By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
The superintendent of the Lawrence Township public school district, the student assistance counselor at Lawrence High School and a longtime volunteer will be honored at the Every Child Valued Foundation’s “Trumpeting Success: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” annual fundraiser Dec. 1.
The keynote speaker is Diana B. Henriques, the author of the best-selling book, “The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust.” She is a former editor of The Lawrence Ledger and an award-winning contributor to The New York Times.
Tickets are $100 apiece 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.
Among the honorees is Superintendent of Schools Crystal Edwards, who is beginning her second year as the chief administrator in the Lawrence Township public school district. She has worked for the school district for seven years, starting as its assistant superintendent for curriculum.
Tonia 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.
And longtime volunteer Christina Shu, who serves on Every Child Valued’s development committee, will be honored. 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.
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 Ms. Edwards, Ms. Moore and Ms. Shu who have contributed to the success” of the program.
Ms. Henriques, who is the keynote speaker, will discuss the development of Eggerts Crossing Village in the 1970s.
”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.
For more information, visit the Every Child Valued program’s website at www.everychildvalued.org, or call 609-883-0300.

