Twenty five years ago, a young pastor with a heart for clinical service moved his family from Albany, New York to become the new director of Trinity Counseling Service. In the many years since then, the Reverend Peter K. Stimpson has made an indelible mark on the lives of thousands of people in our community – across all socio-economic, age, gender and ethnic barriers. Peter is a treasured and valued friend and counselor and upon the well-deserved cusp of his retirement, the trustees of Trinity Counseling Service are launching a campaign in his honor.
Campaign Statement
The Campaign for Peter’s Kids seeks to raise $500,000 in designated funds to support the Childhood Intervention Initiative, a program that has been a hallmark of Peter’s tenure. In honor of his tireless commitment, the board has approved renaming the program “Peter’s Kids”. A small group of trustees, former trustees and friends has readily volunteered to serve as a special committee to advance this effort, under the leadership of Board of Trustees member Lew Ross. We plan to meet throughout the winter and spring with members of the TCS Family who have worked side-by-side with Peter through the years and who have the inclination to support a special effort in his honor.
The Program
The Childhood Intervention Initiative (CII) was launched in 1997 to provide early childhood intervention into the lives of underserved children living in Princeton. The program’s core principles include: providing all services within the CII free of charge to the children and families identified for services; the CII is funded entirely through grants and individual donations; the CII respects the dignity and worth of every child and family; the CII offers a broad range of age appropriate services that cover the developmental life span; and that the CII provides standardized outcome measures to demonstrate effectiveness of its interventions.
Case for Support
The Childhood Intervention Initiative – aka Peter’s Kids – is offered at no cost to families meeting the school’s income criteria of free and reduced lunch. With the continued demand for services, TCS must find new resources to operate this integral program and ensure its continued success in the future. As referenced above, the annual projected cost to run the program is $114,000. To be confident in our ability to grow this program and meet increased demand, we seek to raise a minimum of $500,000 to safeguard the program for the next 3-5 years.
In the 17 years since Peter Stimpson envisioned and launched the Childhood Intervention Initiative, TCS has touched the lives of more than 800 children, all of whom were innocent victims of circumstance. With the help of TCS, they – and their families – received the support they needed to have a chance at becoming successful, productive and happy students. Your gift can give that same chance to hundreds of other kids living right here in Princeton. We have all benefited from the leadership of Peter Stimpson in our community. This is an opportunity to honor that leadership and help secure Peter’s Kids for the future.
Donate now to support the Peter’s Kids Campaign.