Brick Woman Honored For Efforts To Help Kids Thrive, Avoid Drugs

BRICK, NJ — Carol Steider says of all the days of the week, Wednesdays are the ones she looks forward to the most.

That because it's on Wednesday evenings that she gets to spend time with the kids in the Thrive mentoring program. She heads over to Maple Leaf Park, the apartment complex that has gained a bad reputation in town because of issues with miscreants, and works with the kids participating in Thrive — helping them with homework and activities, doing community service projects, answering questions, giving advice.

"IKids are kids. They all need love," said Steider, recently honored as the Ocean County Volunteer of the Year by the New Jersey Governor's Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. "I love being with the kids. It gives me a rush."

That rush comes from helping these kids — kids who are on the fence, who are at significant risk of dropping out of school, of getting caught up in drug abuse. The Thrive program serves kids who are in fourth through seventh grades, with high school students serving as peer mentors. Each Wednesday begins with dinner and an activity with the high school students, then the younger children arrive about 6:30 p.m. for a group activity and time to do homework. The activities have included planting flowers around the complex and teaching the kids meditation techniques to help them find calm to deal with the stress of life.

The goal of the activities is to empower the kids and make the feel secure and strong enough to resist the pull of the drugs-and-alcohol lifestyle that tempts so many.

"We've been doing a unit on thankfulness," she said in mid-December. In January, their attention will turn to another topic, she said.

Steider, who was recently voted vice chair of the Brick Municipal Anti-Drug Coalition, was a special education teacher for 37 years in Old Bridge. She retired in 2007 when her twin granddaughters were born. She got involved with Thrive in December 2015, as a result of her participation in BMAC, because it was something that fit her personality.

"I'm not comfortable with fund-raising," she said. But with teaching experience that included involvement in New Jersey's Peer-to-Peer leadership program, Steider knew she could put those skills to good use.

It is making a difference, she said.

In the beginning, it was clear the kids were a little unsure about both Steider and the program. Now, however, "they're so much more open," she said. The kids are all meshing, and they are excited to be there.

Steider, who said she got involved with BMAC because she had a family member and a good friend who were alcoholics, said it makes her feel good that the kids come to her about a variety of topics, including drugs.

"I'm honest with them. I present all the information," Steider said. And she has had them tell her they plan to stay away from drugs because of the information she's given them.

"They look up to me. They want my advice," she said, a result of the energy and warmth she brings to the program.

" 'You're not as old as my grandma,' one of the kids said to me, and I'm about 10 years older than her grandmoother," Steider said, a testament to the connection she has with the kids.

The GCADA award cited Steider for stepping in and keeping the program going when a previous person encountered serious health challenges that forced them to step aside.

"The program could not have succeeded without her commitment and dedication," the award citation said.

"There was a need for what we are doing," Steider said. "It's about being there for these kids."

Carol Steider photo from the Governor's Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse awards program