NJ Students Gain Knowledge, Awards through ThinkFirst Contest
WEST ORANGE, N.J.—Kessler Foundation announced the winners of its annual New Jersey ThinkFirst poster contest for the 2013 academic year. ThinkFirst, a national injury prevention program, educates students K-12 on simple safety practices to avoid a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI), and the consequences of such injuries. Kessler Foundation sponsors the N.J. ThinkFirst chapter, which reached 11,569 students this year.
Rodger DeRose, president and chief executive officer of Kessler Foundation, explained, “At Kessler Foundation, we strive to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities through rehabilitation research and funding employment initiatives, but some disabilities can be avoided by taking the time to ‘think first’. We can’t always control what happens in our lives, but we can avoid dangerous activities that put our brains and spinal cords at risk. ThinkFirst sends the message to young people that many serious injuries, and the disabilities that follow, can be prevented by taking the time to ‘think first’.”
Students are encouraged to participate in Kessler Foundation’s annual ThinkFirst poster contest for cash prizes; students in grades kindergarten through junior high school create posters that best represent one or more of the key lessons of ThinkFirst; high school students are tested through a quiz. One winner from each school is chosen by an internal committee to receive a $100 prize. This year, 26 winners were chosen. An overall poster winner is awarded the grand prize of $200. Judging is held before Memorial Day, the weekend with the highest rate of SCI in N.J., mainly due to failure to wear seatbelts and helmets, as well as diving into shallow water. The posters are judged by staff, patients and care givers at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, where the posters are hung.
Grand Prize Winner: Clarisse Noristz, Grade 5, Salem Drive School in Whippany, N.J.
Overall Winners include: Divya Moore, Grade 4, Allen W. Roberts School in New Providence, N.J. Gabriella Vincisco, Grade 9, Belleville High School in Belleville, N.J. Eric Canihuante, Grade 5, Brookside Place Elementary School in Cranford, N.J. Rakeen King, Grade 3, Carteret School in Bloomfield, N.J. Waheeb Muheisen, Grade 4, Clifton School No. 11 in Clifton, N.J. Jillian Savare, Grade 3, Delaware Township School in Sergeantsville, N.J. Esmeralda Garcia, Grade 5, Garfield Elementary School in Kearny, N.J. Alexander Zemak, Grade 2, Huber Street School in Secaucus, N.J. Aairah Koujalgi, Grade 1, Indiana Avenue School in Iselin, N.J. Laura Maxwell, Grade 11, New Providence High School in New Providence, N.J. Naomi Tapia, Kindergarten, Paterson School No. 24 in Paterson, N.J. Simranpreet Kaur, Grade 4, Port Reading School No. 9 in Port Reading, N.J. Christopher Bracco, Grade 2, Southwood School in Old Bridge, N.J. Howie Mann, Grade 1, Walnut Avenue Elementary School in Cranford, N.J. Ariana Hidalgo, Grade 5, Walter M. Schirra School in Old Bridge, N.J.
“I want to thank the staff from all the schools for supporting ThinkFirst,” said Susan Helmstetter, director of the N.J. ThinkFirst chapter. “With technology increasingly at our fingertips, it is important for students to learn from a very young age that texting while driving is just as risky as not wearing your seatbelt. Students now have the opportunity to use these lessons and educate their parents and loved ones on how to protect themselves from life-changing injuries.”
Through ThinkFirst, Kessler Foundation influences a positive change in behavior and attitude regarding wearing seatbelts and helmets, having a designated driver, never drinking and driving, looking both ways when crossing the street, avoiding physical and gun violence, never texting and driving, and not diving head first into water that is less than 8 feet deep.
The program also features Voices for Injury Prevention (VIPs), individuals with SCI and/or TBI, who share their stories. This year, Charles Fleisher, from the NJ chapter, won the national ThinkFirst VIP of the Year Award for educating students on the potential consequences of risky behaviors, marking the first year that an individual from N.J. has been nominated. Fleisher, who was paralyzed by a SCI in a car accident at age18, has delivered more than 400 presentations to more than 40,000 students.
For over two decades, Kessler Foundation has sponsored ThinkFirst in New Jersey, educating more than 315,000 students about the dangers of engaging in risky behaviors. The 2013 program also received support from Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation and the Kreitman family.
About Kessler Foundation Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research that seeks to improve cognition, mobility and long-term outcomes, including employment, for people with neurological disabilities caused by diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit KesslerFoundation.org.
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Contacts: Lauren Scrivo, 973.324.8384, 973.768.6583 - c, [email protected] Carolann Murphy, 973.324.8382, [email protected]
