“This year’s group of applicants was exceptional,” said Heidi Scripture, retired Major with the New Jersey State Troopers and chair of the 200 Club Scholarship Committee. “We all picked the same top three. Then we had to decide the other two scholarship winners. We ended up picking three more because they were so close.”

The committee - which includes Scripture, fellow retired State Trooper Major Joe Cannatella (who is also Vice President of the 200 Club), and longtime volunteer firefighter and former Wayne Fire Commissioner Bob Minnarick - reviewed 15 applications in total. Applications were promoted county-wide through school guidance counselors, police chiefs, and social media earlier this year.

Scholarship recipients must either be children of first responders or active-duty first responders themselves and submit a comprehensive application which includes a written essay.

The six 2025 Passaic County 200 Club scholarship recipients are:

• Joseph Aliotta – A graduate of Kinnelon High School and son of Paterson Fire Captain John Aliotta, who was permanently disabled while responding in New York City on 9/11. Joseph will attend Purdue University to study Business. In his essay, he wrote movingly about the influence of his father’s heroism and the values of resilience.
• Cadence Hoogmoed – A Passaic County Technical Institute graduate and daughter of Clifton Firefighter Robert Hoogmoed III. Cadence will pursue biology at Virginia Tech, aiming to specialize in vaccine and medicinal research and ultimately earn a PhD.
• Aidan Kindler – A Wayne Valley High School graduate and son of Wayne Police Detective Paul Kindler. Aidan is heading to MIT and credits his father’s service for instilling in him a strong sense of leadership, humility, and compassion.
• Kai Lehmann – Also from Passaic County Technical Institute, Kai is a CPR-certified probationary EMT in Ringwood. He will attend Stony Brook University to study medical research, with a long-term goal of earning a PhD and continuing his service as a college EMT.
• Katherine Ruggiero – A graduate of West Essex High School and daughter of Passaic Police Detective Sergeant Laila Christobal. Katherine will attend George Washington University to pursue a career in medicine, aspiring to become a physician.
• Daniel Silva – A graduate of Passaic County Technical Institute and son of Passaic Police Sergeant David Silva. Daniel will attend Cornell University to study mathematics and become a math teacher, with the goal of becoming a teacher who empowers students from diverse backgrounds.

Each of the recipients demonstrated not only academic excellence but also strong personal convictions, service-mindedness, and resilience—qualities that reflect the values of the first responder community.

“We are thrilled to bring this program back,” said Scripture. “It fills us with pride to support these remarkable students. There are a lot of good kids out there doing good things, and it’s our honor to recognize and assist them.”

The scholarship stipend—previously $2,500—has been increased to $5,000 per student thanks to great support from the community. These stipends may be used for tuition or college supplies.

The Passaic County 200 Club’s mission is to provide emergency death benefits for any first responder in Passaic County who dies in the line of duty. The death benefit payout was recently raised from $10,000 to $15,000, plus, he club also arranges college stipends for the children of fallen first responders.