He received a law degree from Villanova University and went on to have a very successful law practice. While cycling along the shore in 2004, Mr. Nolan was struck by a truck and suffered a severe brain injury. He no longer remembers his days as a student at Saint Vincent.

His life is now dedicated to Kids Corporation, which he revived in 1993 at the urging of his wife and Kids Corporation co-founder, Kathleen Murray-Nolan.

"I was in a coma for 9 months after the accident,” he said. “Now I have a second life with Kids Corporation.” 

The nonprofit organization works with Newark, New Jersey children in kindergarten through fifth grade.

"Newark is very poor. It’s a level of poverty that most people don’t understand,” Mr. Nolan said. “Many of the children don’t get fed enough; they don’t have winter clothing and they have medical issues as well.”

Kids Corporation provides free medical examinations throughout the year and runs a summer school staffed by 30 college student counselors. The nonprofit also helps 43 schools with its specialized summer curriculum. In 2006, over 2,300 children voluntarily agreed to spend six weeks participating in Kids Corporation’s program.

"If there is a building and teachers, we supply everything else – books, paper, pencils, and the teaching curriculum,” Mr. Nolan said. “In six weeks, the children improve their reading and language arts skills.”