News

NJSP Latino Peace Officer Chapter participate in sports-oriented summer camp.

Published August 18, 2010

LAWRENCE—Five Trenton-area children are going to a sports-oriented summer camp for the next two weeks, thanks to a group of state troopers.

The youths, aged from 9 to 11, began their time at Education, Sports and Fun (ESF) summer camp yesterday morning, dropped off by troopers in the Latino Peace Officers Association. The association pays the full tuition for the campers, and members of the organization will make sure the children whose parents can’t drive them get to and from the camp at The Lawrenceville School each day.
For Trooper Jose Rivera, who moved to Trenton from New York City when he was 9 years old, it’s an important part of showing underprivileged youngsters they have a future.  “More and more you go into the inner city in Trenton, it’s tough,” Rivera said. “And it’s getting tougher.”  “It focuses on that whole development,” he said of the camp. “That there are opportunities out here.” The 500 children who attend the day-long camp are there to learn as well as play, Rivera said. “It’s all sports, but ... all the counselors are teachers or they’re in the field of education,” Rivera said. “It’s all in the education.” The program has been going on for three years, said Sgt. Julian Castellanos, who arrived at the school for the campers’ first day. The founders of the Latino Peace Officers’ state police chapter were looking for ways to give back to the community. “When we did it, we reached out to other organizations: “What can we do?’” Castellanos said.The association participated in Read Across America and the Three Kings Hispanic celebrations in January, and provided scholarships for youths to attend the ESF camp.
The children the troopers are delivering this week and the next were picked based on high grades and conversations with their parents. Those like 11-year-old Yendry Montero, who have been to the camp before, look to it as a highlight of their summer. “It’s the best,” Yendry said.  Her North Trenton neighborhood doesn’t have a place for her to play her favorite sport, tennis. At camp, she has the facilities to play the game and the instructors to help her improve. Last year, she honed her skills on the court while finding a new game.  “We learned how to do lacrosse,” she said. “They say it’s a good way to stay active.” Ashly Adventers, 9, has just one thing on her mind for the next two weeks. “I want to play a lot of sports,” Ashly said.  Last year, the Ewing resident made her mark as a standout player in everything she tried. By the end of her first week, she was named team captain.  At the camp, the children are in nearly perpetual motion, said Rivera’s wife, Raquel, the assistant site director. “They’re up in the woods camp, they play sports all day long, they come down and have lunch, and then they go up and play more sports,” she said.Counselors make sure everyone is safe from overheating in the sometimes brutally hot temperatures. “They know the camp focuses on—every ten minutes, they hydrate,” Castellanos.  The troopers try to expand their presence in the children’s lives beyond the two weeks in August.“We try to stay in touch,” Castellanos said.“They’re part of our lives now,” Rivera said. “Like we told them, they’re now part of the state police family.” Contact Alex Zdan at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this e-mail address) or (609) 989-5705

Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Alex Zdan
STAFF WRITER