Juvenile Justice visits the Heritage House
JUVENILE JUSTICE VISIT – Visitors to the Heritage House included, bottom row from left: Mary Reynolds, Office of Justice(OJ), Juvenile Justice (JJ) Title V Coordinator; Michelle Bridges, OF, JJ JABG Coordinator; Andy Wade, Heritage House (HH) Mentor; second row, Aylean Youngblood, HH PAT Educator; Janice Evans, HH Reading Trainer; Lynn McGee, OF, MS Juvenile Justice Specialist; Janet Schriver, HH Executive Director; third row, Alice Powell-Carter, MS SHINE; Patti Marshall, Special Assistant to M
Special events at the Heritage House are usually for kids, but on February 20 adults who make youth their business were center stage. Representatives from the MS Office of Justice, MS Attorney General’s Office, MS SHINE, and the Youth Excitement Team from Meridian, along with other visitors came to see Heritage House for themselves.
The occasion was prompted by the success of Heritage House programs that have been partially funded through Juvenile Justice grant awards.
Two grants have been awarded to help with Heritage House Programs from MS Juvenile Justice that have allowed Heritage House to serve at-risk youth who are interested in the arts or technology and need help with reading.
The success of the JABG grant, awarded in April 2008, has led to the Heritage House program gaining attention and recognition in Mississippi. Recently, the MS Office of Justice named the program as their nominee for Mississippi’s 2009 Outstanding Criminal Justice Program, an award offered by the National Criminal Justice Association.
The Heritage House program will now be placed in competition with other nominees from other parts of the country to gain regional and national recognition.
