Eatontown Kids Get Firetrucks Squeaky Clean and Stay Cool

Kids from Eatontown’s SPEAK summer program were staying cool on Friday as they washed the town’s fire trucks and police cars.  Twenty-eight seventh and eighth grade students are participating in this year’s program and spend four weeks taking part in community service days and fun field trips.

The free program allows the students to earn privileges -- like kayaking trips and visits to Hurricane Harbor -- by working on community service projects such as washing the town’s vehicles.

“This program allows us to continue to develop academic and social skills through different activities during the summer with the kids. We do a lot of team building, cooperative work and character education, as well as drug and alcohol prevention education,” said Lori Boyd, the coordinator of the Drug and Alcohol Alliance.

The students are selected to participate by their teachers and the program will continue throughout the upcoming school year. The students build strong relationships with each other and the counselors. They also form a bond with Eatontown’s DARE officer Ryan Hennelly who drives the bus to all the activities and said he thoroughly enjoys his time with the kids in the program.

“The program is great because it allows cooperation between the school, police and borough of Eatontown, and provides community service and education for the youth of Eatontown,” said Hennelly.

“Sometimes the kids come into the program not really knowing what it’s about but by the time it’s over they are really excited to have been involved with it,” said counselor Jill Wetzal.

That has certainly been true for 13 year old Kayla Breand who said at the truck washing, “Today has been my favorite day of the program so far. We get to help the community by washing the fire trucks and police cars. I like helping out, it’s fun.”