Earlyact program encourages early altruism

After-school program
a partnership between schools, Rotary Club
Correspondent

DANIELLE MEDINA Fifth-grade students from Herbertsville Elementary School meet with teacher Gerri Bayles, who also serves as an Earlyact program moderator.

BRICK –– For some kids, losing a recess period or staying after school isn’t any fun. But hundreds of students at Brick’s elementary and middle schools are literally volunteering to do to just that.

As members of their school’s Earlyact club, Brick’s youngest students are learning how to make a difference in the lives of others in their community, town and the world with their free time.

Earlyact was the brainchild of Lanes Mill Elementary School teacher Linda Ramirez, who wanted to find a way to help her students learn altruism and citizenship skills.

"I wanted to find a way for students to get on the right track, stay on track and channel their energy," Ramirez said.

Ramirez said she approached Lanes Mill Principal Elena Tomkowich with the idea for a school service program in March 2001. The two women teamed up with Nick Stranieri from the Brick Rotary Club, and Brick’s Earlyact program was born.

Rotary International (RI) is a worldwide organization initiated by attorney Paul Harris in 1905. RI encourages volunteerism and promotes high moral and ethical standards for its members. RI has a program for high school students (Interact) and young adults (Roteract), but a program did not exist for young children.

Ramirez said the Earlyact club at Lanes Mill was jump-started by the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Some of the club’s first actions were fund-raisers and Red Cross contributions.

Although not officially sponsored by RI, Earlyact now operates as a club project within Brick Township’s elementary schools and two middle schools, thanks to the unconditional support Stranieri said he received from the school administration.

"The morals and ethics of Rotary are being instilled in grammar school, which we desperately need," Stranieri said. "At 10 years old, children learn to give back to their community unconditionally."

Each club is organized with a teacher/moderator and a student executive committee. Every child involved in Earlyact also serves on a committee. Meetings occur at least twice a month, but more often, the club meets once a week to determine which activities they’ll participate in.

Stranieri, who is the chairman of the Earlyact program, said the Brick Rotary Club doesn’t tell the clubs what to do, but rather advises the clubs "in the spirit of Rotary."

"We brainstorm and pick the best ideas," said Karly Bais, 11, co-president of the Herbertsville Elementary School Earlyact club.

According to Stranieri, the students’ volunteerism shines at a variety of levels.

On the community level, students participate in projects like neighborhood cleanups and leaf raking. Last year, students at Osbornville School held a fund-raiser to help purchase a bullet-proof vest for a Brick police officer.

Earlyact clubs have also raised money for Deborah Heart and Lung Center, Dottie’s House, the Jersey Shore Animal Center and Providence House through a variety of activities like selling "heart-grams" on Valentine’s Day, walk-a-thons and coin drives.

"All the programs are kid-based," said Gerri Bayles, an EarlyAct moderator and fifth-grade teacher at Herbertsville Elementary School. "They determine what to do and where to donate."

In addition to fund raising, students also provide one-to-one volunteerism through programs like peer tutoring, writing letters to shut-ins and programs like "Adopt-a-Grandparent."

The Earlyact programs also extend across the globe. Last year, students from all the Earlyact clubs participated in a Rotary-sponsored book drive for the South African nation of Swaziland. Of the 10,000 books that the Brick Rotary Club collected, 4,000 came from EarlyAct clubs and 3,500 books came from Herbertsville Elementary School alone.

"In the first three days, we collected 600 books," Bayles said. "And out of the 3,500 books we collected, only 20 books weren’t passable."

For the students, satisfaction comes from helping others and the knowledge that kids can make a difference, but praise from their parents and teachers is also very much appreciated.

"My Dad said, ‘Wow, I’m really proud of you,’ " said Dara Montanelli, 11, a fifth-grader at Herbertsville, who is also the club vice president.

"As an educator, it’s the most rewarding experience," Bayles added. "They get an A for effort, but it’s not a grade on their report card."