Topping off a vision of teen health

HiTOPS founder Bonnie Parker to leave post after 19 years

By: Hilary Parker
   Though she shares a name with one of the most legendary thieves of the 20th century, the only thing Bonnie Parker has run away with in the past two decades is her vision — much to the benefit of thousands of the area’s adolescents.
   Here in Princeton, it’s not "Bonnie and Clyde," it’s "Bonnie and HiTOPS" — the health and education center (Health-Interested Teens’ Own Program on Sexuality) she founded in 1987 to educate adolescents and provide them with much-needed health services.
   When she steps down from her position on June 19, she will take her years of experience with her as well — but she is confident the organization will continue to fulfill its mission under the leadership of Lori Heninger.
   "It’s a good time for change for me and the organization," Ms. Parker said. "HiTOPS is stronger now than I’ve ever seen it," she continued, citing an active board and dedicated staff.
   Having dedicated so much of herself to the organization, Ms. Parker isn’t sure exactly what she’ll do next, and plans to reflect on her experiences before taking on any new — and decidedly more short-term — projects.
   Meanwhile, Ms. Heninger is gearing up for her turn to head the organization.
   With experience working on the national and international level, Ms. Heninger said there is a possibility that HiTOPS will someday be a national organization, and she has visions of information exchanges with organizations with an international focus. She is currently the director of the Education in Emergencies Initiative of the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children — an independent affiliate of the International Rescue Committee based in New York.
   Those changes won’t come anytime soon, however, as Ms. Heninger said she wants to take time to familiarize herself with the staff and the organization.
   "Because Bonnie and the staff have done such an amazing job, I want to get the lay of the land first," she said. "There are enough changes that the staff and the young people don’t need any more."
   Those changes include a new health clinic that opened this spring and other major renovations currently under way at the Wiggins Street facility. The improvements are due to be completed by the end of the summer, in time for an October celebration of HiTOPS’ 20th anniversary.
   With 10 siblings — seven of whom are sisters — Ms. Parker had seen a number of teen pregnancies in her family by the time she decided to found the organization in 1987. At the same time, she had her own children, and didn’t want to see them face the same hardships her sisters encountered.
   Nearly two decades later, Ms. Parker is clearly thrilled with how HiTOPS blossomed through its own adolescence.
   "We’re well on the way to my greatest goal — to have this be a full-service one-stop shop to adolescents," she said.
   In addition to the health clinic which serves 1,400 regular clients and 3,700 walk-through visitors each year, HiTOPS is also actively partnered with the Princeton Center for Leadership Training and the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services to provide community-based peer education programs.
   This community focus on adolescents was one of the biggest draws for Ms. Heninger. Having worked extensively in research and advocacy, she was seeking greater involvement with the people she was serving.
   "I wanted to do more hands-on work in a community-based setting within the United States, specifically working with youth," Ms. Heninger said.
   Though Ms. Parker doesn’t plan to leave the area — or her Pennington home — anytime soon, save frequent trips to visit her grandchildren in South Carolina, she said she’ll be sure to give Ms. Heninger plenty of space to run the organization. But she is quick to respond with an "Oh, sure" when asked if she’ll still be involved with HiTOPS in some capacity.
   Her ultimate focus, and her ultimate joy, will always be helping youth. She recalled arriving to speak at a conference in Brazil only to find a former HiTOPS peer educator also on the list of presenters as but one of many memories that show just how deeply HiTOPS has affected many young lives, through both education and health programs. Ultimately, her goal is to provide every adolescent with the health care and education they deserve.
   "Every young adult has the right to access to health services that are confidential and high-quality and low-cost," she said.