Known by his wrestling name “The Badge,” Manchester Township Police Officer Chris Cerullo participated in a charity wrestling match this past weekend to raise money for the Heroes and Cool Kids mentoring program.

wrestling2 Officer Cerullo, who serves as School Resource Officer in the Manchester Township School District, prevailed in his battled against Josh “The Bully” Adams on Jan. 31. With a packed house at the Manchester Township High School gym, more than $1,000 was raised during the South Jersey Wrestling event.

“It was an awesome time, especially because of all the kids and parents who showed up for a good cause and cheered me on ringside,” said Officer Cerullo. After the match, Officer Cerullo invited the children onto the ring to celebrate his victory. Many Manchester Police Officers and Mayor Palmer were also in attendance to support the cause.

wrestling1Heroes and Cool Kids is a mentoring program which utilizes current and former pro athletes to help high school students mentor those in middle school. These athletes train high school students on highly successful methods of mentoring middle school students on important life skills, including sportsmanship, conflict resolution and positive lifestyle choices highlighting drug, alcohol and tobacco prevention. More information about the program is available at www.heroesandcoolkids.org.

Officer Cerullo said there is interest in holding the charity event again next year. The Manchester Township Police would like to thank South Jersey Wrestling and the Manchester Township School District for making the event possible.