03-26-18 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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REGULAR MEETING March 26, 2018 Governor's Board of employment. In addition to the forty-five (45) years, I was a scout leader in various capacities, a Director of Youth and Adult Leadership Development programs, as well as Scout Master for two (2)inner-city troops. One (1) in South Bend and one(1) in Washington D.C. I have also served for nearly a quarter of a century as one (1) of the first Neighborhood Crime Watch captains in South Bend, and for the last eight (8) years with the South Bend Police Department I have been a Neighborhood Crime Watch captain network coordinator for all of River Park and the one hundred and thirty-five (13 5) Captains serving therein. Also, I was Safety Chair for the River Park Neighborhood Association. To add to this credentialing, I was honored along with Charles Martin to receive the first of two hundred and fifty (250) Youth Leadership Investment Awards from the State of Indiana. So with that, I certainly give my endorsement to them. But I've also personally experienced the Rite of Passage home base in Nevada where they had eight (8) career tracks and one (1) was EMT. In the State of Nevada, in the first fifteen (15) years, eighty percent (80%) of the EMTs serving the State were graduates of ROP. Five (5) of them became medical doctors. It is a great program. That is level two (2) and we are now talking about level three (3). That is something new. Rite of Passage has served South Bend for twenty (20) years with good success. We are not talking about an incarceration institution,we are talking about ROP graduates. I highly recommend the Woodford Home that will serve the advanced graduates of the most effective youth development program in the United States, based on my experience. I encourage you to accept this program. Locally, the University of Notre Dame is a partner with them. River Park and South Bend will be a safer place because of their presence because they have character. They will be helping out with a clean-up day and will also be part of our parade. Jim Boshears, 1000 S. Michigan Street, South Bend, IN, stated, I have worked for Rite of Passage for two (2) years. I operated and supervised a group-home in Colorado that is very similar to this. The difference between Woodford Home and the one (1) in Colorado is that these kids are going to want to be there,whereas the one(1)in Colorado some kids had no choice.My experience there, though, was that the students want to be a part of the community. They demonstrated behavior change and they wanted to make amends for the mistakes they made when they were younger men. They also wanted to learn how to be independent. They were very valuable to the community. Specifically, they worked with seniors, veterans, local charitable organizations along with businesses and governmental organizations. They are Boy Scout members. Annually, we would have employers ask us how many kids we are getting. The Woodford Home would have similar contributions. It is a rigorous process to get into this program and they will be under strict supervision at all times. They will be held to a high standard. I belive they will be an assest to the South Bend/Mishawaka area. Janice Swindle, 20185 Dice Street, South Bend, IN, stated, I'm here representing a group of employees from Mossberg and Company who have interacted with this group numerous times. Some of my coworkers were unable to be here tonight due to work schedules. Our employees have a donation-lead team located at 301 E. Sample Street. We were introduced to the DePaul Academy and the cadets back in February 2017. As their neighbor to the north, we were moved by their stories, success and support in developing these young men into responsible and outstanding community members. Since February, we have invited the cadets to Mossberg numerous times. We've done tours and showed them our work environment. We have spent hours working side by side to build picnic tables and packing food at the Northern Indiana food bank. We have found them to be responsible,respectful,polite and genuine. Their questions and casual comments demonstrate their yearning for a fair chance at a good life. After having personally encountered them over a dozen times,they are exemplary young men that have been given the tools to improve or counter their situations. They are driven to hold themselves to higher standards. We have taken these young men into our hearts. We see the difference this group is making and I would love to see it continue. Thank you very much. Josh Page-Wood, 3402 S. Locust Road, South Bend,IN, stated,My house is actually in Michigan, just across the border. I work here in South Bend. I am a college grad. I have a Bachelor of Science from Michigan State University. I am a business owner of sixteen (16) years and the most important titles I have are husband, father and son. A man much smarter than I once said, `Let your heart feel for the affliction and the distress of everyone. Let your hand give in proportion to your purse, remembering always the estimation of the widow's might.' That was said on January 15