By Julia Spitz

MetroWest Daily News

September 12, 2009

FRAMINGHAM —

With the scent of pizza wafting from the table and a gleaming cutlass poised above their shoulders, eight boys knelt to be knighted in the Framingham Housing Authority office yesterday afternoon.

"I figured if they were doing good deeds, they should be knighted for it," said Dominick Tolson, vice chairman of Wayside Youth & Family Support Network's board of directors and the driving force behind the Knights of R.I.C. 

The R.I.C. stands for respect, integrity and commitment, qualities his father instilled in him, said Tolson, and qualities the program nurtures in local boys by encouraging them to do good deeds.

The collaborative effort of Wayside, the Framingham Police Department and the Housing Authority has made a difference at the Musterfield complex, said Timothy Brady.

"When we first came here, they were all fighting," Brady said of the tweens and teens. "Everything they've learned here shows in the neighborhood."

"They've learned to respect each other," said Diane Rockwood, and "they've learned to respect girls."

Rockwood and Brady's sons, Tyler and Bailey Brady, were among the eight new Knights.

"It's awesome," Timothy Brady said of the program whose code of conduct includes kindness and honoring commitments.

It's also fun, said Ramon Batista, 14, a freshman at Framingham High who is proud of his good grades.

When the new Knight of the second order, who earned the recognition for completing 50 good deeds, was asked what he liked about the program, it was because "I could do fun stuff and be with my friends."

Fausto Rosario, also 14, earned a third-order rank yesterday, for deeds such as "cleaning my room, helping my mom" and "I was shoveling for people" at the housing complex last winter, although, since honesty is a Knight virtue, he added, "but I got paid" to shovel the snow.

"I helped freshmen at our school," said Justin Dyer, 16, who earned first-order knighthood yesterday.

Like Dyer, first-level Knights Keffry Rosario, Jonathan Avelino and Gui De La Zerda were dubbed by program director Gissi Cruz. Two members of the Worcester-based 344th Military Police Army Reserve conferred second-degree honors on Ramon Batista and Bailey Brady.

Tolson bestowed third-level knighthood on Fausto Rosario and Tyler Brady using the cutlass Tolson received during his 21-year Navy career.

Daniel Martins, Wilson Martinez, Jovanni Rosado, Giovanni Ortiz and Ernesto Nichols also earned knighthood awards but were not at the ceremony.

"We figured that each level would be about 25 good deeds, and then we'd move them to the next level," said Tolson. Each level requires a bit more commitment and community involvement, he said.

After realizing "we weren't doing a good job, as a society, at raising young men," he and other members of the board of directors decided to form the program in 2006 for youngsters in lower-income households. After meeting with police and local clergy, they decided the 7-14 age group "was where we figured we could do the most good."

As a reward for their achievements, new Knights' names were put into a hat in a drawing for six bicycles.

When Avelino drew his own name, he said he wanted to give the bike to another boy.

"Jonathan's giving up his bike for someone else? Now that's what Knights do," Tolson said with a smile.

(Julia Spitz can be reached at 508-626-3968 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .)