The Daily Newarker — Press Wire

For Immediate Release

CITY OF NEWARK COTILLION PROGRAM BRINGS HOLIDAY CHEER

TO HOSPITALIZED CHILDREN AND WOUNDED VETERANS

Community service part of class in manners, etiquette, behavior, and communication;

Classes will lead up to formal Cotillion-Dinner-Dance in February 2010

Newark, NJ – December 24, 2009 - Mayor Cory A. Booker and Director of Neighborhood and Recreational Services Melvin Waldrop announced today that the City of Newark’s second Cotillion Program participants are meeting the class’s community service requirements by providing toys to hospitalized children and sending words of support and gratitude to wounded soldiers this Holiday season.

The 28 students, all 11^th and 12^th graders attending Newark public and private high schools, are participating in this city-wide co-educational training program in social and life skills. The program began on September 26, at Essex County College, where the students receive three and a half hours of weekly professional training for 19 weeks. The classes take place on Saturday mornings, and the program will conclude with a formal Cotillion-Dinner-Dance on Saturday, February 13, 2010.

“Our Cotillion program teachers our youth that manners and etiquette, cultural knowledge, public speaking and social skills combined with community service are critical tools in achieving personal success,” said Mayor Booker. “By applying these concepts in their daily lives, our Cotillion program participants are manifesting their own personal excellence and spreading the love and warmth that is the hallmark of this holiday season and the City of Newark’s spiritual strength.”

This holiday season the students gave large boxes of gifts to children being hospitalized at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. Due to the State Department of Health and Senior Services’ decision to bar visitors under the age of 18 from hospitals, the Cotillion participants could not present the gifts directly to the children. Instead, Cotillion Program Director Gwen Moten presented the gifts to Beth Israel Vice President of Community Affairs Alma Beatty, and hospital personnel hand-delivered them to the children.

The Cotillion Program students also wrote letters to US service members at Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany who are recuperating from injuries suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan. The letters expressed gratitude, support, and holiday wishes for the soldiers’ service, and were hand-delivered to troops by Newark Cotillion Program’s etiquette instructor Maybelline Hicks and her husband.

“Our Cotillion Program has worked to equip our youth with personal and social skills to reach for the stars,” said Director Waldrop. “They are learning the importance of spreading love, comfort, and compassion to those in need and how rewarding it truly is to give of oneself. I congratulate the staff of the Division of Recreation and Cultural Affairs and their partners on the hard work and energy they have put in to empowering and energizing our youth.”

The Cotillion Program provides training in interview skills, letter writing, telephone etiquette, event planning, fashion knowledge, dress codes, table etiquette, exercise, proper nutrition, and social outings. In addition, the class has a Community Service/ Volunteerism component, which participants must perform to complete the program.

The first Cotillion program was held September 27, 2008 through February 14, 2009, and involved 39 Newark high school seniors and juniors.

Program participant Robert Goka said, “This program has made me understand that we all have something in common and we do not have to give up whatever we have set our mind on doing.  It also made me more of an outspoken person to people around me even though I do not like public speaking.  It also let me know how to share, understand, and live a good life as a young growing man.”

It has been an honor to be a part of this program.  It has shown me that things like public speaking and ballroom dancing take a lot of work to be perfect.  This program has given me a wonderful foundation and fundamental skills that will help me later in life.  The things that I have learned here will help me wherever I may go.  I would like to thank the City of Newark and Mayor Cory A. Booker for enabling us to be a part of such a great program,” said program participant Justin E. Copeland.

At first I was discouraged about participating because it would keep me from cheerleading practice on Saturday morning; however, after a couple of weeks of the program I realized this is where I needed to be.  I find myself sharing the new dances I’ve learned with my friends and family and even trying to teach them some of the movements.  This has been a wonderful experience and I feel well prepared to go out into the world, confident that I can carry myself in any environment,” said Briana Gilchrist, another Cotillion participant.

Students who participate in this year’s program must be Newark residents, attend an accredited Newark high school, and be in the 11^th or 12^th grade in September 2009. They must also have an overall grade point average of C-minus or above, though other considerations will be made if the above criterion is not met.

This year’s curriculum is also geared towards developing participants’ intellectual capacity, learning to evaluate and appropriately respond to circumstances, developing a healthy life style, and helping them to grow into a productive life with integrity.  The classes focus on the following issues for teenagers: brain power and critical thinking; time management; health, nutrition, exercise; teamwork; and handling peer pressure and relationships.

The Cotillion Program will end with a formal Dinner-Dance for the participants at The Mezzanine, 744 Broad Street, on Saturday, February 13, 2010. The reception will begins at 6:00 p.m. and the formal presentation at 7:00 p.m. The ticket price is $60.00. For tickets, call (201) 396-9241 or (973) 733-6454 after January 9, 2010.

For more information on the program, contact the Division of Recreation/Cultural Affairs at (973) 733-6454. For information about this or all other Newark municipal policies and programs, contact the Non-Emergency Call Center at (973) 733-4311.

-NEWARK-

Contact:        Press Information Office: (973) 733-8004

                E-mail: Pressoffice@ci.newark.nj.us

About the City of Newark, New Jersey

Newark, commonly referred to as Brick City, is the third oldest city in the United States and the largest in New Jersey, with a population of more than 280,000 people. Newark sits on one of the nation’s largest transportation super-structures including an international airport, major rail connections, major highway intersections and the busiest seaport on the east coast.

With a new Administration as of July 2006, Newark continues to see signs of a strong revival.  In population, it is one of the fastest growing cities in the northeast. Its six major colleges and universities are further expanding their presence. The production of affordable housing has doubled, businesses are returning and crime is going down. There is still much work to be done but Newark is on its way to achieving its mission:  to set a national standard for urban transformation.

For more information on the City of Newark, please visit our website at www.ci.newark.nj.us

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