Healthy Respect Media Release
Transition at Healthy Respect
November 6, 2008
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
Last
month, after prayer and careful deliberation, I decided to resign my
position as Chief Executive Officer in order to pursue other opportunities
to promote the Culture of Life. I will continue to serve Healthy Respect
in a volunteer capacity on our board of directors. It has been my privilege
to help build this character-based abstinence education program from
the ground up over the past eight years, and I remain fully committed
to building community support and raising funds so that we can help
more students develop the skills they need to establish and maintain
healthy marriages.
At my strong recommendation, our board has appointed Dr.
Nanci Coppola as our new Executive Director. 
Dr.
Coppola has served as our Director of Curriculum for the past three
years, and is eminently qualified to take on this position. She is the
co-author of several peer review journal articles and has a demonstrated
commitment to quality programming, evaluation and research. She has
been instrumental in securing the program's selection, from a very competitive
field, to participate in a cross-site evaluation designed to help identify
"best practices" for abstinence programs nationwide.
Clearly, the abstinence movement will face new challenges in the months ahead. Yet if we can draw any lessons from the recent past, these challenges will only help to strengthen the quality and impact of our efforts to reach those most in need.
I ask for your prayers as I open an exciting new chapter in my own life.
Yours for Life,
John P. Margand, Esq.
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About Healthy Respect:
The Healthy Respect curriculum for students in grades 7 through 12 is designed to guide young people in making good choices and set them on a safe course toward success. With age-appropriate lessons, it engenders healthy perspectives regarding the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, and promotes abstinence in preparation for marriage by illustrating the power and delicacy of the human reproductive system, while fostering attitudes of self-respect and self-control.
For more information go to:
To schedule an interview with Healthy Respect, please contact Inez Peralta at 718-409-0800.