HiTOPS enters second phase of ambitious fundraising effort

New services, expansion plan in works

By: Rachel Silverman
   On the eve of its 18th anniversary, HiTOPS — the teen health and education center on Wiggins Street — announced the public phase of a $2 million endowment campaign Tuesday.
   The campaign, the largest such effort in HiTOPS’ history, will support, among other things, community-health educators, teenagers and their families, and overall access to health care.
   The campaign’s silent portion, which began in September 2002, already has garnered $1 million, HiTOPS representatives said. The public phase, seeking the final $1 million, will run through June 2006.
   At a news conference, the organization also announced its significant program expansions, and that it has added physical space.
   "This is going to be a huge year for HiTOPS," Board of Directors President Carolyn McQuade said. "We are now expanding significantly in terms of our funding base and our services."
   According to Sandra Friedman, the health-services director at HiTOPS, the new programs may include nutrition, yoga, guided meditation and stress reduction.
   The center also plans to attract a broader community representation by reaching out to Princeton’s Hispanic population, Ms. Friedman said. A new Latino liaison — Ivonne Ruiz Clark — will coordinate this effort. Ms. Clark already serves on Princeton’s Human Services Commission.
   "It’s very hard for many Latino families to utilize some of the institutions in town," HiTOPS Executive Director Bonnie Parker said. "She’s helping them understand HiTOPS is a place to be trusted."
   The organization is looking to expand its appeal to different age groups as well.
   "By the time most kids come to us, there are issues we could have helped them with earlier," Ms. Parker said, citing 19 as the mean age of HiTOPS clientele. "We really heard from parents, ‘We want some services for our kids before they start to have sex.’"
   Men’s health is another area HiTOPS is hoping to expand.
   "Over the past year, the outcry from parents … has been relentless," said Elizabeth Casparian, director of HiTOPS education programs. "For young men who don’t know what to do, there have been very few outlets they can trust."
   In terms of physical expansion, HiTOPS plans to reclaim the building adjacent to its 21 Wiggins St. headquarters.
   "We are bursting at the seams in that building," Ms. McQuade said, pointing over at the current HITOPS facility.
   The expansion project was made possible by a grant from the Fannie E. Rippel Foundation. Naming opportunities for the new building, and its individual rooms, are available.