EATON — Each year, the Ohio Department of Youth Services with the Ohio Association of Juvenile Court Judges and the Governor’s Council on Juvenile Justice recognize the accomplishments of outstanding youth who have worked hard to make positive changes in their lives, as well as the community organizations which support them.
This year, the Preble County Success Program and one youth from Eaton High School received the J. Thomas Mullen Achievement Award. This award is given to a program and youth which display exceptional dedication to education and employment.
“Brandon” (no last name provided) and his Success Program liaison, Heather Ludy, along with Jen Vonder Meulen, Success Liaison from Preble Shawnee, accepted the award on Thursday, Dec. 1, in Columbus. They were joined by Preble County Juvenile Court Judge Jenifer K. Overmyer and Court Administrator Kassie Proffitt.
Brandon is a junior at Eaton High School. Ludy said she got to know him over the years because he was an aide in the high school’s guidance office and lived with a family friend for a while. She also worked with him because circumstances in his life qualify him for certain transportation support. Ludy said while there have been struggles over the years, he is really “coming out of his shell” thanks to the support he receives from the Success Program, the school guidance counselor, and the school-based therapist. He has not let the challenges he faces get in the way of going to school and maintaining a job. He currently works at McDonalds and hopes to work in the medical field after graduation. Besides transportation arrangements, Ludy and the Success Program support him in numerous ways, helping him with school supplies and shoes, fee waivers, referrals for counseling, and referrals for his mother and grandparents for various resources.
“Brandon is loved by everyone in the guidance office, and we love seeing him succeed in the face of so many challenges,” Ludy said.
The Success Program provides services to students and families in all five Preble County school districts. The goals of the program are to help families overcome non-cognitive barriers so that children can be successful in school and employment. Liaisons are assigned to specific schools to help struggling students and families access resources to meet their needs. Some examples are food, clothing, housing, medical, mental health, dental care, navigation of public benefits, and school supplies. The program attempts to meet any need a family may have. This program is available free of charge to all families who have students attending a school district in the county.
In addition to these services, liaisons also host a back-to-school event that provides shoes and school supplies to students. They coordinate a program that provides backpacks of food to children for the weekends and oversee food pantries for middle and high school students. They head up the “Christmas for Kids” project, coordinate “Shoes for the Shoeless,” and provide families with Thanksgiving food bags.
Most liaisons are the designated homeless liaisons and are the point of contact for their district as well.
According to a press release, families served by this program have said:
“This program helped my daughter to not be afraid of going to school and making friends with new people.”
“The liaison helped us get set up in our new apartment with new appliances. We needed a microwave, and she supplied us one. The kids are now able to warm up their breakfast before going to school.”
“We were new to the school and our liaison’s gone above and beyond to help us in our transition and first year.”
The Preble County Success Program is administered by the Butler County Educational Service Center with collaboration and funding from several Preble County entities including the Preble County Commissioners, Job and Family Services, Preble County Juvenile Court, Mental Health and Recovery Board, Henny Penny, and the Strong Families Safe Communities Grant.
The Success Program served 642 students last year. For more information about the Preble County Success Program, contact Allie Shafer, Community School Liaison and Program Supervisor at 937-902-0766.
