Meet Our Founders
Respite Transformed will change the continuum of care. For Pete’s Sake will scale efficiently and effectively, bringing integrative oncology with 20,000 respite nights and 500,000 respite hours to over 4,400 people annually. Here’s how significant this change will be for cancer patients and their loved ones!
Our Past: Meet our Founders
Historical Timeline
September 1, 1999
Pete Bossow, Jr. dies of testicular cancer at the young age of 30 and sets in motion FPS Respite.
May 2000
First Fundraising Event, the Fashion Show, organized by Alice Anne Bossow, Pete’s mom.
July 2000
Barbara Petroski has first Respite Experience in Sea Isle City, NJ.
2005
Begins respite outcome data measurements of patients and their families.
2007
Receives Standards of Excellence Accreditation and is 1 of 143 nonprofits nationwide to hold this accreditation.
2008
2000 people served with Respite Experiences.
2010
Presents health outcome data at APOS (American Psychosocial Oncological Society) Conference.
2012
FPS establishes travel partnership with Woodloch Resort.
2014
5000 people served with Respite Experiences.
2015
Launches Endowment Campaign.
2018
8000 people served with Respite Experiences.
2019
Pilots the Community Respite Model with travel partner, Woodloch Resort, demonstrating outcomes are stronger for community respite versus individual respite.
2020
Conversations begin on building the nation’s first dedicated Cancer Respite Center.
2020
ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) published our abstract, based on our community respite pilot, titled Individual and Community Respite as Supportive Care for Adult Cancer Patients, Their Caregivers, and Their Families.
2021
The Board of Directors unanimously agreed to construct the Cancer Respite Center at a cost of $20 million, expand the current endowment by $5M, and initiate the Respite Transformed Campaign at $25M.
2022
Engages Kimmel Bogrette, a renowned architectural firm, to partner in this endeavor to build the nation’s first Cancer Respite Center for families.
October 2022
10,000th person served with a Respite Experience.
2023
Receives Conditional Use permit from Lackawaxen Township for the Cancer Respite Center, and Skanska, a world-leading project and construction group, comes on board and donates 300 hours to estimate and design evaluation.
2024
Finalizes land purchase of 32 acres of commercial property that would serve as the future site of this Center.
