Last year, we found millions of small ways the kids. to help out in the Lehigh Valley …all for one big reason – S ince KidsPeace was founded in 1882 by Bethlehem Steel President William Thurston, we’ve been dedicated to keeping your – and our – local community strong. We heal children and families in pain; we are a strong local employer and economic driver for our community; and we stay focused on helping keep the Lehigh Valley a great place to raise a family. Here are just some of the ways in the past year that KidsPeace, our kids and our 1,400 local employees worked to make life a little better for all of us: “KidsPeace saved my life …” Giving Kids Peace 3,219 abused, neglected, suicidal and traumatized local children found help and hope right here in the Lehigh Valley with our lifesaving services. We remain ever steadfast in our quest to heal and transform these young people back into healthy and happy children. Despite the terrible odds they face when they come to us, our kids’ academic progress doubles and even triples; and 9 out of 10 kids say they feel safe, have been given a sense of dignity and belonging, developed character and experienced a sense of transformation and growth while here. We’ve made great strides in improving our kids’ self-sufficiency, too; in fact, 2 out of 3 are living more independently a year after leaving us. It isn’t easy helping kids through life-threatening crises, but we’ve done it successfully more than 150,000 times. “Here, let us give you a hand …” Giving Back to the Lehigh Valley 5,600 acts of volunteerism were happily carried out last year for the Lehigh Valley by the children of KidsPeace. As part of their road to healing, KidsPeace kids: “adopted” grandparents at local nursing homes; raised money for cancer, diabetes and heart disease charities; volunteered at the Grace Foundation Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity; created alphabet books and knitted hats for children in the Head Start Program of the Lehigh Valley; prepared meals at New Bethany ministries in Bethlehem; helped clean up local rivers and parks; and, although they themselves are hurt and in need of help, performed thousands more acts of charity and kindness throughout our community. “Our family had a wonderful time …” Sharing with our Friends and Neighbors 6,850 friends and neighbors visited our local campuses to share good times and use our swimming pools, gymnasiums, soccer fields and team-building ropes courses. Among the many events and visitors we hosted were the 400 participants in the Fountain Hill & Salisbury Township Neighbors Program, 4,000 young soccer players and fans at the annual KidsPeace Soccer Invitational, the Lehigh Valley Basketball School Coaches Clinic, the Lafayette College Girls Basketball Team, United Way campaign coordinators, AAU basketball teams, the Seton Hall and St. Ursula’s Catholic School basketball program and the Emmaus High School Boys Soccer Team. “You helped before I even knew I needed it …” Award-winning Prevention and Intervention 25,083 Pennsylvania teens received free, professional help through our award-winning prevention Web site TeenCentral.Net to work out emotional problems safely in their own homes … before they become overwhelming and spill over into our schools and communities. This amazing resource helps millions of teens around the world every year. “I’ve learned so much …” Teaching Other Professionals to Help Children 42,293 professionals attended over 5,000 training and educational seminars, classes and other continuing educational opportunities provided by the KidsPeace Institute last year, furthering best practices in the child-care industry. These trained ambassadors extend a greatly needed safety net throughout our communities and help to give thousands of kids, families and neighbors peace. “I’m proud to work, and live, in the Lehigh Valley…” Helping Keep Our Local Economy Strong $2,300,000 in local and state payroll taxes was paid by KidsPeace employees to boost our local municipal and township budgets, supporting vital police, fire and other community services. $10,000,000 was provided in free and undercompensated care for suffering children in the greatest need. $15,000,000 in food, clothing, products and services was spent with local merchants in the Lehigh Valley. $58,388,647 was put directly into the local economy through wages to our 1,400 area employees. This money provided millions more in local economic stimulus as our staff used their earnings to buy homes, pay real estate and income taxes and spend tens of millions of dollars on local purchases. For 126 years, we’ve been dedicated to finding many small ways to help our community … for one big reason: Our kids. With many more children to serve and much more work to be done, we’re planning for a long future of helping our community. To learn how you can help this great local tradition and keep our community healthy and strong, contact the KidsPeace Advancement Department at 610-799-7910 or visit www.kidspeace.org. Sincerely, Dr. Lorrie Henderson Acting President We respect our clients’ privacy. The models represented in this publication are for illustrative purposes only and in no way represent or endorse KidsPeace. ©2008 KidsPeace 001-0026 Historically, the Lehigh Valley has always been a great place to raise a family. We’re committed to keeping it that way. Kids The Natio nal C ente rf 5300 KidsPeace Drive Orefield, PA 18069-9101 Helping kids in the Lehigh Valley since 1882