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As we celebrate the promise of spring, we want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued interest and support for PEI Kids' mission. Here are some of the good things happening at PEI Kids...
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PEI Kids' 25th Annual Dinner & Auction Brings Out the Brass
PEI Kids' 25th annual Dinner & Auction draws the participation of two local mayors, one County Freeholder, and hundreds of friends and supporters.
In the crisp night air on Friday, April 8th, nearly 200 guests, friends, supporters, clients, and dignitaries gathered at Greenacres Country Club in Lawrenceville for PEI Kids' 25th Annual Dinner & Auction. The event included a packed agenda kicked off by an invocation from The Honorable Mayor Eric E. Jackson of Trenton, and followed by recognition of honorees, Nola Bencze and Thurman Gates, who were presented with a proclamation by Freeholder Pat Colavita. The dinner and live auction were attended by Mayor of Lawrenceville, Dr. David Maffei, along with a host of guests, bidders, and participants.
With the support of over 30 sponsors, this event is PEI Kids' biggest fundraising effort of the year, and generates an important share of the agency's operating and program revenue for its child abuse prevention and intervention programs which serve abused children and at-risk youth in Mercer County.
The evening integrated spontaneous moments with memorable ones, including a special appeal from a former client of PEI Kids' counseling program for child victims of sexual abuse.
"I always look forward to this special event," said Roz Dashiell, PEI Kids' Executive Director. "It's one of the few times during the year that we are able to bring together our PEI Kids family to celebrate our work while supporting the mission." Consistent with the theme of the event, which was "An Eye Toward the Future," Dashiell spent a portion of the evening discussing the agency's legacy and the vision for moving PEI Kids forward.
Live auction items donated by community members and local businesses included:
- Six box seats with VIP parking to a Philadelphia Phillies home game donated by David & Marlene Thompson
- Original, hand-crafted retro electric guitar donated by Michael Virok of Bordentown Guitar Rescue plus private guitar lessons donated by Jean Cheaumont of Princeton.
- Behind-the-scenes tour of the Hopewell Valley Police Department, including a police ride-along, donated by Chief Lance Maloney
- A hand-carved, wooden bear-a 19-year PEI Kids tradition-donated by Thurman Gates
- One-week luxury-condo vacation in Williamsburg, VA donated by Eugene Coughlin
- Luxury-condo vacation in Beaver Creek Olympic Village, CO donated by Nicholas and Michelle Ventura plus air travel for two donated by George Meyer
- Pair of St. John originals - clutch purse and shoulder tote - donated by Nicholas and Michelle Ventura
- Dedication and naming of PEI Kids' Infant/Toddler Family Visitation room made available by PEI Kids
- Two tickets for a NY Giants home game with field seating and VIP parking at MetLife Stadium donated by Tom and Fran Bartlett
- Two tickets with field seating to NY Yankees home game plus 4 tickets with VIP package to a Trenton Thunder home game donated by Szaferman Lakind & Craig Hubert, Esq.
- Spa package consisting of 10 luxury treatments at area salons and spas plus a basket of premium Shiseido beauty products.
To everyone's surprise, an auction item was donated on the spot by Dianne Pepe, Director of Sales & Marketing for Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel, who was so moved by the agency's work that she donated a weekend stay in the penthouse suite of Renaissance's newest mid-town Manhattan
location
. With a book value of $20,000 for the weekend, the lucky winner received a great deal for the winning bid of $4,000.
Sponsors of the event included AAA Mid-Atlantic, Nola R. Bencze & Thurman Jay Gates, Customers Bank, Szaferman Lakind Blumstein & Blader, P.C., Dave & Marlene Thompson, Borden Perlman Salisbury & Kelly, Marcus & Loni Hand, Hopewell Township PBA Local 342, Mark Mucciacciaro of Morgan Stanley, PNC Bank, PSE&G, Capital Health, Margaret A. Chipowsky, Credit Union of New Jersey Foundation, Michael & Brenda Cseremsak, Fennelly Associates, Inc., First Choice Bank, Michael & Lisa Hayden, Hill Wallack, Hopewell Township Police Superior Officers' Association, Horvath & Giacin, Investors Bank, Kalavruzos Mumola Hartman & Lento LLC, George C. Meyer, Nottingham Insurance, Mr. & Mrs. Vincent A. Piacente, Jennifer & Paul Pierson, Ivan & Shelly Punchatz, Mr. & Mrs. Chris and Denise Pratico, Stark & Stark, and Taco Bell.
To learn about sponsoring or participating in future events, contact Janina Akins at 609-695-3739 or [email protected].
Click here for
event photos
.
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PEI Kids' Gets Support for Special Initiatives
As a non-profit organization, it is our duty and our passion to engage with our community to address new and emerging issues affecting our youth. We are particularly grateful for the forward-thinking funders and philanthropic organizations which partner with us on these special efforts. We have recently received funding and support for three special projects.
ETS has awarded PEI Kids a $5,000 grant to address the unique needs of girls in Mercer County's juvenile justice system.
Participants will be girls referred to our Comprehensive Juvenile Offender Outreach Services (CJOOS) program -- typically first- or second-time offenders
(age 11 - 17)
on juvenile probation in Mercer County.
Through this initiative, we have an opportunity to provide gender-responsive programming and address unique challenges and pathways into the system for at-risk girls in our community.
The City of Trenton also awarded PEI Kids a grant of $51,353 to enhance the CJOOS program through a CJOOS Summer Initiative which will o
ffer a more intensive program/dosage during the summer weeks when school is out.
Historically, the juvenile crime index spikes during the weeks of summer when youth have extended periods of unsupervised time.
The CJOOS Summer Initiative is designed to give these
youth a structured environment and positive outlet to spend their time engaged in constructive activities and personal/character development.
Provident Bank Foundation has provided $5,000 to support child assault prevention workshops and crisis intervention counseling for child victims of sexual abuse in East Windsor, West Windsor, and Hightstown -- the communities served by Provident Bank in Mercer County. PEI Kids will provide school-based prevention education workshops to p
re-K to 8th grade
students
in these communities. The funding also provides for professional therapeutic counseling for child victims of sexual abuse. An average of 220 cases of child sexual abuse are reported annually in Mercer County with victims coming from all Mercer County municipalities. Through this funding, PEI Kids' Crisis Intervention for Child Victims of Sexual Abuse program will provide 12 weeks of counseling, family support, and ongoing bi-weekly support groups for victims from the identified communities at no cost to participants.
We extend a heartfelt thanks to ETS, City of Trenton, and Provident Bank Foundation along with all of our community partners who make our work possible.
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Get Involved... Virtually!
Looking for a way to help out while you shop for Mothers Day? Well we have a solution! When you shop smile.amazon.com, 0.5% of your purchase gets donated to PEI Kids. By using the link below to connect to Amazon, the donation from your qualified purchases will be automatically transferred to PEI Kids. It's a great way to give to your favorite charity while enjoying online shopping from the comfort of home.
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Keep the Children of Mercer County safe. Donate to our programs today!
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| Thank you for your continued support! |
| Mission Statement PEI Kids is dedicated to promoting and maintaining a safe environment for all children. PEI Kids works with the child, family, and caregiver to provide prevention, intervention and advocacy programs relating to personal safety, sexual abuse, and the overall well-being of the child. |
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