[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 64 (Wednesday, May 5, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E873]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


        IN HONOR OF JOHN PETER, RETIRING PRESIDENT OF KIDSPEACE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TIM ROEMER

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 5, 1999

  Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of our 
nation's most visionary and dedicated public servants, Mr. John Peter, 
who will be retiring next month as President and CEO of KidsPeace.
  As many of you know, KidsPeace is a 115-year old, not-for-profit 
organization which helps young people face personal crisis and prepare 
for life's daily challenges. When John first started working at 
KidsPeace in 1974, the organization provided a refuge for about 40 
troubled kids in northeastern Pennsylvania.
  But John had a greater vision for the organization than that. He 
realized that children everywhere were coming under increasing pressure 
from broken homes, violence, drugs and other troubling influences in 
society. He knew that in order to truly help the children it was 
serving, KidsPeace had to find a way to get to them before trouble set 
in, and provide a structure to help them cope with the added burdens in 
their lives.
  Utilizing his skills as a businessman and social worker, and inspired 
by his training in theology, John set out to expand the KidsPeace 
mission nationwide. The results have been spectacular. Under John's 
leadership, KidsPeace has grown from a single facility in Pennsylvania 
to the nation's leading organization helping kids overcome crisis.
  KidsPeace now helps more than 2,000 children a day at 25 centers 
across the country, and serves millions more each year through public 
education and outreach programs. Hundreds of business leaders, doctors, 
entertainers, athletes and civic figures donate their time and support 
to the KidsPeace mission.
  At a time of increasing violence and turmoil in our society, children 
across the country know they can turn to KidsPeace for help in facing 
tough situations at home, problems with friends or in school, or for 
guidance in becoming stronger, wiser and healthier kids.
  I have had the privilege of working closely with John and the 
KidsPeace organization over the years through the Childrens' Working 
Group, which I founded to help give voice to America's kids. We hosted 
two major press conferences at which KidsPeace released the results of 
its national surveys of American teenagers and pre-teens.
  We also joined together to unveil the latest KidsPeace initiative: a 
Web site for young people called TeenCentral.net. I am pleased to note 
that since its inception, this site has received more than a million 
visits by kids, and has been named one of the top Web sites in the 
country.
  Mr. Speaker, Helen Keller once observed that optimism is the faith 
that leads to achievement. In my view, John Peter is the ultimate 
optimist. He believes that every child in America deserves a chance to 
reach his full potential, and that no child should be left behind. He 
has dedicated his life to this cause and our nation has benefited 
greatly from his efforts.
  I congratulate John on his many accomplishments with KidsPeace and 
the outstanding work he has done to help children and families overcome 
crisis. He may be retiring from KidsPeace, but his contributions will 
endure for decades to come.

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