Sixteen-year-old Geraldo Rullan said his experience with the Bridgeport Police Explorers helped build his confidence and discipline.
He also helped build the group’s bank account to sustain the valuable youth-development program that partners city youth with city police officers.
On Monday, Wheelabrator Bridgeport, the waste management trash-to-energy plant, donated a combined $10,500 to two Bridgeport charities and the police youth organization that helped choose them.
The Bridgeport Police Explorers received a surprise $3,500 donation. Two non profits, Daughters of Charity and Champions Mentoring Program, received the same amount.
The idea took traction this summer. Wheelabrator Bridgeport partners with police departments around the state to incinerate confiscated drugs and sensitive documents, and the company decided to donate all fees from police to charity, said Glenn Lockhart, the plant manager.
Rullan’s father Luis has worked at Wheelabrator for decades and, when the group toured the plant, the staff was so impressed that they gave the Explorers an assignment to pick two charities.
The criteria were that the charities should serve “at-risk youth” and that the majority of money go directly to services.
Rullan said the Explorers collectively chose the two charities after research and interviews. Lockhart said the company decided the Explorers deserved the same amount.
“They’re not youth at risk but these kids are awesome,” said Lockhart.
Champions Mentoring Program matches Bridgeport children, ages 9 through 13, who have one or both parents currently incarcerated, with adult mentors.
The Daughters of Charity is a rescue mission that ministers to needy people in Bridgeport. While trying to meet the immediate needs of clients for food, clothing, child care and furnishings, the charity also tries to tackle the underlying causes of poverty so that people can become self-sufficient.
“Many thanks to Waste Management for its generous donation to our Police Explorers and two deserving local charities,” said Mayor Bill Finch. “When local businesses work together with the community it’s a win-win for all involved. Kudos to our Police Explorers – in just a short time this group has already made an impact in our neighborhoods, volunteering to help others who need help the most.”
The Explorers program has about 35 members who range in age from 14 to 20 with a focus on the vocation of law enforcement and community service. During Hurricane Sandy, about a dozen Explorers volunteered to help at the emergency shelter at Bassick High School, conducted bookbag drives and collected toys at the Trumbull Mall for needy children.
“The young men and women in the Explorers are great ambassadors for the police department and the city,” said Police Chief Joseph Gaudett. “I’d like to see more young people take advantage of this great program.”
Rullan, who attends Central High, hopes one day to become a police officer.
