By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Superintendent of Schools Crystal Edwards, Lawrence High School counselor Tonia Moore and Christina Shu, a longtime volunteer at the Every Child Valued program, will be honored at the Every Child Valued Foundation’s annual fundraiser Dec. 1.
Diana B. Henriques, the author of the best-selling book, “The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust,” is the keynote speaker. She is a former editor of The Lawrence Ledger and an award-winning contributor to The New York Times.
Tickets are $100 each for the 6 p.m. event, which will be held at the Educational Testing Service’s Conant Hall. Money raised at the gala will benefit the Every Child Valued Foundation, which is headquartered at the Eggerts Crossing Village affordable housing development at 175 Johnson Avenue.
The nonprofit foundation sponsors programs aimed at helping at-risk students in grades K-6, including an after-school homework assistance program and a summer enrichment program. Many of the students live in the Eggerts Crossing Village townhouse development.
The Every Child Valued program is a collaborative effort between the Lawrence Township public schools and the Eggerts Crossing Village affordable housing development. The Educational Testing Service has become involved with the program, also.
Fred Vereen Jr., executive director of Every Child Valued and the former manager of the Eggerts Crossing Village development, said the gala honors “three remarkable women who have contributed to the success” of the program.
Ms. Edwards is beginning her second year as the Lawrence Township public school district’s superintendent of schools. She has worked for the school district for seven years, starting as its assistant superintendent for curriculum.
Ms. Moore is Lawrence High School’s student assistance counselor. She is a member of Every Child Valued’s educational advisory committee. She has led several mentoring programs at Eggerts Crossing Village and also has participated in the Lawrence Community Center’s community garden.
Ms. Shu serves on Every Child Valued’s development committee. She is the director of the Princeton Learning Center LLC and owner/instructor at the West Windsor Kumon Learning Center. She has provided scholarships to children in the Every Child Valued program so they may participate in the Kumon learning center.
”These three women have demonstrated a commitment to raising the academic performance of at-risk students and have provided steadfast support of Every Child Valued for many years,” Mr. Vereen said. The program’s goal is to motivate the students to seek out their highest potential as educated and fulfilled adults.
Ms. Henriques, who is the keynote speaker, will discuss the development of Eggerts Crossing Village in the 1970s. There was much opposition to the construction of the 100-unit townhouse development, which was intended to provide housing for low- and moderate-income households, Mr. Vereen said.
”Over four decades ago, Ms. Henriques, then editor of The Lawrence Ledger, challenged the residents of the township many of whom vehemently opposed the development of a low-income housing complex in their town to treat their neighbors with the respect due to any human being,” he said.
”Without people like Ms. Henriques in our corner, Eggerts Crossing Village and Every Child Valued might not exist. We cannot think of a better speaker to help us celebrate our past,” Mr. Vereen said.
For more information about the event, visit the Every Child Valued program’s website at www.everychildvalued.org, or call 609-883-0300.
