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East Brunswick Municipal Court Judge Todd Mayo stood at his usual post June 15, but for a more refreshing matter than he is accustomed to dealing with. Rather than handing down a verdict, Mayo presented one of 18 awards to New Jersey teenagers honoring their community service.

For the second straight year, Chabad of East Brunswick organized the Good Deed Awards program, culminating in a ceremony at the East Brunswick Township Courthouse. Community members filled out nomination forms for high school students in East Brunswick and New Brunswick, who received a total of $3,350 in college scholarships sponsored by local businesses.

Colie Edison, an East Brunswick native known for her role on the MTV network's "Real World: Denver," served as emcee for the evening, as students were called up one by one to receive their plaques from a different local politician, business executive, or social service agency director. Mayo selected the winners for scholarships that ranged from $100 to $1,000 apiece.

"It feels very strange to be standing up here," Mayo joked while presenting the Good Deed Award for Jessica Lovich. "Every one of these outstanding people did a remarkable job."

The advisory board for the awards included East Brunswick Public Schools Superintendent Jo Ann Magistro, Coordinator of Community Relations and Programs Patricia LaDuca, Manager of Recreation and Community Services Michael Reissner, Youth Council Director Karen Theer, Director of Public Safety Barry Roberson, Fire Marshal Bill Johnson. Sponsors for awards were Gold Medal Plumbing, Open Road Auto Group, Davis Realtors, the Chelsea Assisted Living Center, Global Furniture USA, Citibank, and Wal-Mart, among others.

These students are now garnering public recognition for their volunteer work, but normally receive no fanfare for their kind acts on a day-to-day basis, Rabbi Aryeh Goodman of Chabad of East Brunswick said in his opening remarks before a crowd of about 100 people at the courthouse.

"Not everything is measured by how big it is and how expensive it is," Goodman said. "Rather, it's the donations of your time, resources, talents, and especially your unique personalities. It's not an item that will sell well on the stock exchange, but it will sit well with the communities you serve."

First-prize winner Kirsten Granit helped raise money for United Nations Children's Fund and cancer research, in addition to volunteering for food drives. Second-prize winner Sara Wexler, president of the East Brunswick Youth Council, assisted poor families as they moved out of homeless shelters into unfurnished apartments and homes.

As he was reviewing the list of honorees before the ceremony, each award seemed like a first prize because of the significance of each student's accomplishments, Mayo said. Cristina Raiti, a high school track athlete, participated in road races to benefit the Daisy Association, which advocates for the needs of special needs children and adults in East Brunswick.

Jessica Yang participated in charity walks for literacy and arthritis, and as a member of Model U.N. and mock trial teams in high school hopes to use law to improve lives in her career. Lovich and Adam Weinberger both focused their service on educating youths about proper animal care, while Bridget Zhong, Michael Fredericks, and Vincent Chu worked on environmental causes. Zhong volunteered at the East Brunswick Community Garden and Butterfly Park, Fredericks collected valuable data on debris for a statewide project, and Chu worked on environmental clean-ups.

Assie Bangura volunteered for Special Olympics New Jersey, Philip Ai worked on home repair projects on a youth mission to Maine, and Jenna Galuchie and Rachel Linda both participated in the local Adult Life Skills Program. Stephanie Klarer worked at Habitat for Humanity and the Chabad Hebrew School, Craig Li and Danielle Luongo assisted special needs children, and Megan Watts and Caroline McLean volunteered for the Daisy Association.

Granit, a sophomore at East Brunswick High School and the incoming youth council vice president, spoke on behalf of the honorees. She stressed that despite devoting considerable energy to community service, her fellow students still manage to strike a critical balance in their busy everyday lives.

"They don't only do community service, but they keep up their academics and extra-curricular activities," Granit said. "Some even have part-time jobs."