A little about our beginning

The inspiration for starting our organization came in 1986 when a stranger threatened to abduct the young children of Kidpower co-founder Irene van der Zande. Although she stopped the attacker by yelling at him and telling a bystander to help her, the incident left her determined to have her children--and young people everywhere--know how to keep themselves physically and emotionally safe. Kidpower was established in California as a 501(c)(3),nonprofit, charitable, tax-exempt organization in 1989 and is now an international organization.

Jan Isaacs Henry, Jan DeBoer and Debra Campeau established the Colorado Springs Center in 1994. Each had other jobs that involved sensitivity to the topic of child abuse. Since inception, the program has steadily grown in terms of programs offered, certified staff, and volunteer involvement. In 1994, 164 individuals were served. This past program year, the number served was 2,356. To date, more than 25,400 individuals have received safety training and Kidpower has collaborated with 170

schools, agencies and organizations in the Pikes Peak region.

Kidpower of Colorado Springs is one of three Colorado organizations under the Kidpower International umbrella. All centers do their own fundraising, with separate boards, budgets and programs.

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