In the eyes of adults, the common perception about teenagers is that they are not very civic minded. Grownups believe that teens have more burning issues to worry about, like who’s dating whom, what they’re doing after school or whether to buy the new Eminem CD or a less-offensive ‘N SYNC recording.
But the North Bergen High School Key Club shatters any preconceived images and perceptions of teens – these youngsters care about their community. With more than 200 members, the club has thrived for more than a quarter of a century, and the students take pride in their volunteerism.
“We want to show people that we can make an impact on the community,” said member Joe Petriello, a senior who is a standout football player. “We want to be able to help others.”
“We want to reach out and let people know what we’re all about,” said member Rashnee Majhijan. “We do a lot of good things.”
With this generosity of spirit, it was no surprise that the active group gathered this week to present a $2,000 check to Stephen Zuccaro and Kelly Bergman, representatives from the North Bergen Volunteer First Aid Squad, with proceeds from a recent cheesecake sale.
Students sold cheesecakes made by Ashley Farms in Pompton Lakes, and the money was donated to the first aid squad to help with the rising costs of medical supplies. This marked the third year the teens raised money for the squad through the cheesecake sale.
Bob Komar, a teacher at the school and moderator of the club for the last 28 years, is proud of the club’s efforts. “We stress volunteerism and service work to give back something to the community, to be active in the community,” Komar said. “This is a great project because everybody gets together for one goal, to help each other. I enjoy working with the young people in raising money for the First Aid Squad every year. They help out the community a lot and are deserving of our donations.”
This year, for the first time, the project included all the grade schools in the township, as well as the students of Anna L. Klein School in Guttenberg, which contributed with the sale of baked goods in their own school.
Jignesh Patel was the student who sold the most cheesecakes, which amounted to about 20 cakes. He went to his sister’s place of work, a bank in Ridgefield, and made sure all of the employees purchased a cake for the cause. “They all realized it was a very good cause and were very willing to contribute,” Patel said.
Mario DiBenedetto, the club president and a junior at North Bergen High, is proud of the club’s efforts.
“Some of the members raised $200 or more,” DiBenedetto said. “We had a lot of people helping out, especially with the grammar schools joining in. It was a pretty substantial effort. And it’s a very good cause. Everyone knows how important the ambulance service is to the community. That’s why so many people were willing to give. I think it shows that kids in high school can definitely have an impact on the community.”
Zucarro, who is the treasurer for the first aid squad, appreciates all donations and believes it’s special when the donations come from young people.
“It’s terrific that they’re willing to support us,” Zuccaro said. “The money is very useful and helps us out tremendously. But it’s dynamite that the kids are the ones that are showing the interest.”
“The organization cares a lot about the first aid squad,” Komar said. “We always make them a priority in our fundraising. We’ve always tried to donate something to the squad. I’m just very proud as usual. The kids really came through and it seems as if we’re getting more and more kids involved.”
The Key Club does much more than raise money for the first aid squad. They shovel snow for senior citizens, visit nursing homes and hospitals and participate in several township activities, such as dressing up in costumes for the Winterfest celebration.