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Kids On The Move: Rachel Cooperstein

08/27/2008 - By by Teja Anderson

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SO MUCH LOVE TO GIVE

Rachel Cooperstein has lived in Marlboro all of her 17 years, and this enterprising and philanthropic young high school student is an asset, not only to this community, but to those in need everywhere.
 
For the past 6 years Rachel has been a volunteer at the Challenger Program in Freehold. This program is geared toward children with special education needs, such as those with Down syndrome or autism, and focuses on adaptive ways for them to play tennis, soccer, and basketball. Volunteers work one-on-one with the children throughout the seasons of each sport, and Rachel has been working with the same boy with Down syndrome since he was 5 years old. Now he’s 11, and Rachel has watched him progress and flourish. “He is just the sweetest kid. I love him,” she gushes. “We have a really wonderful bond between us; I am very attached to him and we even have a special handshake.” His mother tells her that she has seen a huge change in her son since he started working with Rachel, has observed that they have a real connection, and she and the rest of the family are extremely thankful.
 
In her freshman year at Marlboro High School, Rachel turned her love of cooking and her inner need to help others into a project called “Cookies For A Cure” to help a family friend stricken with tuberous sclerosis (TS), a rare, multi-system, genetic disease that causes benign tumors to grow in a person’s brain and/or on other vital organs like the kidneys, heart, eyes, lungs, and skin. As there is currently no cure for this debilitating disease, and treatments are costly and painful, Rachel saw that raising money for research was of the utmost importance. An excellent cook and baker, Rachel turned the family’s home into a bakery, making over 3,000 cookies in 10 different flavors to sell to the students and staff at the high school. She sold three cookies for $1, packaged with an explanation of what and why she was raising money; Rachel raised over $1,000 on her own. Her proud parents, Neil and Jill, didn’t mind one bit that their kitchen had been completely taken over. In fact, they enjoy and benefit from Rachel’s talents as she regularly cooks delicious and varied dinners for them.
 
Last August, Rachel and fellow Marlboro High School student, Amanda Peitruszka, began working together on a huge event to raise money for juvenile diabetes research; they called it “Rock the Cause.” These two young women were able to get three local and popular bands – Push Play, Honor Society, and Matt Koziol – to donate their time to the event, enabling them to really keep their costs down. Working on the concert for months in advance, putting together a silent auction, getting food and beverage sponsors, permits, and security, Rachel, Amanda, and a small group of their girlfriends raised a staggering $11,000 the night of the concert, which was held at Marlboro High School (MHS) this past April. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and the Nicholas Jonas Change for the Children Foundation received $10,000!
 
In addition to spending time with her lucky charge at the Challenger Program, cooking meals for yet another family friend in need, babysitting, and studying for the SATs, like many teenagers, Rachel enjoys hanging out at the mall and going to the movies with friends. She is a National Honor Society member and co-president of the Spanish Club, and has plans to follow her parent’s career paths into the arts. She wants to do something in the entertainment field…possible acting. Her mother is a painter, dad is involved in the music business, and older sister, Amy, just graduated with a degree in medicine from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
 
Though she’s not settled on a college yet, Rachel is looking forward to her senior year at MHS, where she knows she can always go for guidance and support from her former history teacher and mentor, Ms. Howell.
 
STATS
 
FAVORITE RESTAURANT
Brioso’s in Marlboro
 
FAVORITE MUSIC
pop rock
 
FAVORITE MOVIE
Wedding Crashers
 
PET PEEVE
people who are selfish and only think of themselves
 
THREE PEOPLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Johnny Depp  

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