DO- GOODER
happy to help UPPER SADDLE RIVER TEEN
STEPHANIE REIFMAN WINS NATIONAL AWARD FOR HEROIN EDUCATION PROGRAM
WRITTEN BY MARSHA STOLTZ
The problem with student heroin education, Stephanie Reifman decidedat age 13, was that no one was listening.
Five years later, Reifman’ s HAPPY( Heroin Addiction Prevents People’ sYears) Week heroin program for middle and high school students has earned her a $ 36,000 Helen Diller Foundation Teen Tikkun Olam Award, one of only 15 granted nationwide.
Her program nowreaches 40 New Jersey and New Yorkpublic schools and their 15,000 students— onazero-basedbudget.
Reifman’ s inspiration to become involved sprang from the July 2013 heroin-related death of actor Cory Monteith, who had played the conflicted singingfootball quarterback Finn Hudson in the Fox series Glee. Reifman says she was shocked to learn that well-heeled Bergen County, where she lived, was not exempt from the drug epidemic, now estimated at 99 drug-related deaths in 2016, the last year for whichdatais available.
“ I wanted to develop something students wouldpay attention to,” Reifman says. So, she started with avideo, shown to her classmates at Cavallini Middle School, and an interviewwith arecovering young-adult addict from the Spring House halfway program in Paramus.
When she started high school at NorthernHighlands Regional in Allendale, Reifman’ s program came to the attention of aparent whose child had died of aheroin overdose. The parent contacted Reifman, offering to tell the child’ s story of drugs hidden in stuffed
animals and ahabit financed by stealing money from her purse. Aparent segment was then added to the program.
“ She truly amazed us with her passion and dedication in dealing head-on with the opioid epidemicthat has ravaged our communities,” says Highlands PrincipalJoseph Occhino.“ Her HAPPY program was well received here, as well as surrounding school districts.”
Reifman thought an interview format would be moreappealing to her listeners.“ After the video, it’ s dialogue, me and the young adult, me and the parent. We’ re talking to each other,” Reifman says.“ We avoid alecture. Then we do aquestion-and-answerperiod with the audience.”
It is duringthe Q & A that Reifman
STEPHANIE REIFMAN says she can tell the students are engaged.“ They are usinginformation they heard during the program to ask questions,” she says.“ They wantedtoknow the effect of addiction on asibling, on achild. It’ s very different when theinformation is coming from someone firsthand.”
Reifman received help along the way fromthe Bergen County Office of Alcohol and Drug Dependency, the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the New Jersey State Board of Education. Rabbi Shelley Kniaz, director of congregational education at Temple Emanuel of Pascack ValleyinWoodcliff Lake, recommendedReifman for her award.
For her work, Reifman has additionally been named a“ CBS New York 50 People to Know.” She’ s received the PrudentialSpirit of Community President’ s Volunteer Service Award, theHughO’ Brien Youth Magic Makers Award for work on heroin addiction and prevention and New Jersey State Board of Education honors for community service and leadership, and she is an American AssociationofUniversity Women Hall of Fame inductee.
Scheduledtobegin studies at the University of Michiganthis autumn, Reifman says she will be turning over operation of her program to her sister, Melissa.
“ The next step is to develop awritten curriculum to go with theprogram,” Reifman says.“ Our volunteers are anxious to reach as many students as possible with our message: Don’ t start.” ●
For more information about HAPPY( Heroin Addiction Prevents People’ s Years), visithappyweek. org.
MARSHA STOLTZ
8 FALL 2018 |( 201) FAMILY