The 2015 SOURCE Scholarship winners from Red Bank Regional High School include (left to right) Lance Vanglahn, Leidy Fabiana Villegas, and Jorge Benevides, all of Red Bank. 

Press release from Red Bank Regional High School

Its mission is “to remove all obstacles that impede the success of young people in the community.”  At its recent 15-year anniversary awards reception, the SOURCE program at Red Bank Regional High School celebrated many of the ways in which it has done precisely that.

SOURCE Director Suzanne Keller welcomed the many community partners, RBR students and their parents to the 15th anniversary event, stating that over $40,000 of scholarship money was awarded to RBR students through these partnerships and the fundraising efforts of the dedicated SOURCE Foundation.  Ms. Keller also credited RBR’s Principal Risa Clay for having the vision in establishing The SOURCE, RBR’s School Based Youth Services Program 15 years ago.

One of the programs established by Mrs. Clay and the SOURCE five years ago was the Andrew Kroon Memorial Scholarship Award, which enables Hispanic students who have achieved academic success despite great obstacles, to attend Brookdale Community College.  Two of those students, Itzel Perez and Carlos Aparicio, who took advantage of the scholarship and graduated from Brookdale College, were also celebrated.  Both have distinguished themselves at Brookdale and are currently pursuing their baccalaureate degree at New Jersey City University in Jersey City.  They were gratified to learn that their benefactor, The Kroon family, would be extending their support toward their continuing education.

Carlos Aparicio brought tears to the collective eyes of the audience when he told Mr. Kroon, “Like Batman or Superman, you are my childhood hero; that is what you mean to me. I benefited from this wonderful, wonderful opportunity, and thank you for making my academic journey possible.”

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