Glassboro – New
Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey,
Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean Dalton
and former National Basketball Association
player and representative of the 76ers
Ambassadors of Basketball World B. Free
today launched PROJECT VISION New Jersey
at the Glassboro Boys & Girls Club,
located at the Main Public Library at
2 Center Street in Glassboro. PROJECT
VISION is an after-school program created
by the Attorney General as a partnership
with county prosecutors and community
based organizations to support and establish
after school programs throughout New Jersey
that provide safe havens for children
and teens. The theme for PROJECT VISION
is “Protecting our Future, Preparing
our Children.”
Attorney General Harvey,
Prosecutor Dalton and Philadelphia 76ers
and Flyers Vice President Dave Coskey
were joined by Free, elected officials,
Boys & Girls Club youth and board
members, employees of the Gloucester County
Prosecutor’s office, community activists
and parents at the kickoff of PROJECT
VISION – Glassboro.
The essential mission
of PROJECT VISION, which the Attorney
General established through the New Jersey
Division of Criminal Justice, is to surround
children with caring adults and teach
lessons and skills that will turn youth
away from gangs. The eight core elements
of PROJECT VISION are personal responsibility,
caring adults, safe havens, personal safety,
academic development, life skills, career
awareness and community service.
"PROJECT VISION gives
children a vision of themselves for tomorrow.
Youth violence related to gang activity
is growing. It is robbing young people
of their futures and turning our communities
into firing ranges," said Attorney
General Harvey. "We are punishing
those who commit gang related crimes,
but we also must turn youth away from
the false glamour of gang life through
educational outreach. The core mission
of PROJECT VISION is to provide that outreach
and help us win the battle for our children."
Gloucester County Prosecutor Dalton said,
“"The skills being provided
through Project Vision will assist area
youth in making good decisions about their
future. We are happy to be working with
the Glassboro Boys & Girls Club. I
also want to thank Attorney General Harvey
for his leadership and support of this
program."
Students enrolled in PROJECT
VISION - GLASSBORO receive personal responsibility
lessons that emphasize decision-making
skills, fair play and respect for others
and self. Lessons in personal safety include
instruction about the dangers of gangs.
Community service lessons focus on community
pride and the spirit of volunteerism.
A weekly workshop on conflict resolution
is also provided by staff of the Prosecutor’s
Office. All of the programs are provided
in a safe atmosphere with the help of
caring adults, including mentors from
the Prosecutor’s Office, local law
enforcement and community organizations.
According to Boys and
Girls Club Board Chair Dan Dalton, “Working
with the Prosecutor’s Office and
the Attorney General’s Project Vision
Program is allowing the Boys & Girls
Club to bring great resources to the youth
of Glassboro.”
The eight core elements
of PROJECT VISION provide the foundation
for children and teens to develop into
positive adults and to understand and
participate in positive programs that
are alternatives to the violence of the
streets,” said Harvey.
“We are most pleased
that the Attorney General has chosen Glassboro
as a pilot for PROJECT VISION,”
added Glassboro Mayor Leo McCabe. “We
are proud of the progress the Club has
made in such a short time with the dynamic
leadership of the executive director and
staff.”
World B. Free provided
a motivational message to the students
about positive alternatives to participating
in gangs and engaging in negative behavior.
Free, a member of the Sixers from 1975
to 1988 serves as Ambassador of Basketball
for the Philadelphia 76ers visiting schools,
recreation centers and playgrounds in
the Delaware Valley region and Pennsylvania
teaching the fundamentals of teamwork,
basketball and life.
A $50,000 grant was awarded
to the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s
Office for PROJECT VISION from the Division
of Criminal Justice. PROJECT VISION programs
also are being developed in Bridgeton
in Cumberland County; Asbury Park in Monmouth
County and Irvington in Essex County.
PROJECT VISION – New Brunswick was
launched in December.
Also participating in
today’s kickoff were Gloucester
County Freeholder Director and Senator
Stephen Sweeney, Freeholder Joseph Brigandi
Jr., members of the Glassboro Borough
Council and Police Department and volunteers
from Rowan University.
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