Contributed
Cedric Robinson (third from left) with youth and family dept team and hundreds of hot dogs and burgers.
When New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) Youth Development Coordinator Cedric Robinson heard the district couldn’t afford to give out free food at this year’s annual Back to School rally, he spent nearly $2,000 of his own money to make sure families are fed at Thursday’s event.
On Wednesday morning, Robinson took a trip to Restaurant Depot in Orange to buy 600 hot dogs, 600 burgers, 1,200 buns, and 900 bottles of water to step up and take care of the district’s families from behind the scenes.
Kermit Carolina, the supervisor of NHPS’ youth and family department, said due to the district’s budget deficit, NHPS was unable to provide free food for its Back to School rally event scheduled to take place on Thursday from 2 – 5 p.m. at Bowen Field.
“He truly is one of our city’s greatest unsung heroes,” Carolina said of Robinson.
Robinson’s work as Mauro Sheridan School’s youth coordinator is a second career he began 20 years ago. Before that, he worked for 20 years as a corrections officer.
He was joined Wednesday morning by Youth, Family & Community Department colleagues Eric Greene, Reginald Slade, and Darrell Brown, all of whom helped to load up and transport the food for Thursday’s event, which should see roughly 3,000 families attend.
The annual Back to School celebration organized by Brown for the district provides NHPS families with back to school supplies and the chance to connect with community partners and resources for after school programming and additional family support services.
In a phone interview Wednesday, Robinson told the Independent he has paid out of pocket to support Turkey drives, Christmas toy giveaways, and more to give back to the community. “I’m just a kid from the hood who can give back now and so I do,” he said.
Robinson does so without the need for recognition because it’s what he was taught by his parents and the village that helped him throughout his life.
Robinson began working for NHPS 20 years ago after being a corrections officer because he noticed that the people entering the corrections system were getting younger and younger and younger. “I saw where the problem was,” he said. “Women can do anything but being an influence to a man can be difficult.”
And so he began his now 20-year journey working with NHPS youth who need a role model and father figure. At Mauro Sheridan, Robinson works daily with students who are chronically absent or are frequently suspended.
“I promised myself if I get fortunate enough to give back, then I would. And I have the resources now so I do that,” he said.
Robinson grew up in Alabama and moved to New Haven when he was 8 years old. “New Haven raised me along with my parents and so I’m just giving back to all the people who gave me sneakers growing up and kept me on the right path,” he added.
He concluded that the greatest reward for giving back to the community is putting a smile on someone’s face.
In total, Robinson spent $1,707.27 out of pocket to provide food for Thursday’s event.
The Youth and Family Department’s team, Robinson said, “is pointing New Haven in the right direction.”
