sororities, fraternities,
ambassadors, BBBS organizers, Big Brothers, Big
Sisters and Golden Key members danced to celebrate
their donations.
They
couldn't have asked for more. When asked about the
projected donation goal for the evening, Marissa
Eckrote, senior health and exercise science major
and vice president of Golden Key, said, "The
fact that it's the first Rock-A-Thon, anything (we
raise) is a profit."
Golden
Key raised $8,681 from online donations.
Thanks
to the tireless efforts of Golden Key and BBBS,
more students at the College have become aware of
the need to help get kids off of the streets and
out of gangs.
"(BBBS)
was designed to change the fabric of the community,"
Sue Dunning, executive director of BBBS, said. "It's
a win-win situation for everyone and the College
students learn what it is to be a role model."
BBBS
has been helping children in Mercer County since
1973. Students and local adults are welcome to be
mentors by donating an hour a week to these children.
BBBS organizers emphasize that students without
access to cars can mentor kids from Antheil Elementary
School, on Ewingville Road. Kids in need of Big
Brothers and Sisters often end up spending most
of their day in morning and after-school care because
they don't have parents to spend time with them
at home.
Twenty-three-year-old
Becky Brown of Bordentown, who was present at the
Rock-A-Thon, met her "little angel," eight-year-old
Nick, in October 2005 while substitute teaching.
She knew he was crying in class and spending 12-hour
days in school. She also knew she couldn't let him
finish the year like that.
Becky
found out that Nick's situation at a foster home
wasn't a great environment. Adoption seemed extreme,
so she turned to the Big Brother Big Sister program
and became Nick's mentor.
Jackie
Lenox of BBBS commented, "Look at the camaraderie
of these excellent role models," referring
to the massive group of students dancing the "Cotton-Eye
Joe." She also took the time to exalt her friend
and BBBS director of Development Arleen Erikson,
who was present at the Rock-A-Thon playing musical
chairs with students.
"Arleen
was very instrumental in making this a success,"
Lenox said.
Prizes
that were awarded included New Jersey Nets tickets,
a digital camera, an overnight stay at the Borgata
Hotel in Atlantic City, and gift certificates to
local restaurants and stores including Enzo's Restaurant,
Longhorn Steakhouse and J. Crew. The person that
raised the most money won a seven day Caribbean
cruise for two, including airfare, compliments of
Cruise Holidays of Mercer County.
