[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 6] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 8691] [From the U.S. 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. ____________________