NORTH BRUNSWICK – A group of area students can rest easy knowing they have helped their local police department.
Members of the Interact Club of North Brunswick worked on a pillow sewing project last fall to raise funds for the Adopt-a-Cop program that is run by the North Brunswick Police Department’s Community Services Bureau.
Through Adopt-a-Cop, Detective Michael Braun and Officer Ernest Hanrahan, who are supervised by Sgt. William Lovas, visit each third grade class in the township’s four elementary schools throughout the year, offering lessons on bicycle safety, proper behavior, respect and bullying.
The Interact Club is a youth club that functions under the umbrella of the Rotary Club of Plainsboro, North and South Brunswick. Under the guidance of Sudharani Kankanala, the adult advisor, leader and mentor, the pillow project was led by Aruhi Vakkalagadda, an eighth grader at Linwood Middle School, and her sister, Anusha Vakkalagadda, a fifth grader at Livingston Park Elementary School.
Braun had met Kankanala at North Brunswick Township India Day last year, and she asked how she could contribute to the police department. Aruhi said she and her sister had attended a sewing camp at Middlesex County College last summer, and when thinking about a fundraiser, wanted something that had a personal touch.
The club members and many parents, including Shakthi Rave, president, and Varun Chari, secretary, helped make the pillows and sell them at Heritage Day in October.
“The student members of the Interact Club were happy to work for this cause because they remembered the visit from police officers talking to third graders about bus safety, cybersafety and bullying,” Kankanala said.
The students enjoyed a visit to the Detective Bureau, and attended a council meeting in November where they presented a $1,000 check from the Interact Club and the Rotary Club.
“These are handmade pillows. They were adorable. I know you put a lot of work into it,” Braun said during the meeting.
“We appreciate the interaction and generosity of community groups such as the Rotary Club and Interact Club of North Brunswick. Working together with groups such as this shows that our bonds with the community are strong, and that we truly are working together on a regular basis to make a positive difference,” Capt. Brian Hoiberg said in a subsequent interview.
Contact Jennifer Amato at [email protected].