September 2014
Quarterly Newsletter
Radio Show Provides Creative Outlet and New Responsibility for Teens
Joanne Mathis (photo right) of Mathis Media Hub, LLC, was impressed. Middle Earth had
placed one of our youth in her radio station for an internship, and the teen’s work ethic and
desire to overcome challenges caught her eye. Joanne reached out to learn more about Middle
Earth, and when she discovered the impact we have on the lives of local youth, she wanted to
help. Joanne joined our Board and offered to help our youth start their own radio show to help
them build confidence, workforce experience, and project management skills. Joanne has put
in countless hours of her own time to help the teens get the radio show up and running.
Under Joanne’s guidance, 15 youth (photo below), who participate in Middle Earth’s supported employment pro-grams,
have taken ownership and responsibility for creating a unique radio show that expresses their struggles through
life and the world through their eyes. This group of young, inquisitive, and innovative people have worked together to
create everything from the radio show’s name and logo to all of the show segments. They named themselves “The
Real Come-Up Crew” because they felt they were “people who started from nothing and became something.”
Tavon and J’Naiya opened the first show on July
17th with a bang, and the show has been going
strong ever since. The Real Come-Up Crew has
already interviewed Professional Boxer Julius Jack-son
and Emily from LoveTrue, a New Jersey non-profit
seeking to end sex slavery in America. This
Fall, the youth will host more surprise guest appear-ances
and interesting topics.
These teens work hard to make the show a suc-cess.
They research the topic of the show, update
and provide information on Facebook and Twit-ter,
set up the equipment and manage the sound
board each week, rehearse weekly, and perform
the broadcast itself. You can listen to their show
online at http://blogtalkradio.com/come-up.
Our ART House is offering our youth a 10-week film-making
class with an expert. Each teen will create a short silent film!
Summer Program Offers Students the Chance to Explore
Our 21st Century Community Learning Center summer program was a great suc-cess!
Middle Earth enrolled 123 students (4th-8th grades) in the program. The
program lasted 4 weeks, and each Friday, the youth went on a field trip. During
the week (Monday through Thursday), the students worked on lessons that ap-plied
One week, the students made mini ecosystems that they added an element to
each day (water, plants, tadpoles, fish, dirt), which culminated in a field trip to
the Camden Aquarium. Another week, the youth learned about diversity and
discussed bullying and acceptance before heading to the Ripley’s Believe it or
Not Museum (with a harbor cruise afterwards). During one of the weeks, the
youth studied how planes fly and boats float, and they participated in daily sci-ence
experiments before Friday’s visit to the former aircraft carrier USS Intrepid
that fought in World War II. Finally, the students studied nutrition and experi-mented
with cooking and eating fruits and vegetables they had never tasted be-fore.
Their Friday trip was to Grow-A-Row, which is a volunteer effort in New
Jersey to plant, pick, and deliver free, fresh produce to those in need. On their
field trip, the youth planted and picked vegetables for a food bank (photo right).
Executive Director Awarded Citizen of the Year
to the upcoming Friday trip.
The Bound Brook Elks (Lodge #1388) recently awarded Maria Strada, our Executive
Director, as their Citizen of the Year. The Elks recognized Maria and Middle Earth
as contributing to the community and for providing valuable services to local youth.
“I am very honored by the award,” said Maria. “We are grateful for the support of
partners, such as the Elks, which allows us to make our community a better place.”
Middle Earth  providing prevention, intervention and crisis services to youth for over 40 years
mailing address: P.O. Box 8045, Bridgewater, NJ 08807  phone: (908) 725-7223
website: www.middleearthnj.org  e-mail: office@middleearthnj.org

Middle Earth September 2014 Quarterly Newsletter Page 2
Using Bikes to Make a Difference in the Lives of Others
bikes are set to be delivered to the family shortly, and the teens feel
really good about their ability to brighten someone else’s life.
When our teens have finished refurbishing a bicycle, it becomes available to anyone willing to make a monetary do-nation.
If you are interested in obtaining a bike from our shop, you can call Middle Earth anytime at 908-725-7223.
When you make a donation towards a bike, you are helping youth to prepare for the working world, to become lead-ers
and entrepreneurs in the community, and to have a positive outlet in which they can grow and prosper.
Reception at the
Where can teens learn skills they can use in the future and work to
help other people? Big Dan’s Bike Shop! This Middle Earth pr o-gram
teaches teens to repair bicycles and operate a small business.
This past summer, your support allowed our staff to teach six youth
participants how to inspect and change tires, adjust brakes, and fix
gear shifting issues. These youth learned project and time manage-ment
skills by refurbishing individual bikes. Each teen chose a donat-ed
bike, inspected it, determined what needed to be fixed, and then
made the necessary repairs.
The youth in the Shop (right) partnered with United Way and donat-ed
two of their refurbished bicycles to a family affected by Hurri-cane
Sandy. Our youth took this opportunity very seriously be-cause
they know the impact Sandy had on our community. These
United States Golf Association Museum
Tuesday, October 14, 2014 from 5 - 9 p.m.
77 Liberty Corner Road, Far Hills, NJ
Putting Green Contests
Guided Tours of the Museum
Beer, Wine, and Heavy Hors D'oeuvres
Silent Auction (including items from the Middle Earth youth)
$75 per person; proceeds benefit Middle Earth
Make an online donation through www.middleearthnj.org
or write a check to:
Middle Earth, P.O. Box 8045, Bridgewater, NJ 08807
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
P.O. Box 8045
This Month in Photos
Thank you to EAF and the Nation-al
Cristina Foundation (photo
immediate right) who donated 8
computers to Middle Earth!
Our youth show their love for the
community by picking up trash
from our Adopted Road on Main
St. in Somerville. (photo far right)
Please Join Us at These Upcoming Events
Paul Faillas Starring in “Class of Life”
Saturday, October 4 at 7 pm (doors open 6:45)
St. John’s Episcopal Church
158 W. High St, Somerville
a theatrical experience that takes the audience
on a journey highlighting one man’s life
and many people’s experiences
www.theclassoflife.com
Light refreshments will be served after the show.
Tickets are $25 each - call us to get yours!
Benefits Jessamine Smith Henderson Memorial
Adult Education Scholarship Fund & Middle Earth