July 16, 2019 at 07:11AM
Follow MyCentralJersey.com for complete coverage of the Autoland Classic Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro
Just as several other football players and cheerleaders discovered during an annual pilgrimage to the Lakeview School that they enjoyed assisting children with disabilities, Jillian Bengivenga learned on Monday her career path may be headed in a similar direction.
A visit to the Edison-based school, which is a program of the New Jersey Institute for Disabilities, fueled Bengivenga's desire to become an occupational therapist, one who might want to work with children.
The recently graduated South Plainfield High School senior was one of nearly 100 members of the Middlesex County All-Star squad who were afforded the opportunity to interact with students at the Lakeview School before taking part in a pep rally for the Autoland Classic.
All proceeds from the game, which kicks off 7 p.m. Thursday at Kean University's Alumni Stadium, benefit the Lakeview School and Children's Specialized Hospital, whose long-term care facility in Mountainside the Union County All-Stars visited on Monday.
The summer all-star contest has raised more than $682,000 for the two charities since its inception 26 years ago.
Proceeds from the game have helped fund the Lakeview School's multipurpose room, in which the Middlesex County All-Stars held their annual pep rally, and has also been applied to the school's new aquatic center, which features a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy pool.
Several Autoland Classic alumni, inspired by the students they met at the Lakeview School, have pursued careers in special education, as paraprofessionals and as speech therapists. One alumna became a teacher's assistant and summer classroom teacher at the Lakeview School.
"I think the Autoland Classic impacts so many people in ways that we cannot even imagine," said Venus Majeski, director of development and community relations at the New Jersey Institute for Disabilities.
"People have had their eyes opened about people with disabilities. It (the annual visit) impacts the community in such a large way that it's hard to understand the depth of this game. It's a life-changer. It really is. We've seen it in so many ways."
Buy Photo Middlesex County high school football players and cheerleaders visit to the Lakeview School for the Autoland Classic. Monday July 15, 2019 (Photo: photo by Ed Pagliarini)
After seeing her father, Anthony, benefit three years ago from the interventions of an occupational therapist, Bengivenga assumed a similar role as a caregiver to her 83-year-old grandfather, Josef, who she assists with daily routines and activities.
"My dad fell into a comma," Bengivenga explained. "He had trauma in his brain, bleeding in the brain. It was the hardest time in my life. It was kind of like life or death. We also didn't know how he would come out. He could be not able to speak or remember who I am, so it was definitely scary. The occupational therapist helped him. I met her and saw what she did for him. I just knew 100 percent that's what I wanted to be for somebody else. I've decided it's definitely my passion."
Bengivenga said her father, with the exception of spelling and recalling some words, has made an almost complete recovery.
"Other than that, I have my full dad back," Bengivenga said of her father's ability to overcome deficits with the assistance of an occupational therapist. "She helped him get back to doing things like grocery shopping, picking up a book. All things people take for granted."
Bengivenga now works with her grandfather, who she calls her "best friend," noting the two "do everything together" and that she "pretty much (does) what an occupational therapist would with him."
Until Monday, all of Bengivenga's occupational therapy experiences have been with adults. But after spending more than five hours at the Lakeview School, the career-driven teenager, who will attend Seton Hall University in the fall, is now convinced she might like to work with children.
"This was a perfect opportunity for me to come and be with kids because I never really had the chance to," Bengivenga said. "The people here are so nice. I loved everybody here. I told them I'd love to come back and shadow an occupational therapist and get some hours in with the kids. I loved it and it piqued my interest in (occupational therapy) even more, although I already wanted to do it more than anything."
Nestled across from a lake in a picturesque section of Edison's Roosevelt Park, the Lakeview School is one of the nation's largest day programs for children with multiple disabilities. The 60,000-square-foot state-of-the art facility has spacious suites for occupational, physical and speech therapy. Lakeview School boasts the most extensive clinical staff of any private or public school in the state, providing consultant medical and psychological services, specialized nursing services, social services and medical screenings. The school has more than 150 students — ranging in age from 3 to 21 from a dozen counties statewide — who have nearly 100 different medical diagnoses.
"All of these kids are just normal kids," Bengivenga said. "They just want to have fun and listen to music and learn. This place is so great for doing that. I'm so happy I got to see an occupational therapist and what she does for them. You could see the impact it makes. It makes a huge difference."
Buy Photo Middlesex County high school football players and cheerleaders visit to the Lakeview School for the Autoland Classic. Monday July 15, 2019 (Photo: photo by Ed Pagliarini)
Bengivenga was paired with a girl who was among the more than 70 percent of students at the Lakeview School who are unable to verbalize or who communicate through the use of augmentative devices.
Following an orientation, during which the all-stars received a pep talk from Majeski, players and cheerleaders splintered into small groups to interact inside separate classrooms with students, many of who were decorating posters for Monday afternoon's pep rally.
Activities inside the bustling classrooms included reading the comic section of a newspaper, using a calendar to count the days of the month, dancing, reading, playing games and listening to music.
The student with who Bengivenga was paired used an augmentative device to communicate to the rest of the class and other Autoland Classic visitors what she and her family did over the weekend.
"She's awesome," Bengivenga said of her new friend. "I'm her age pretty much and she just wanted to know who I was and be my friend. I definitely wanted to be involved in what she was doing and help her. I just connected with her."
Bengivenga said she, like many of her peers, was initially apprehensive about meeting some of the Lakeview School students because "I didn't want to upset any of the kids or do something that I wasn't supposed to do."
Buy Photo Middlesex County high school football players and cheerleaders visit to the Lakeview School for the Autoland Classic. Monday July 15, 2019 (Photo: photo by Ed Pagliarini)
Cheerleaders and players received upbeat instructions from the Lakeview School's staff during the orientation regarding interaction with students, allaying some of their concerns and preparing them for the classroom breakout sessions.
"The teachers know how the kids move around and what means yes and what means no and what their answers are to things and what their interests are," said Tim Gudzak, a tight end from East Brunswick. "The teachers were really relaxed and cool about everything."
Justice Harris, a running back from Colonia, was paired with a male student. The two immediately hit it off and could be seen navigating the hallways hand-in-hand in what proved to be one of the day's signature moments.
Buy Photo Middlesex County high school football players and cheerleaders visit to the Lakeview School for the Autoland Classic. Monday July 15, 2019 (Photo: photo by Ed Pagliarini)
"Me and him clicked instantly," Harris said. "As soon as we walked into the classroom he looked at me with a big smile and I've been working with him ever since we got to the classroom. As I've been here, the bond got thicker. Just the way he looks at me, the way he holds my hand as we walked through the hallways, it sort of gives you a different perspective that there's more to life."
Bengivenga said she was "definitely excited because I know (the students) loved" receiving a visit from the all-stars.
"You could tell they were so happy," she said. "They were smiling, if they could. The energy in the room was good."
The energy escalated once the entire school convened in the multipurpose room for the pep rally, during which every all-star was introduced. Some Lakeview students used their augmentative devices to cheer, while those students who could make noise loudly expressed their appreciation to the Middlesex County team.
Earlier in the day, shortly after the players and cheerleaders first arrived, Majeski told the the all-stars to be themselves, cautioning the group that students would know if their visitors were putting on airs. Majeski told the players and cheerleaders the students look up to each and every one of them as their heroes.
Gudzak, who is among the most poised and natural of an incredibly mature group of all-stars, took Majeski's advice to heart.
He was his true self while bonding with a female student as the two listened to Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon" inside one of the classrooms.
"Once she heard that Frank Sinatra was going to be playing, she got really excited," Gudzak explained. "After (the song began) she was laughing and smiling the entire time."
Fill my heart with song
Let me sing forever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words
I love you
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