The Town Journal, October 8, 2015

Stephanie Reifman completed her Girl Scout Gold Award project by creating H.A.P.P.Y. (Heroin Addiction Prevents People’s Years) week as a way to educate her peers at Northern Highlands Regional High School about the dangers of the drug.

“Heroin addiction is a huge problem in my community.  I created H.A.P.P.Y. Week to fight the heroin epidemic in my own backyard of Bergen County. In 2013, there were 27 fatal overdoses just in Bergen County and then in 2014 that statistic more tan doubled with over 50 lives lost,” she said.

“Being informed is a huge step toward preventing heroin-related tragedies,” Reifman said.

For H.A.P.P.Y. Week, Reifman invited guest speakers, including addiction professionals and a parent who lost their child to heroin addiction, to the high school.  After delivering her program, Reifman said she heard from other parents who had lost children that want to join her in educating other parents and students about the issue.

Reifman is hoping to spread her awareness program to other area schools,, such as those in Glen Rock, Ridgewood, and Emerson as well as Bergen Community College.

Reifman just entered her sophomore year at Northern Highlands Regional High School, where she is a member of the yearbook committee, Relay for Life, Highlands Cares, and the student council.

She has been a Girl Scout in Troop No. 850 since kindergarten and say scouting has tougher her valuable life skills.

“In my Girl Scouting experience, I have gained experiences and opportunities unlike anywhere else,” she said. “I had the chance to stay on a farm in Vermont and meet other Girl Scouts from all different places who I am still friends with today.  Girl Scouts inspired me to do this project and it has grown into something that I have an incredible passion for.”

The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, combines leadership, development, career exploration and community service.  It culminates in an 80-hour leadership project that each girl plans and executes according to her own interests and passions.

 

The Town Journal