Rutgers-Camden recognizes alumni couple helping Camden youth

Co-founders of Teen SHARP (Successful in High-Achieving and Reaching their Potential) Atnre and Tatiana Alleyne were awarded the Alumni Civic Engagement award from Rutgers-Camden Tuesday evening.

The award, which was one of several at the 2013 Chancellor's Awards for Civic Engagement at Rutgers-Camden, recognizes individual alumni or groups of alumni for efforts and projects that benefit communities beyond the Rutgers campus in Camden and South Jersey.

Teen SHARP is an organization designed for minorities ages 10 through 17 in Philadelphia and South Jersey, offering academic guidance, college assistance and summer preparation. The idea is to "increase college awareness and student leadership," Alleyne said in an interview last year.

Alleyne has lived in Camden's Cooper Plaza neighborhood since attending Rutgers-Camden for his master's degree in public administration and political science in 2007. His wife, Tatiana, graduated from the same masters program that year.

Since Teen SHARP's inception in 2009, the Alleynes have raised almost $15,000 to take students on tours of colleges from New York to Washington, DC.

"Atnre and Tatiana give generously of their time, and they have built an approach that works, as TeenSHARP graduates have achieved admission at top colleges across the country," said Rutgers-Camden spokesman Mike Sepanic.

Other award categories included academic civic engagement, student civic engagement, community partner organization, and faculty-staff community service.

Cathedral Kitchen and The Neighborhood Center, both based in Camden, received the community partner organization award.