Friends of SEEDS

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January 2009 marked the launch of Friends of SEEDS (FOS), a committee of dedicated volunteers whose activities support and enhance many of the social, cultural and academic experiences that NJ SEEDS makes available to our students. Their efforts are wide-ranging and impact many areas of Scholar and Alumni development. This important volunteer effort helps spread the word about the success of our academic programs and the importance of NJ SEEDS to the lives of so many youngsters.  Friends of SEEDS are our very important good will ambassadors.

FOS volunteers have helped offset more than $12,000 from the SEEDS annual budget through donations and in-kind support.

Examples of their good works include:

• Young Scholars Book Clubs– Fifth- and sixth-graders and their parents meet with volunteer Young Scholars each month to read and discuss selected books. The clubs provide an opportunity for literary enjoyment, academic enrichment and social interaction.
• Broadway Outing: FOS partnered with the Alumni department to treat more than 90 SEEDS alumni to the Broadway production of “In The Heights.”
• Cultural Enrichment– All 100 Scholars Program students and all 30 Young Scholars Program students attended a performance by the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey. FOS volunteers coordinated a field trip to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty for 100 Scholars, complete with lunch and snacks.
• Beautification– FOS member Marcia Zweig and the Garden Club of the Oranges has created and donated floral centerpieces for the past two Parent Appreciation Luncheons.
   
• Care Packages– Care packages and notes of encouragement from FOS members and their children were sent to 500 SEEDS alumni currently attending independent day schools, boarding schools, public, charter and parochial schools.
• Mock Interviews/Essay Editing – FOS volunteers worked with Scholars as the students prepared for the independent school admissions process.
   

For more information about becoming a Friends of SEEDS volunteer, please contact Suzanne Glatt, Donor Relations Officer, at 973.642.6422 ex. 242 or sglatt@njseeds.org.