Juvenile Services (JS) has found a new home for the numerous pieces of equipment used in some of its programs that support young people.
A 14-by-20-foot Sturdi-Bilt shed was literally rolled into position recently, just north of the JS offices, 1213 Baker.
“All of us were amazed at how this huge shed was put into place,” said Mike Daniel, JS assistant director. “The guy from Sturdi-Bilt used a hand-held remote to maneuver the structure, which was on wheels, onto the vacant lot. He had it in place and anchored in no time.”
The storage shed, which has a loft-sized second floor, contains items used mainly for the agency’s mentoring program, Life Skills classes and community-service projects.
Previously, most items were “crammed into a storage closet,” Daniel noted. “It was awkward and time consuming to retrieve anything we needed.”
The cost for the shed was $11,236, which was approved by the Barton County Commission; Barton County owns the lot.
“We did some research and I presented the idea to the commissioners,” Daniel recalled. “This particular shed seemed to offer the most bang for the buck and the commissioners agreed.
“We are very grateful to them for their foresight in helping us with this project,” he added. “The commissioners have given us the space we need now, along with additional space we’ll need in the future as we grow our programs.”
Programs
The mentoring program offers activities such as basketball, fishing, disc golf and other recreational pursuits.
“These outings offer ways to start conversations with our clients,” Daniel said. “When young people are given the chance to open up, topics often include school, homelife and employment. Of course, we also spend time in the office where we use motivational-interviewing techniques.
“This goes far beyond yes-no questions and leads to good back-and-forth conversations. When we can get them talking, we learn about parts of their lives that we need to know. Motivational interviewing is an important tool that may help them change negative behavior.”
A lot of the equipment in the shed also is used for Life Skills classes and community-service projects, which can include clean-up jobs, landscaping and volunteering for a variety of community and business events.
Laura Mason, JS community case manager, said she wants to offer education about any type of skill that young people can use today and down the road.
“In addition to tasks such as landscaping, we also focus on how to write a resume, balance a checkbook, vehicle maintenance, first aid, CPR and more,” she said. “We do our best to help young people prepare for life and some of the challenges it can bring.”
Anyone with a special talent and the volunteer spirit is encouraged to contact Mason or Daniel by calling 620-793-1930.
“The more volunteers we have, the more classes and projects we can offer,” Mason said. “Our staff and the families we serve always appreciate local professionals who can share their time and talent with our youth.
“We need this kind of community support to show the younger generation that we care about them. The county commissioners have shown they understand the importance of our programs and we hope the community does too.”
20th Judicial District Juvenile Services empowers youth in Barton, Rice, Ellsworth, Stafford and Russell counties to achieve positive outcomes by offering Juvenile Intake & Assessment, Immediate Intervention, Intensive Supervised Probation, Case Management, Journey to Change, Life Skills, All Stars and Youth Crew. Parents and guardians also are offered The Parent Project. Visit 1800 12th in Great Bend or call 620-793-1930.