People Plus has created the Jordan Cardone-Ruwet scholarship to honor the former Brunswick Area Teen Center Coordinator who recently retired after 18 years of service and dedication to the Teen Center program. The award will provide funds of $500 annually for a graduating high school senior (who has been a member of the Teen Center), to be used for post-secondary education of their choice.
Click here to donate. Contributions to the Jordan Cardone-Ruwet scholarship endowment capital campaign are currently being sought and also accepted at People Plus, or can be mailed to PO Box 766, Brunswick. The Endowment fund needs to reach $10,000 to maintain the annual scholarship award in perpetuity, will be managed and overseen by the Brunswick Area Student Aid Fund (BASAF), and is an investment in the future of education for local area youth.
A program of People Plus, the Brunswick Area Teen Center provides free, after-school, drop-in programming for youth in grades 6-12 to socialize, eat nutritious food, and unwind in a supervised, safe, youth-oriented, stress-free and fun environment. The kids are offered a full dinner each day at the program. The program is available to students of Brunswick and SAD 75 school districts.
Director of the Brunswick Parks and Recreation Department and Teen Center Advisory Committee Chair, Tom Farrell, says “Jordan has had a considerable positive impact on the lives of countless teens and her oversight ensured that teens have a safe place to gather. Jordan’s determination, energy, and commitment have all contributed to making the Teen Center successful and well-respected. She played a major role as one of the original catalysts for the program and has been a key contributor to making it the success it is today.”
Jordan states she was motivated to help start the Teen Center because she found support from adults outside her family during her own unhappy teenage years. Looking back over the years of building a safe, comfortable place for teens, she notes, “We never dreamed 20 years ago that the Teen Center would be the success it has become.”
