PEI Kids' November E-newsletter

Monthly E-newsletter November 2015

As we celebrate our 30th anniversary year, we want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support. Here's what's happening at PEI Kids...

PEI Kids Hosts Annual Meeting of the Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse

Executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey Rush Russell presents on child safety at Annual Coalition meeting.

On Wednesday morning, October 28th, PEI Kids - lead agency for the statewide and national Enough Abuse campaign in Mercer County - held its Annual Meeting of the Greater Mercer Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse at Rider University. The Enough Abuse campaign consists of a community education initiative which provides free community workshops to teach ordinary citizens how to prevent, identify, and respond appropriately to child sexual abuse. The Coalition - consisting of Mercer County organizations and community members - provides direction, strategies, and resources to advance the campaign's prevention work and to advocate for child safety in Mercer County.

The meeting included presentations by Dr. Juanita Johnson-Brooks, Clinical Director of PEI Kids' counseling program for child victims of sexual abuse, and Rush Russell, Executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse NJ, which recently developed Child-Safety Standards adopted by the State of New Jersey's Department of Children & Families. "The meeting was inspiring and informative," says PEI Kids' Executive Director Roslyn Dashiell. "Members were provided insight on how to advocate for child safety as well as actionable information which they can use to begin making a difference in their communities right away."

To learn more about PEI Kids and the Greater Mercer Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse, visit www.peikids.org . To learn more about the national Enough Abuse campaign, visit www.enoughabuse.org . Organizations interested in hosting a free Enough Abuse workshop or joining the Coalition should contact PEI Kids at 609-695-3739 or [email protected].

PEI Kids Hosts Successful 10th Annual Wine & Food Tasting Fundraiser

PEI Kids' Executive Director Roslyn Dashiell and Board of Trustees President Nicholas Ventura in front of the cake commemorating PEI Kids' 30th year of service. (Photo taken by Amanda Guthrie Photography)

Over 400 community members and businesses came out in support of PEI Kids' 10th Annual Wine & Food Tasting on Friday, October 23rd. The event, which was held at Landmark Aviation located at Trenton-Mercer Airport, featured food from over 20 local restauranteurs along with wines from 16 wine distributors affiliated with West Trenton Fine Wine & Liquors located in Ewing. All event proceeds support PEI Kids' child abuse prevention and intervention services, which benefit over 14,000 children and families annually.

"We couldn't be more pleased with the community support received for this event," said Nicholas Ventura, PEI Kids' Board of Trustees President and owner of Ventura Wealth Management. "Restaurants, wine vendors, and local businesses donated generously to make the event successful for PEI Kids."

This year's event sponsors include AAA Mid-Atlantic, The Bartlett Family Foundation, Bloomberg, Borden Perlman Salisbury & Kelly, Vince Capodanno, Credit Union of New Jersey Foundation, Customers Bank, ETS, Fennelly Associates, Inc., Evelyn A. Gill, Loni & Marcus Hand, Hill Wallack, Hopewell Township PBA Local 342, Hopewell Township Police Superior Officers Association, Investors Bank, Kalavruzos, Mumola, Hartman & Lento LLC, George Meyer, Mark Mucciacciaro of Morgan Stanley, NJM Insurance Group, Nottingham Insurance, Chris & Denise Pratico, Princeton Radiology, PSEG, Richardson Commercial Realtors LLC, Szaferman, Lakind, Blumstein & Blader P.C., Taco Bell, Team Toyota of Princeton, The Mercadien Group, The Tuchman Foundation, Inc., Ventura Wealth Management, Whitehead Motors LLC, WithumSmith+Brown PC., and Xerographic Document Solutions.

To learn how you can participate in PEI Kids' 2016 Wine & Food Tasting Event, please contact Jesse Elliot at 609-695-3739 or [email protected] . To learn more about PEI Kids, please visit www.peikids.org . To read the full post-event press release, click here .

PEI Kids Welcomes New Director of Prevention Services

New Director of Prevention Services, Jill Keller.

With the retirement of long-time Director of Prevention Services Melody Powell in late October, PEI Kids is pleased to welcome its new Director of Prevention Services Jill Keller. In addition to her five years' experience as a Child Assault Prevention (CAP) facilitator for PEI Kids, Jill has an extensive background in law enforcement as a former Investigator in the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office. In this role, Jill gained experience working with child sexual abuse and other child welfare cases; and she has gained an excellent reputation in the community for her professionalism and skill set.

"I am honored to assume the role of Director of Prevention Services," says Jill. "This is a welcome opportunity for me to invest further in the important work of PEI Kids' Prevention Department."

Jill's commitment to PEI Kids' mission, paired with her background and experience, will advance PEI Kids' work to keep the children of our community safe. Please join us in welcoming Jill to her new role.

Get Involved: Become an Administrative Volunteer

PEI Kids needs YOU! We are looking for an administrative volunteer to help with projects in the office. The administrative volunteer should be available 5-10 hours per week to help with filling, data entry, mailings, and other office projects as need. If you are interested in becoming an administrative volunteer, please contact Jesse Elliot at [email protected] or 609-695-3739.

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