06-06-2005 Youth At Correctional Center Lend a Helping Hand in Keeping South Bend Beautiful

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YOUTH AT CORRECTIONAL CENTER LEND A HELPING HAND IN KEEPING SO... Page 1 of 1 � v%• 'Building a 21St Century City " ' rs Stephen J. Luecke, Mayor RELEASE FROM: FOR RELEASE: Office of the Mayor Monday, June 6, 2005 YOUTH AT CORRECTIONAL CENTER LEND A HELPING HAND IN KEEPING SOUTH BEND BEAUTIFUL The Indiana Department of Correction, (South Bend Juvenile Correctional Facility), has teamed up with the City Code Enforcement Department to cleanup parks and neighborhoods. Juveniles between the ages of 13 to 18, who have reached the "transition level", are able to work outside the correctional facility. The supervised youth have assisted with work crews five times since late April. They also work with the Parks Department. They have worked picking up trash along Bendix Drive, Lathrop to the South Shore, Portage and California, Potawatomi Park and Kids Kingdom. The juveniles were recognized for their efforts at raking and collecting 170 bags of leaves in 5-6 hours, in Rum Village and Safetyville. The young men "work diligently and as a team supporting one another, a lesson that is not easy to learn", stated one supervisor. "They have expressed their enjoyment for the opportunity to be outside making a difference in the community. They also have learned to appreciate the importance of respecting the environment and not littering". Correctional facility supervisors are pleased with the program and how well the youth are doing. The program gives them a chance to work along side the juveniles and establish a good rapport in a less confining environment. The state juvenile facility houses boys from across the state of Indiana. Juveniles who have been incarcerated for a specified time period, have acknowledged and accepted the responsibility of their criminal behavior, are learning new life skills, and are following the rules, advance to the "transition level" and are able to take advantage of this program and other community service projects. The average number of juveniles on a crew is 11-12.They are scheduled once a week, or as needed. We can coordinate and schedule and set up an opportunity for an onsite interview of the program participants, however, names and faces can not be revealed. Please call Myra Butts at 235-9743 to schedule. For more information, contact Ruth Hoffer, Indiana Department of Correction, (574) 232-8808, Ext. 227. Back I City Home Page I City Directory I Site Map I Search Go powered by FreeFind Created by the City of South Bend Department of Information Technologies. Copyright©2005 City of South Bend.All rights reserved. http://www.ci.south-bend.in.us/Press/Releases 2005/060605 Youth.htm 1/13/2006