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This article was prepared for the December 22, 2004 edition of U.S. 1 Newspaper. All rights reserved.
Between the Lines
In 1991 when Craig Terry took the photo on page 45, six boys and six girls from HiTOPS who were supposed to be providing sex counseling to their peers, we grownups thought, “Yeah, sure.” Like any reasonably skeptical adult, our editor figured the guys in that group (officially titled Health-interested Teens Own Program on Sexuality) were opportunists, looking for chances to talk about sex with pretty girls.
But our reporter brought back a different story, that the high school seniors had been handpicked to be credible bearers of accurate sex information. We quoted director Bonnie Parker about how the HiTOPS teens “show kids in their schools that you don’t have to be a do-gooder or any special type of person to have correct information and respect each other — and still have fun.” This peer counseling program was the best in the country.
Peer relationships remain paramount, according to Ron Taffel, author of “The Second Family,” who spoke at the Hun School last month. He says that friends are just as powerful as the family at home.
And 13 years later those former high school seniors say that HiTOPS was an incredible influence on their lives. One of them is counseling survivors of sexual violence in Liberia, according to Julie Meyers, HiTOPS’ director of development.
Meyers also sent this note to accompany the photo on page 51
“Something truly magical happened at HiTOPS on December 20. The entire staff of HiTOPS was encouraged to make a holiday gift to our organization in support of the work we do. We felt this was important, since we often ask for the community’s donations to our cause. We wanted to show that our staff cares deeply about the work we do and supports us not only by working here – but by donating to us too!”
“As an incentive, if 100 percent gave, Santa himself was going to join the merry crew and not only thank the staff — but also give presents and treats to all! Santa was played by our founder and CEO Bonnie Parker.”
This year, as always, the database maintained by Hands on Helpers www.handsonhelpers.org. is the best resource for matching your interests and schedule with a volunteer job.
The 2005 U.S. Calendar and Datebook goes down memory lane with archival photos illustrating the theme “U.S. 1, 20 Years Young.” Our delivery team will leave one copy of the calendar, along with this week’s newspapers, at each regular delivery stop. Additional copies of the calendar are for sale at $6.95 plus $3 shipping and may be ordered by phone or fax with a credit card or by sending a check to U.S. 1 Calendar, 12 Roszel Road, Suite C 205, Princeton NJ 08540.
We do not publish on Wednesday, December 29. Our next issue is the annual Survival Guide on Wednesday, January 5. The office will be closed on Friday, December 24, and Monday, December 27. Happy Holidays!
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