Apreteen girl feels like her friends do not want her around anymore Two teenagers who want to cut themselves know they cannot stop on their own.

When a teenager discovers that her friend is being abused by her mother, she wants to know how she can help.

Suicidal thoughts lead one caller to stand across the street from a hospital emergency room, without the courage to go inside.

Every day, young people throughout New Jersey are facing difficult, sometimes life-threatening situations like the above real-life scenarios. They feel alienated from their friends or family, trapped in self-destructive behavior, or they need vital information about physical or mental health, dating, sexuality, peer pressure and substance abuse, to name only some of the issues on their minds.

Without intervention, some of these young people may hurt or even kill themselves. These are New Jersey's children - our children - reaching out for help.

To help prevent children's problems from becoming overwhelming, 180 Turning Lives Around Inc., a Monmouth County nonprofit dedicated to ending domestic violence and sexual assault, took its 2NDFLOOR Youth Helpline statewide last fall.

2NDFLOOR is a helpline for children and young adults ages 10 through 24 to call about anything on their minds, any time of day, every day.

2NDFLOOR is now available to over one million New Jersey children between the ages of 10 and 24, any time of the day or night. Their calls are answered by adults trained to be nonjudgmental and supportive while using a state-of-the-art computerized referral system to make sure each caller gets the help she or he needs.

Using a technique called "active listening," counselors guide children to solve their problems, equipping them with the tools they need to face their concerns.

2NDFLOOR is staffed around the clock with professional counselors who supervise volunteers and answer calls.

"No two calls are alike," says one volunteer who puts in two four-hour shifts a month. While 2NDFLOOR volunteers span all ages and backgrounds, what they have in common is the desire to make a difference in a child's life.

Sometimes, success has been set into motion by the end of the phone call, as in these real-life examples:

• The girl who felt her friends did not want her around anymore explored her feelings with a trained volunteer, who helped her brainstorm ways to discuss these feelings with her friends.

• The two teenagers who wanted to cut themselves agreed to seek professional assistance with the help of their mothers.

• The caller worried about a friend who was being abused by her mother was helped to identify trusted adults who could intervene.

• The suicidal young woman who was afraid to enter a hospital emergency room was supported by her phone counselor for reaching out for help. The counselor stayed on the phone while the caller walked into the emergency room and told a nurse about her needs.

These are only a handful of the successful outcomes achieved by 2NDFLOOR staff and volunteers, who have fielded more than 30,000 calls since September. Triumphs like these do help more than the individuals involved - they create a ripple effect throughout the community as the word goes out that New Jersey's children are important and that help is available any day, any time, anywhere.

As 2NDFLOOR reaches more children throughout New Jersey, the need for additional caring, committed volunteers at our Hazlet call center also increases. If you or someone you know would like to take an active role in helping the community's children and can commit to a 40-hour training program and as little as eight hours a month, please consider becoming a 2NDFLOOR volunteer. For more information, call our Volunteer Coordinator at 732-264-4360, ext. 2264 or visit www.2ndfloor.org.

Anna Diaz-White

Executive Director 180 Turning Lives Around

Hazlet