I do what I love and I love what I do!

"One hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, how big my house was, or what kind of car I drove. But the world may be a little better, because I was important in the life of a child."–Forest E. Witcraft

Let's go back in time. The year is 2000 (11 years ago) and I am finishing up my Bachelor's degree. For my very last class, one of my assignments was to come up with my "personal statement". This quote by Forest E. Witcraft is what I started my personal statement with 11 years ago and it still holds true for me today.

Of course, as a mother, I know how important I am in my children's lives. But today, they are not the focus of my blog. My clients are who I am writing about today. Just have a lot on my mind and wanted to get it out, so here's my blog! hahaha

11 years ago, I had to do a Practicum (internship) for my college degree. I chose to work with juvenile delinquents in Edmond and was able to do this at Edmond Family Counseling. The kids I worked with had committed such heinous crimes (haha) as "curfew violation", "public intoxication", and "possession of tobacco". I attended group counseling sessions and even got to go to a ropes course with them. The kids I worked with came from nice homes, with two parents, and never wanted for anything. So, when I was looking for a career 4 years ago, I remembered how much i loved that internship and applied at the Oklahoma County Juvenile Bureau as a Probation Officer. After all, I had done this before and knew what I was getting into, right? WRONG!!!

Since I work with juveniles, their names and cases are confidential, but I will try to give you a glimpse of the real world... some of you already know, and some will be shocked. 

When I first took this job, 4 years ago, boy was I naive! I had never been exposed to this side of life before and didn't have a clue about anything these youth were involved in! The worst thing I ever did as a teen was drive south of Memorial road after being told it was past my boundaries! (Mom, no need to correct me here...lol) Over the past 4 years, I have learned a lot! I have 31 kids on my caseload. These are kids on probation with Oklahoma County. Of those 31, 6 are sex offenders, 2 are prostitutes, 11 have felonies ranging from Burglary to Arson to Assault and Battery to drugs, 10 are heavily involved in gangs, and 2 are in the County jail (one for Murder 1 and one for Trafficking drugs). Almost all of them use drugs, and I am not talking just marijuana here... cocaine, PCP, heroine, meth, extacy, pills, etc. Many have mental health diagnoses, few attend school, and all are deprived to some degree. These are kids committing adult crimes.  It is my job to do what their parents have failed to do... supervise them and teach them to make good choices, hopefully turning them into positive members of the community. My goal is supposed to be to REhabilitate them, but what I have learned in most cases is that I am HABILITATING them because they never knew how to make good choices to begin with. Let me tell ya, it's not easy. I have had to do everything from enroll a kid in school to setting them up with a counselor and getting them the meds they need and never had, to substance abuse rehab, to gang intervention, to sex offender treatment services, and more. In most cases I am also having to try to teach the parents how to parent! My resources are limited and my job is challenging. Most days, I cannot wait to get home to my wonderful children and hug them and be thankful that they lead a normal life and that they will never know what it means to be in a gang or what life on the streets is like! 

I write today because I need to get some things out of my head that are preoccupying my thoughts. I pour my heart into helping these kids and it seems that lately , my job is more and more focused on keeping them alive. I am sure many of you have seen stories on the news lately of dead bodies found in cars, police shootings, drive-by shootings, and let's not forget the pharmacy trial. Crime is really on the rise and these kids are in the thick middle of it! I have a few clients who are in detention right now just for the sake of keeping them safe from the life they have chosen which has led to possible death. But I can't keep them locked up forever... I am not alone in this battle though. Thank goodness for all of the counselors and mentors who pour their hearts into the lives of these kids as well! Without them, many of these kids don't stand a chance out there! I work closely with a couple of mentors who spend their days and nights with these kids just to try to keep them off the streets. They are wonderful, giving, selfless people and I thank them for what they do (you know who you are).

A few of the battles I am currently fighting are:

A girl who started prostituting to help support her alcoholic mother finacially. Turns out, she got herself mixed up in a Human Sex Trafficking ring and her pimp is currently in jail but we don't know for how long so she is scared to death because she wants out of that mess but he threatens her and she feels trapped.


A boy who is trying to get out of the gang he is deeply involved in. It is harder than one might think to get out. His mother's house was shot up when he wouldn't go with them and his little sister was in bed. The bullet holes were inches from her head but luckily no one was hurt.


A boy fighting for his life in the hospital after being shot.


A girl who doesn't want to be released from detention because her drug dealer boyfriend was killed last week and word on the street is that she is next.


Now, I understand that these kids have "made their beds" but I still can't help but try to fight for them and help them achieve the best possible outcome for their lives. Sometimes, "the best" isn't what you would consider good, but every little baby step toward a better life is a mark of success to me.


Please understand that this blog is not an attempt to toot my own horn or get any kudos. The point is simply to spread awareness as to what is going on in our world and to ask that you please pray for me as I continue to try to help these kiddos. Some are good kids who will make it out of this and be normal adults and some will end up in the adult system no matter how hard I try. Some are lost and some are not. I know I can't save them all, but if I can save just one, then my job was worth it. I work with other Officers who put just as much into their job as I do and I commend them for the work they do. As i said, I am not alone. We are on the frontline fighting a war in society. We stand for justice and peace for the community and we serve and protect. But at the end of the day, we are moms and dads and daughters and sons, friends, and citizens. Thanks for reading and thanks for your support.