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LETTING KIDS BE KIDS
Daily Record
August 2002
Denville - Dr. Eric Herschman remembers his fun-filled days at summer camp when he was a kid … and now the consulting psychologist at Saint Peter's Village is helping the boys he counsels have that same opportunity.
A Rockaway Township resident who has a private practice in Randolph, Dr. Herschman decided last year to hold an Invitational Tournament and invite boys from other group homes to the school's campus on Diamond Spring Road for a day of fun, food and games.
"A lot of these kids come from terrible family backgrounds - not all, but most," Dr. Herschman says. "Some of them come from one-parent or non-parent backgrounds that include abuse, alcoholism and/or drugs.
"Because of their family histories, a lot of these kids grow up way too quickly," Dr. Herschman says. "Too often, their childhood is taken away from them for one reason or another and they never really get a chance to experience playing … playing like a kid. Last year's program was a big hit so we decided to do it every year."
This year's "tournament" was held last week and boys from Isaiah House in East Orange visited Wednesday, July 31, and boys from Green Residential in Ringwood visited Thursday, Aug. 1 for some friendly competition and to make new friends.
They spent most of the morning and the afternoon - with a break for lunch and treats donated by local businesses - competing in egg tosses, three-legged potato sack relays, scooter races, pie-eating contests, pyramid building, water balloon tossing contests, running relays, piggy-back relays, bike relays, and some lively 3-on-3 basketball games.
No, the fact that a lot of the events required teamwork is not a coincidence. "We like to get the kids working together, counting on each other," Herschman says. "Teamwork is a very important concept to these boys whatever they do."
Although the day is tightly structured, the competition itself is geared more toward the competing rather than winning or losing.
"We have our little trophies and medals that we like to give the kids," Herschman says. "But the real purpose of the two days is to get these kids out on the field having some fun … it's not all about winning."
All the boys who represented St. Peter's in last week's competitions reside at the facility and attend local schools in the area. St. Peter's supplements this education by holding study hall and reading sessions.
For further information on St. Peter's Village, please contact its executive director Kelly McNamara, LCSW, at (973) 627-0212.
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