New Brunswick Soccer Academy Students Give Back To Community

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - This young soccer team is working to foster community on and off the field.

New Brunswick’s Bobadilla Summer Soccer Academy recently honored its latest graduates at a graduation ceremony at Memorial Stadium, complete with honors from New Brunswick Mayor Jim Cahill.

“It’s true in soccer and it’s also true in our community team,” Cahill said at the graduation ceremony at Memorial Stadium. “A community that works together is a better community. It is stronger and more successful. Simply put, it becomes a better place to live.”

This year’s graduates completed a swath of projects, including creating a community garden, assembling hygiene packs for the homeless, gathering donations for Elijah's Promise and painting community murals.

Since its creation 2008 with a $20,000 grant from New Brunswick Tomorrow and support from Capt. Michael Bobadilla of the New Brunswick Police Department, the free five-week summer camp for youth ages 8 to 18 years old has “grown significantly,” New Brunswick officials said in a statement.

“It has fostered a spirit of benevolence and solidarity among various community members and organizations.”

Local high school students are hired as junior counselors for the camp and are provided with mentoring and a stipend.

The program of around 150 children also includes free healthy breakfasts, lunches and workshops promoting character, resilience and life skills. One of the latest additions is a Summer Learning Loss initiative, aimed at keeping students on-track to go back to school in the fall following the COVID-19 pandemic.