Cherish the Children Foundation Honors PEI Kids’ Rob Fiorello

May 10, 2013 – LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J.-Local youth advocate Rob Fiorello, who has served as nonprofit PEI Kids’ Juvenile Intervention Services Coordinator since April 1999, was among those honored at the 27th Annual Cherish the Children Foundation Awards Dinner on April 24, 2013 at Mercer Oaks Country Club.

The event was sponsored by the Cherish the Children Foundation and the Mercer County Commission on Abused, Neglected, and Missing Children and hosted by Masters of Ceremony Robin Scheiner, Commission Chairperson, and Jason Salvatore, Commission Member. Fiorello was among several youth volunteers, organizations and professionals honored for making a positive difference in the lives of Mercer County children.

Known simply as “Mr. Rob” by the teens he works with, Fiorello mentors and educates youth who are at-risk and/or on probation regarding violence avoidance, anti-gang affiliation strategies, conflict resolution, critical thinking, anger management, dealing with peer pressure, and alternatives to criminal behavior. He runs two of PEI Kids’ juvenile intervention programs – the Comprehensive Juvenile Offenders Outreach Services (CJOOS) program and the Managing Aggression and Violence (MAV) Program, which work closely with the Mercer County Juvenile Probation Department and Family Court. These programs have helped thousands of juveniles – 90% of them who are already gang involved — become less of a danger to themselves and the community.

A frequent speaker about gang violence in the community, Fiorello is the Co-Chair of the Mercer County Gang Task Force and serves as a Client Advocate to the Mercer County Juvenile Probation Unit and Family Court, regularly helping to guide youth recently released from incarceration and their parents/caregivers through the probation process and probationary requirements. He also served as an Operation Cease Fire Core Group Member under the Deputy Attorney General and as a member of the Minority Task Force Committee.

“Rob Fiorello is the embodiment of what PEI Kids means to this community,” says PEI Kids Board Chair Nick Ventura. “Rob works every day to help ensure the safety of children who, more times than not, live in violent, highly challenging environments. I applaud his tenacity and commitment, and congratulate him on this very appropriate Cherish the Children honor.”

About PEI Kids
PEI Kids’ aspiration for the children of Mercer County, NJ, is “Safe Kids, Sound Futures.” Currently serving approximately 16,000 children and their families each year, the nonprofit organization began in 1985 when, while working at a rape crisis center, its founders discovered there were no local services tailored for children who had been sexually abused. For the past 28 years, its mission has been dedicated to promoting and maintaining a safe environment for all children. Its services have expanded to include engaging, developmentally appropriate and culturally diverse Prevention/Education and Intervention programs relating to personal safety; physical and sexual abuse; understanding physical and educational differences; school safety and bullying; anger management; gang prevention; and the overall well-being of the child and family. It is currently the lead agency of the Greater Mercer Coalition to Prevent Child Abuse. PEI Kids also provides client services to foster care children and their biological families, supervising more than 1,600 family visits each year and transporting foster children and family members to visitations, and medical and other important appointments. To learn more about PEI Kids’ many programs and services for Mercer County children and families, and how you can support its efforts, please call 609-695-3739 or visit www.peikids.org. All calls regarding possible abuse are confidential.

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