Participants in Resolution Run help
with Project Graduation fund raising
By:John Patten
If any of the more than 300 participants in Tuesday’s Resolution Run for Project Graduation had resolved to exercise more, they got an early start toward achieving that goal.
The 5-kilometer event began at 11 a.m. on New Year’s Day a time when many folks may have been just thinking about getting up after a late night. But the event drew a large crowd of runners, walkers and unofficial cheerleaders pitching in to help the organizers of Project Graduation 2002 collect more than $3,000 toward the $35,000 needed for the event.
Project Graduation is held the night of high school graduation, offering students a safe drug- and alcohol-free celebration. According to Maureen Uniszkiewicz, a counselor at Hillsborough High School and an organizer for the event, this year’s Project Graduation event will need to raise $35,000 after having to change locations.
"For the last few years, we’ve been at Rutgers," she said. "But there was a mix-up on the dates and we had to change it for this year."
So, instead of loading the senior class on buses heading to Rutgers, this year’s celebrants will party at the HealthQuest health club on Route 31 in Flemington.
The event will include activities, entertainment and games, with lots of useful gifts for the students. The festivities end at about 5:30 a.m.
If any of the participants in Tuesday’s Resolution Run had resolved to help support community projects, they got an early start on achieving that goal, also.
Altogether, the Resolution Run raised more than $3,000 for Project Graduation, helping to assure organizers of reaching their goal.
Two major fund-raising efforts are still in the works before the June 20 graduation an art auction in February and the annual Fashion Show.
The art auction is in its second year, and Ms. Uniszkiewicz said the group hopes to double or triple last year’s total of $3,500 raised.
An auction company from Pennsylvania has been hired to organize the event at Mary Mother of God Church on South Triangle Road, and ticket sales will begin in a few weeks.
The Fashion Show now in its 11th year is the group’s biggest event, drawing participation from stores throughout the area and students from all nine Hillsborough schools. Last year’s event netted $8,000 for Project Graduation. The date has not been set yet, but it’s usually held in April.
And if any of the participants in Tuesday’s Resolution Run had resolved to enjoy the winter season more, they got an early start on that goal, too.
Though sunny, the temperature for Tuesday’s run was in the mid-30s, with a wind chill making it feel considerably colder.
But the runners were probably warmed with the knowledge of how important their efforts, and Project Graduation, were. Since starting Project Graduations at Hillsborough High School 11 years ago, no grads have been involved in fatalities on graduation night.
And that’s something worth making a resolution to keep.