Monthly E-newsletter - Volunteer Edition June 2014

For this month's e-newsletter, we would like to thank our volunteers for all of the amazing work they do! We cannot thank them enough for their ongoing support.

Thank you to all of our volunteers - we could not do it without you!

Karen Alexander	Jane Lowe-Rodriguez
Nola Bencze	John MacDonald
Marie Borkowski	George Meyer
Margaret Chipowsky	Nicole Nguyen
Nicole Cody	Kelly Nitti
Kerrie Cozic	Jennifer Pierson
Cheryl Cvetan	Steve Pitts
Larry Davis	Denise Pratico
Mereides Delgado	Shelly Punchatz
Stephanie DeLuca	Jill Ratzman
Ebony Dickerson	Wilena Reves
Jack Donnelly	Gloria Robertson
Ann Laurie Fratticciolo	Laura Rodriguez
LaRue Freeman	Cristina Santos
Daisy Freer	Heather Silvanich
Amber Forrester	Marie Tagliaferri
Loni Hand	Linda Taormina
Lisa Festa Hayden	Nicholas Ventura
Tracy Heading	Shirley Walker
Michael Hughes	Elizabeth Waters
Elizabeth Jensen	Michael Weinstein
Sharon Kane	Andrew Zalescik
Vineeta Kapahi

Cheryl Cvetan and Jennifer Pierson - Dinner Committee Volunteer Spotlight

Cheryl Cvetan

Cheryl first learned of PEI Kids through our board member, Loni Hand. She was attracted to PEI Kids because of the work we do with local families in the community. As a volunteer, Cheryl has served on our Dinner Committee for the past two years and enjoys the many new contacts and friendships she has made through her service. In addition to her volunteer work at PEI Kids, Cheryl runs "A La Mode On The Road," a home-based business providing style consultation and closet organization services. We have certainly seen her fashion-sense and organizational skills shine at our fundraising events!

Jennifer Pierson

Working at New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company with PEI Kids board member Loni Hand, Jennifer learned of our programs and services. Deciding she wanted to support PEI Kids' cause, Jennifer began serving on our Dinner Committee. Now, in her third year as a volunteer, and serving as Committee Co-Chair, she notes that "seeing the impact that this organization makes in the community along with the drive and enthusiasm of such a committed staff is a great experience!"

Jack Donnelly and Marie Tagliaferri - Event Volunteer Spotlight

As a lawyer working for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, Jack

Jack Donnelly

donated to PEI Kids through his employee payroll deduction program for years. Recently, Jack decided to begin donating his time as well. Since his first experience volunteering at our 8th Annual Wine & Food Tasting, Jack has helped PEI Kids in many ways! Serving on our 23rd Annual Dinner & Auction Planning Committee, Jack provided invaluable assistance with securing auction items, selling 50/50 and event tickets, and planning for the event. In addition to volunteering at PEI Kids, Jack is a member of the East Windsor Green Team and is the current Chairperson for the East Windsor Clean Communities Committee. Appropriately, when considering all the running around he does, Jack competes in the New Jersey Marathon every year!

Marie currently works with Capital Health Regional Medical Center as the Family Advocate in their Neurological ICU. She learned of PEI Kids

Marie Tagliaferri

volunteer opportunities when making a donation of crocheted hats and scarves to our agency. Luckily for us, her inquiry of volunteer opportunities came at a perfect time, as she was able to join our Dinner Committee and help us plan for the event. Since joining PEI Kids as a volunteer, Marie has been instrumental in terms of event planning and donor cultivation for all of our fundraising events. Marie notes that she volunteers because "these innocent children need all the care, help, love and support they can get." She is also grateful for having met such caring and kind people through her volunteer experiences with PEI Kids.

Daisy Freer and Michael Weinstein - Enough Abuse Trainer Spotlight

Daisy Freer

Dr. Freer is a Licensed Pastoral Counselor with Advanced Certification; she holds a Masters Degree in Clinical Christian Counseling and a Ph.D. in Clinical Christian Psychology. She currently works as the Clinical Coordinator and Supervisor of Mentors and Therapists for the Family Enrichment Program at the Family Transition Support Services in Hamilton, NJ. In this role, Dr. Freer has developed and implemented effective treatment and safety plans to prevent child abuse and neglect for families in crisis. Dr. Freer first learned of the Enough Abuse Campaign at a meeting of the Youth Services Commission and was naturally excited about the two-day training commitment to become a trainer. Having lead nearly 20 Enough Abuse workshops, she has been essential to the success of the Campaign. Her favorite part of presenting is seeing the faces of parents as they learn about child development and report a higher sense of empowerment in terms of protecting their children from sexual abuse.

Affectionately referred to as the "Enough Abuse

Michael Weinstein

Superstar" around the office, Michael is a driving force behind educating the community about child abuse prevention and intervention. A former public school teacher turned managing partner at a marketing agency, Michael moved into the non-profit arena as the Director of Communications of the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention team at the New Jersey Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics. Michael was a member of the New Jersey Enough Abuse selection committee prior to becoming a trainer for the campaign. Michael is very passionate about the Enough Abuse mission and welcomes every chance to address parents and other caregivers and providers about the simple, yet effective, steps that can be taken by all to reduce the risk and occurrence of child sexual abuse. Michael has facilitated 12 Enough Abuse workshops in Mercer County, educating almost 200 adults!

Marie Borkowski and Barbara Dura - Administrative Volunteer Spotlight

Marie Borkowski

Six years ago, Marie received a jury duty notification. Through this experience, she witnessed the struggles faced by children in the judicial system and decided to search for a way to improve the lives of children within the community. Naturally, she became a PEI Kids volunteer. Since she began volunteering with PEI Kids, Marie has given countless hours helping the Prevention Services department prepare for classroom visits and assisting with fundraising events. She has become an invaluable volunteer at the agency.

Barbara Dura

As a long time Mercer County resident, Barb

spent her career working in office administration at both an insurance agency and market research company. After retiring four years ago, Barb decided to volunteer at PEI Kids doing what she knew best. In the last four years, Barb has assisted the Prevention Services department with important clerical work and has helped with many fundraising events. Barb appreciates the opportunity to do something that benefits the children of our community, as we at PEI Kids appreciate her!

Bonner Volunteer Thank You

Giving over 100 hours each per academic year, our Bonner Scholars are a huge part of our Comprehensive Juvenile Offenders Outreach Services (CJOOS) and Managing Aggression & Violence (MAV) programs. Ranging from freshman to seniors at The College of New Jersey, these students assist PEI Kids staff in delivering life-skills curriculum to at-risk youth. Bonner Scholars also organize additional educational and enrichment projects for CJOOS and MAV program participants.

Thank you for all you do for our agency!

In This Issue

Volunteer Thank You

Dinner Committee Spotlight

Event Volunteer Spotlight

Enough Abuse Trainer Spotlight

Office Volunteer Spotlight

Bonner Scholar Thank You

Job Opportunities

Executive Director

AmeriCorps VISTA

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Keep the Children of Mercer County safe. Donate to our programs today!

Thank you for your continued support!

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