Dear Editor:
This is a program for youngsters who are all “eager to do it.” It is a community association whose members share common interests and work together to achieve their goals.
The highest goal is to go to college. Next is to give these youngsters a feeling of self-worth, with emphasis on discipline at home, good sportsmanship, sociability, high achievement at school and an understanding of working together with people from other cultures. This is achieved by commitment, hard work and donations. In two years, with help from the community, we have accomplished basic services.
We took a mother with her 11-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter out of an abusive environment and gave them new hope. We gave a family a loan so they could pay their bills. We provided youngsters with goals and kept their dreams alive by teaching them tennis in Braddock Park. Our special achievement was to give out six scholarships for three girls and three boys to a prominent summer camp in southern Maine. This turned out to be a wonderful experience with a storybook ending. There was a film crew at camp all summer making a documentary for Disney on what it was like for a child to spend a summer at camp. The documentary, called Bug Juice, can be seen every Saturday and Sunday afternoon at 5 p.m. E.T. on the Disney Channel.
Do you want to meet these youngsters? Would you like to play tennis with them? Just let me know, and we can arrange a match! It will be an experience to treasure.
This winter six youngsters received scholarships at an indoor tennis club. All have proven to be leaders at school and in the community. In their spare time they tutor other students, babysit for extra money and work at various other jobs after school. What makes these kids different from yours is that they come form low-income homes, where both parents struggle to learn English and support their families. We are trying to locate scholarship money for these minority youngsters who want to go to college. We help them write letters and speak to banks to arrange for loans.
If you wish to help, please make your tax-deductible check out to Eagaduga Kids; the address is 7855 Boulevard East, Suite #8A, North Bergen, NJ 07047.
Steve Berger, President
Eagaduga Kids