Young dancers at the Barringer H.S. talent show.

An All Stars Talent Show was held on Saturday, June 3, at Barringer High School in Newark. 88 young singers, dancers, rappers and steppers — ranging in age from 5 years to 25 years-old — performed for an enthusiastic audience of 300 family, friends and neighbors.

Each of the young performers had gone through an audition (in which all were "cast") and a development workshop, where the young people learned, through improvisational exercises and performance games, more about each other and how to create a collective performance.

NJ ASP BBQ at the home of Tony Huck.

Newark Mayor Corey Booker dropped by to cheer on the young people and the Star Ledger covered the event.

During its June phonathon, New Jersey All Stars volunteers raised awareness and new friends. Volunteers spent four weeks calling donors and friends, bringing them up to date on New Jersey program accomplishments and inviting them to make a personal connection with the NJ All Stars by attending one of the summer-of-development celebrations.

More than one hundred people attended an open house on June 19 to celebrate the opening of NJ All Stars expanded offices in the historic National Newark Building at 744 Broad Street. The new headquarters includes a volunteer center and a conference-room classroom.

"We are at the crossroads," said director Gloria Strickland as she cut the ribbon to officially mark the opening. "Through the All Stars, people are talking to people they never spoke to before about bringing new programs and approaches to our young people. It's thrilling." Also in attendance were All Stars Project president, Gabrielle Kurlander, several major sponsors, youth performers, DSY graduates, volunteers and friends.

Other summer friendraising activities included a BBQ at the Summit, NJ home of NJ All Stars advisory committee co-chair Tony Huck and a reception hosted by DSY benefactors Rita Dimatteo and Steve Adamczyk at their home in West Orange.

The 2006 NJ Development School for Youth summer internship program was the largest since the program began in 2000. Fifty-two young people, all graduates of the Fall, 2005 and Spring, 2006 classes, were placed in internships in 22 companies throughout New Jersey and in New York City. On August, 20 the Sunday Star-Ledger published a front-page article in its "Business Sunday" section on the internship program, featuring interviews with four DSY interns and their supervisors.

The growth of the NJ DSY is continuing into the fall, with an expected enrollment of 61 students from nine communities in the greater Newark area.