On Friday, October 14, PEI Kids held its 15th Annual Wine & Food Tasting at Trenton-Mercer Airport...the first live event following a three-year COVID hiatus.

With the support and partnership of more than 16 restaurants, BuyRite Wines & Liquors, Landmark Aviation, and dedicated volunteers from our corporate partners at Bristol-Myers Squibb and Bloomberg, the event was a smashing success with over 300 in attendance.



Special thanks goes to The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) Bonners (pictured) -- scholars and students who provide community support by helping local nonprofits. The Bonners were instrumental in supporting the event by providing food service for restaurants who couldn't send staff and by assisting with setup which helped to transform the East Hangar into a beautiful and unique venue for the occasion. Check out the photo gallery from this year's event!

In January, The National Council for Mental Wellbeing selected PEI Kids to provide Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) training for teens in Ewing High School (EHS) as part of a two-year statewide initiative. Since that time, demand for the program has exploded in Mercer County as school districts seek ways to support their students through what has been identified as a national mental health crisis.

For the 2022-23 School year, PEI Kids has received requests to provide the tMHFA program in five schools including Hopewell Valley HS, Princeton HS, Ewing HS, and West Windsor-Plainsboro HS North and South. In total, the program will be presented to 1,590 Mercer County students.

Executive Director, Roz Dashiell explains, "TMHFA is an evidence-based training program that teaches teens how to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of suicide risk, mental health and substance use challenges among their friends and peers. To support this effort, we've had the good fortune of hiring a highly qualified team with impressive credentials ranging from career educators to law enforcement. We couldn't ask for a better group," added Dashiell.

The tMHFA instructor team includes (pictured, top to bottom) Amy O'Donnell, Nicole Clark, Nancy Schiavone (returning for her second year), and Annette Henderson. Collectively, the group -- along with Prevention Director Erika Hillman -- will deliver a total of 432 workshops across the five participating high schools. Thanks to the work of this dedicated team, over 1,500 10th- and 11th-graders will acquire the skills to intervene before a mental health challenge becomes a crisis. That's important work...way to go, team!

On Giving Tuesday (Nov 29) we launched our annual Holiday Appeal and raised $2,790 to kick-off this year's giving campaign. We're working to meet our fundraising goal of $20,000 by 12/31 so we can end the year on a high note...and pay the bills. Won't you make the difference by supporting us today?

Donate online and while your there, check out our Progress Chart to see how we're doing with meeting our goal. Thank you! #MakeTheDifference

'No Space for Hate'

In November, PEI Kids was able to donate its signature ‘No space for Hate’ hoodies to the boys in our school-based Violence Intervention Group (VIG) at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Trenton.

The VIG is a weekly, small-group session for students identified as having anger or aggression issues. Most participants have recently experienced grief, loss, trauma, or other emotional or mental health effects resulting from victimization or exposure to violence.

Proudly worn by our kids, the hoodies provide warm winter gear while also sending a message to the entire school community and encouraging students who are working to find a pathway from violence and victimization toward peace, tolerance, and inclusion. #NoSpaceForHate